BetterHelp Reviews 2024: Costs, Services & Discount Code

About BetterHelp

There are tons of online therapy reviews out there and they’ll help you give a better idea about their service as well as the ins and outs when availing.

Now when it comes to BetterHelp reviews, it might be a good idea to look for a detailed review that shows you everything good about BetterHelp as well as the controversies surrounding their service.

Checking out our article might be a good idea since this reviews BetterHelp from the ground up.

What Is BetterHelp? Should You Try It?

BetterHelp is an online therapy service that was designed to help people deal with their mental health problems in a more convenient way. Customers of BetterHelp can easily find counselors and therapists through their phones and computers without having to meet in person, making things easier and faster for both clients and therapists.

Is BetterHelp Legit?

Yes, BetterHelp offers counseling and all of their counselors are trustworthy of their positive reviews. It is a legitimate service and it’s even BBB (Better Business Bureau) accredited, showing us that they’ve gone through the measures to make themselves a legitimate business that people can trust.

Is BetterHelp Good?

It depends on the person and their preferences but generally speaking, BetterHelp is a good service seeing that they have tons of positive reviews and the majority of people who have used their service are pleased and content with how they were treated.

How Does BetterHelp Work?

As mentioned in the above reviews, BetterHelp is essentially automating the process of finding a therapist or counselor. You create an account on their website and answer their BetterHelp questionnaire so that they’ll have a much easier time pairing you with a counselor that meets your preferences. 

You also don’t have to worry about the quality of their counselors as they have been trained and all of them are accredited and licensed for these kinds of work. It might take a few days to match up with a counselor if you’re very specific in the questionnaire but it’s worth it as most clients tend to hit it off with the counselors that are paired with. 

What Does Betterhelp Treat?

For reviews, BetterHelp usually treats mental health conditions and emotional problems. They don’t prescribe medication and their treatment is more on helping you get over feelings and problems like:

• Anxiety
• ADHD Treatment
• Depression
• Empath (HSP)
• Sleeping issues
• Trauma
• Relationships
• Gender
• Parenting
• Grief
• Anger
• Self-esteem issues
• Family problems
• Addictions

How To Schedule An Appointment On Better help?

Choose Your Counselor Or Therapist

Before you can start scheduling an appointment with better help, it’s important that you choose the right counselor for the job. BetterHelp does help you find mental health professionals, professional counselors, mental health professionals, and family therapists for your issues.

You have many different types of people to choose from so make sure to pick the appropriately licensed therapist that suits you. This can be challenging as different people have different counselor preferences. It involves factors like a doctorate degree, sexual orientation, positive experience, body language, and whether or not the lenient can afford therapy. They might even switch therapists because of financial issues. 

Once you’ve chosen the right therapist immediately, it’s time to decide on what BetterHelp services you want to avail of and other factors that will help you with your own mental health issues.

Pick The Type Of Appointment 

After picking and deciding on a BetterHelp therapist it’s time to pick the type of appointment you want to have effective therapy. Many therapists can handle things online and doing virtual sessions or a live session can be convenient for both you and your potential therapists. Of course, there are other types of sessions as well and each of them has its own sets of advantages. 

Chat or Email

One type of appointment that people tend to overlook is chatting or email sessions. Online therapy has a lot of possible methods to help people and chatting or sending an email to their client is one of those methods. It may be less personal and it may not seem like it but it’s worth doing things this way with your own therapist.

If you happen to be so busy with your life that you can’t do traditional therapy sessions or even live sessions, it might be a good idea to go for this alternative. Sending an email or communicating with your therapist via chat is time efficient and both of you can do it anytime you want. It’s less engaging but it’s certainly an option for people with busy schedules with hardly any free time. 

Phone Sessions

If for some reason you do not like live sessions or video sessions, then the phone sessions might be a good alternative. Some people might not be tech-savvy to handle video calls, especially the older generation, calling your therapist by phone is also a viable way of dealing with your mental health.

