BetterHelp FAQ: Everything You Need to Know Before Signing Up!

After the sign-up process, BetterHelp matches you to an available counselor who fits your preferences; these preferences are set up by you in a quick questionnaire. You can also select a therapist manually by selecting from a provided list.

Then, you and your therapist can set up a session calendar by mutual consensus. When you visit your counselor’s profile, you can see what type of live session they offer; It can be text chat, phone calls, and video calls.

Please note that if you ever feel that your counselor isn’t the right one for you, you can choose to be matched to a different one.

BetterHelp’s counselors are licensed and trained psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), licensed professional counselors (LPC), or clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW). Their experience, expertise, and background can vary from counselor to counselor. BetterHelp offers a list of its counselors so you can find more about them and their area of expertise. You can also look at some anonymous user reviews for every one of them.

The counselors are verified by providing proper documentation of licensure and identity. Also, they’re required to submit references from other licensed counselors who have worked with them recently or in the past. Then, BetterHelp cross-checks the information with the applying counselor’s state licensing board.

Each therapist applying to work through BetterHelp has to complete a case study evaluation, taken by a licensed clinician, and also have an interview via video chat, in which the therapist is evaluated.

BetterHelp also shows you the full licensing information of each counselor so you can look it up yourself if you want to.

It may be right for you. It depends on what your objectives with the counseling are. It can be very useful to you if you’re looking to improve your life and boost your overall happiness; BetterHelp has a wide variety of counselors that are specialized in specific problems such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, addictions, and many more. This can help you to target the issue easily and begin working through it with the counselor’s help.

It can also be right for you if you have difficulty going to a therapist’s office or if you have a tight schedule and can only get help from your home or office. It all depends on what you need at the moment and how you feel more comfortable.

While online therapy can be very similar to traditional, face-to-face therapy, the main difference is that traditional therapy can feel more intimate, and the online therapy experience may vary depending if you choose to get counseling by online chat or by call.

There is no right answer while choosing which one is better. It depends on your needs and which one suits you the best.

As of May 2020, the price ranges from $40 to $70 per week. You may choose the plan that fits you the best. You can also cancel your membership anytime you want.

BetterHelp’s services are not generally covered by health insurance, Medicare, nor Medicaid. The two main reasons are that the counselors in the system are not authorized to make an official diagnosis on your mental health condition, and insurance companies need a diagnosis to be associated with your health services to get coverage. Read more in this article “Does Betterhelp Take Insurance?“

Yes! BetterHelp offers you financial aid by discounts in your standard service price. These discounts are based on your actual income. You can apply for financial assistance in the sign-up page. If you qualify for it, you can get a discount immediately after filling in your sign-up form.

No. Counselors on BetterHelp’s site are not authorized to give an official diagnosis on the site’s platform. It is stated in the Terms of Service.

Regardless if your counselor is qualified to prescribe medication, BetterHelp’s Terms of Service don’t allow the company to use the site for giving advice regarding medications or medical treatment.

Yes. When you sign up, you may pick a nick name for your user. BetterHelp does not ask you for full name or contact information. However, it asks you for emergency contact information when starting a counseling process, so it can be used in case your counselor believes that you or someone else might be in danger.

This information is kept safely in the system and is not given to anyone else. BetterHelp’s security system offers you message encryption, conversation protection by strict federal and state laws, and other security and infrastructure technology, all of which ensures the safeguarding of your information.

It all depends on your personal preferences and resources; you can look at the options available for you and then choose what you feel is better. BetterHelp is a platform that offers you a more comfortable space where you can quickly find a therapist based on what you specifically need. Finding an independent therapist may offer you a wider range of specialists since they don’t limit themselves to just one platform.

Starting on BetterHelp is quicker and easier, since all you have to do is fill out a form or choose a therapist from the site’s list and you’re done.

BetterHelp offers you an integrated HIPAA-compliant platform where you do all the communication, while independent therapists can use other means for having their sessions like Skype, Google Meet, or Zoom.