And unlike video chat, you don’t have to see each other’s appearance so you don’t have to dress up for the occasion or make yourself more presentable. In fact, some lazy clients prefer this as they want to do therapy lying down in bed or on the couch without having to worry about someone judging their unpresentable appearances. 

Live Video Session

Live video sessions or live sessions, in general, are something that a lot of new therapists are familiar with. It’s simply a long-range in-person therapy where you don’t have to be physically present with your client.

These types of therapy sessions are very personal and it’s as if both of you are in the same room. A video call is one of the most recommended types of therapy sessions as it’s a good balance between convenience and an intimate session. 

It’s very convenient as you don’t have to meet in person and very personal as you are seeing each other as if you’re experiencing in-person therapy. Of course, there’s always the last option if you want a more hands-on experience. 

In-Person Sessions

BetterHelp doesn’t offer live sessions with their clients as it’s more of an online service but we decided to include this piece of info if you plan to go for other online therapy services that also include traditional therapy. If you’re more comfortable being in the same room as your therapist and feel like their words have more meaning in person, then this is your best bet.

Traditionally in-person therapy is very effective and a lot of psychiatric services still do them despite the advances in modern technology. Individual therapy in the therapist’s office is very effective for a lot of people and this is highly recommended if you can make it work.

Set A Scheduled Date

Once you’ve decided on everything with your new therapist the only thing left to do is to set a schedule. Find a time that works for both your own schedule and your therapist’s schedule. Luckily for you, BetterHelp offers a lot of things and you’ll even have the option to change therapists if you and your old licensed counselor have a hard time coordinating a common time between your schedules.

How To Prepare And What To Do In Your Appointment?

BetterHelp offers counseling, family therapy, and a lot of treatment for your mental health conditions. However, you can make things easier for both you and your licensed therapist if you prepare for your appointment as well. After all, you are paying them a lot of money despite the many different features the online therapy platform has like having their clients try BetterHelp free once a week.  

Here are some guidelines to help you get better results in your appointments:

Pat Yourself On The Back For Accepting Help  

According to a study on psychotherapy^[1], although many of its principles and mechanisms are left for debate it is still an effective method of intervention to help clients feel better about their experiences and problems which can help them function more favorably. Sadly not a lot of people accept they have problems or issues, let alone get help from a multimodal digital psychotherapy platform like BetterHelp. 

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”

Carl Jung

The quote mentioned above was stated by renowned psychologist and psychoanalysis Carl Jung which shows that you cannot change your problems if you do not accept them. If you are one of the rare people to understand that you need help with your problems then give yourself a pat on the back for accepting that you have issues. By doing so you are making the first few steps toward facing your issues and changing them for the better. 

It may not seem much but by giving where credit is due, you are giving yourself the determination that you need to face your demons and problems with your new therapist.

Get Your Logistics Straight

One of the biggest things that people who’ve undergone online therapy regret in their previous sessions is not managing the logistics of their therapists. This is why it’s important to get to business right away with your therapist and handle things that might interrupt your counseling.

Although you’ve probably taken the questionnaire BetterHelp gave you and your initial research might have given you a good idea of what to expect, it’s still better to talk and handle logistics with licensed therapists directly instead of a third party.  

Handle things like health insurance, financial aid, and handling of personal data. You should also talk about the fees, future schedules, what to expect from the results, and maybe even a timetable for your sessions with BetterHelp reports so that you can see for yourself if you’re making progress. If not, then it might be a good idea to change therapists since it might not be worth it for you. 

Be Open To Your Therapist

This might seem like very obvious advice when undergoing one of BetterHelps’s live video sessions and or any form of traditional therapy but not a lot of people are open to being told that they’re doing something wrong even if it’s being said nicely. This is why it’s very important that you keep an open mind before your appointment so that you’ll make things easier for both yourself and your therapist. 

Being open doesn’t mean that you should take criticisms or the opinions of clinical social workers and online therapists. If something is bothering you or if you disagree with what they’re saying, then make sure to express it. Of course, try to do this nicely and in a polite manner to avoid problems. 

Keep A List Of The Things You Want To Discuss

It’s very obvious but it’s very rare that clients do this in the first place. During your first meeting with your own therapist, he/she will be asking you multiple questions so that they can better gauge your situation, your issues, and what they can do to help you resolve these issues.

Usually, your therapist won’t have trouble finding your problems and finding ways to help develop or improve your mental health. And considering the BetterHelp cost of therapists, they know what they are doing.

However, you are wasting time doing this on your first therapy session when you can get to solving the problem right away. During your online counseling session or traditional in-person therapy, it might be a good idea to prepare a list of things that you want to discuss.

The list could be things you want to resolve like anger issues, or even things stressing you out in life like problems with financial aid and issues with an insurance company. It might not seem related to therapy but anything causing problems in your life should be discussed so that you can get a proper therapist-based official diagnosis. 

Set Goals With Your Therapist And Be Realistic

Now that you’ve set up things that you want to be discussed and resolved with your therapist including sharing personal data, it’s time for you to work with licensed professional counselors and clinical social workers as the result of your sessions. 

Set goals that will help you resolve your problem and it’s a good idea to do this with your therapist so that you can keep your goals grounded and achievable. 

Trust Your Instincts And Trust Your Therapist

You might be suffering from adult depression and your therapist might refer you to a doctor to prescribe medication for this problem. If this doesn’t sit well with your gut, then trust it. Explain to your therapist why you may not want to take certain medications because it makes you uneasy. Your therapist acts in your best interest and if a certain solution involves something that highly disturbs you, then they’ll be professional about it and look for other ways.

Of course, it’s also good to strike a balance between trusting your gut and testing what a licensed counselor would say. During your online therapy live sessions, it might be a good idea to try something uncomfortable for you. After all, if you just follow your gut all the time, then why even hire a therapist for mental health online counseling in the first place? 

Benefits Of Using BetterHelp

You’ve seen a list of the various pros and advantages that BetterHelp can offer you but it may not mean anything to you without context. So we’re going to elaborate on some of the less clear pros stated on the list above.

Thousands of Therapists to Choose From

What makes BetterHelp one of the best choices for empaths is the sheer quantity of counselors. An empath can choose the best counselors who understand their condition and are mindful enough to respect their boundaries due to their oversensitive nature. 

Of course, this also applies to everyone from all walks of life as well. You can easily choose a therapist based on your preferences, whether that be a female therapist, a therapist of the same age, and so on. 

Unlimited Messaging Services

One of the biggest advantages of  BetterHelp’s subscription is that you don’t have to pay additional fees or phone bills to set a schedule for your online therapy. If you have an unlimited messaging plan, you can use it to your advantage, and feel free to send messages when needed.

Issue With BetterHelp

Just like with some of the pros, some cons about BetterHelp might need more explaining. This will give you a better idea of why BetterHelp might not be a service that fits your wants, needs, and expectations. 

The BetterHelp Controversy

BetterHelp might be a reputable and popular service but there is a controversy about it which could be a problem for some people who want their information respected. The controversy started when Youtubers started promoting the platform. Sadly this blew up as more and more Youtubers kept doing this with some of them faking or exaggerating their mental health problems.

This caught the eye of the Youtubers who started pointing out issues or problems with BetterHelp. Some YouTubers like “Memeology”  looked more deeply into BetterHelp and even stated that BetterHelp sells the data they’ve collected from you which is concerning. 

For more information about how BetterHelp protects your information, please review their Policy. And whether the claims about BetterHelp selling data are true or not, people still believe in it causing controversy.

Not Backed By Medicare

Major insurance companies like Medicaid and Medicare do not back up BetterHelp. Because of this, it might be hard for people to afford their services. This also limits potential clients as well. So if you don’t want to spend money from your personal bank account, then it might be time to find an alternate online therapy service for your mental health. 

Can’t Prescribe Medication Nor Fulfill Court Order Therapies

BetterHelp counselors cannot medically prescribe anything to their clients. This is why they often refer you to a doctor if you want medication for a particular case. Their therapists are more about helping you deal with your problems rather than treating them with medication. Because of this, they cannot also fulfill court-order therapies as they often require a medical prescription since they usually involve people with mental health problems that put other people at risk. 

Alternatives To BetterHelp

BetterHelp vs Talkspace 

BetterHelp and Talkspace are direct competitors and you’ll find either one of them as the top spot for the best online therapy services on the market. With that being said, Talkspace shares a lot with BetterHelp and it even has more flexible payment plans which is definitely a big advantage over BetterHelp, especially for people who don’t have much to afford therapy. BetterHelp on the other hand offers better live video sessions so it depends on which one you prefer.

BetterHelp vs ReGain

When it comes to these two services, both of them have their fair share of advantages. ReGain is more focused and designed for couples therapy which makes it a good choice if you want to sort out relationship troubles with your partner. BetterHelp, on the other hand, is more diverse and might be a better option if you want to get a counseling service on other matters.

BetterHelp vs In-person Therapy

Being an online therapy service, BetterHelp was built for the convenience of both the client and the therapist. A single therapist can have multiple clients a day depending on the type of service the client avails to. In-person therapy on the other hand is time-limited as a single therapist can accommodate one client at a time and it’s much harder to schedule meetings and sessions due to logistics.

However, in-person therapy does have its advantages since it’s more personal and it’s more hands-on which could be more effective for some clients who want to talk to a real person a few meters away compared to talking on a computer screen or your phone. Either way, both services are viable and it all depends on your preferences. 

How To Find The Best BetterHelp Counselors Near Me?

BetterHelp is an online therapy service so you can have counselors all over the world. But if you really insist on finding BetterHelp counselors near you since they might relate more to your experiences, then you’re in luck since their website can help you find local counselors as well. 

Now when it comes to BetterHelp pricing depends on your membership renewal and the plan you’ve chosen. The best way to know about the specific pricing of their services is to visit their website yourself.

BetterHelp Counseling Reviews: What Real Users Say?

Now that we’ve said our piece about BetterHelp and its various advantages and disadvantages, it’s time to take a look at actual clients and customers of their service and their BetterHelp reviews. To give you a wider and broader perspective about BetterHelp, we’ve taken multiple reviews ranging from 1-star to 5-star ratings.

Hopefully, after reading all of these reviews you’ll grow to understand BetterHelp more as a service. The majority of the reviews about BetterHelp are generally positive but there are some cases of clients experiencing glitches and unprofessional counselors so we also included their thoughts and experiences as well. 

5 Star BetterHelp Review

“BetterHelp is amazing! Reasonably priced and very accessible. My counselor has been amazing from the start. If you are on the fence about joining, I’d say give it a shot. If you don’t like your counselor you can change, it’s nice to have someone to talk to and help you work on being a better-centered person. Covid has caused so much fear, depression, and confusion in a world full of problems. This is worth it. Give it a shot.”

Kasey Swiontek

4 Star BetterHelp Review

“Overall, with honest reviews, I am very pleased with BetterHelp. My one complaint is a lack of overall structure. All of the therapists have been well qualified and I understand it is hard to structure teletherapy but it seems like each therapist has complete freedom to operate how they desire, which has pros and cons. 

My first two counselors specifically requested me to change counselors which didn’t feel good, considering everyone in therapy is in therapy for their reasons. But I admit it is good the counselors have the ability to make that request. Overall – very pleased. Just takes time to find the right counselor!”

Robert Holt

Final Thought: Is It Worth Trying?

Overall, our opinions are very similar to what other BetterHelp reviews say. This is an amazing service with so many features for their client’s convenience. As for the pros and cons, we can say that the pros of BetterHelp outweigh the negative things said about the company. And if you happen to distrust BetterHelp despite its reviews because of the controversy, there are still dozens of alternatives that you can choose from like Talkspace and ReGain. Hope the reviews can help you decide on BetterHelp as your number one choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

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