I tried it and it wasn't for me. I tried several different therapists, and all four discouraged voice and video calls. They only wanted to talk through chat and a couple were excruciatingly slow typers, so during a 30 minute session we would only exchange maybe 6 messages back and forth. Just my experience.

I have! It was fine, my therapist was fine BUT he did not do CBT which I feel I personally need to grow. I stopped using better help after a few months because I just felt video therapy wasn’t as conducive to what I needed as in person therapy and other methods. nothing particularly bad or good about it - the cost makes it a great, accessible option

Try NOCD app for OCD related help, Better Help for regular therapy(pick a PHD therapist, change location to California for best therapists) Talk Space App if you need a psychiatrist and medications

I used better help for the majority of COVID and it was overall helpful, it was my first time using a therapy service so I can’t speak on the differences of in person vs FaceTime. You can switch therapists at any time which is super nice. The first woman that I was paired up with was not vibing with me AT ALL so I just switched her out and it was a 1000 times better. But they have different worksheets to read/keep/ and work through which makes you think about some struggles in a different light. I’d say to try it out! Worst case you don’t like it and just cancel the subscription!

I did it for a little and it was a little helpful. I felt like my therapist was kind of running out of anything helpful after like 6 sessions, so I switched therapists and got one I thought was awful so I switched again immediately. Finding the right person is definitely a hard part

I would just pay the extra dollars for an actual therapist in person

I started it this month. So far it’s okay. Although your therapist is supposed to answer text messages and mine hasn’t. She does okay in live sessions though

I actually use a program called OpenPath. Its a nonprofit where you pay a one time membership fee (actually for real just one time) and then you find a therapist through them that you negotiate a price with, I pay $30 per session. Its based on an honor system. I am grad student and I didnt have to provide proof of poverty or proof that I didnt have insurance or anything, which are huge barriers to care. Also, know that ANY good therapist should be more than willing to do a *free* consultation with you before you do an intake. Get a feel for each other's personality before you commit to treatment! Also, try to do a little research before you find a therapist about what KIND of therapy you want. CBT/ ACT/ Humanistic/ Existential/ Trauma/ etc are all very different. All licensed therapists should be able to tell you what their theoretical orientation is.

I really liked it. I did it for multiple months and it was great! I recommend to anyone who feels like they want to try counseling. It was nice to have the option to do either FaceTime or voice calls and not have the pressure of going into an office

I tried it, I tried two therapists and neither replied in the allotted time so I asked for refund and got one. I honestly found it a really frustrating and upsetting process, I wouldn't recommend it, especially considering you could go to some real therapy sessions for the price.

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If you need serious help I would research agencies that take your insurance because BetterHelp is inconsistent

Yeah not a fan

Yes hated it

BetterHelp is not worth it especially if you try to cancel your account, they'll still charge you. I was fraudulently charged $204.00 twice so a total of $408.00 for their free trial.

I would like to know this as well!!!

I had a really great experience and my therapist was a great match for me. I liked messaging with her between sessions to check in. The only reason I stopped was because she left the platform.

I liked it! But it’s not for everyone. I think they give you a discounted rate for your first month, so it might be worth trying. The nice thing is you can look through the counselors and choose one you would feel you’d mesh with, and you can change counselors at any time. It’s also nice because between sessions if you’re needing to talk you can type into a chat and they’ll respond even when it’s not during your scheduled session. They also have options for text/chat, phone calls, and video chats. I think it’s definitely worth a shot and an affordable alternative to in person therapy.

I wouldn’t. I assume anything you share in a better help session could be later weaponized against you in the algos

I tried/still trying, I think the groupinrars are much more helpful than the therapist. 30 minute call is never long enough. I won't continue with betterhelp. Didn't actually do anything to me. Youtube speeches or books are better.

Y’all are crazy, even if I was super depressed I would not pay those prices , especially for therapists that are bad at their job.

I have been using it long term. I didn’t connect with the first therapist I was assigned and then I read all the biographies of the therapists on BetterHelp and I chose the one that spoke to me. I have been with this same therapist now a couple years. I appreciate it because I had a move across the country and I found it comforting keeping the same therapist it through it all, I didn’t have to start over with someone new. I think that it’s just a journey to find a therapist you connect with - whether it’s online or in person doesn’t change that it might take a couple tries to find the right one. So, don’t give up! I also like that if I have something big happen or I struggle with something between sessions that I can message my therapist. The messaging helps me a lot during times of crisis.

do not use them as they are now using fear tactics on the CSR's who work for them. Was in a meeting where 3 of them got fired because they offered financial aid when the company no longer wants us to do that, however, our leaders never told us so we didn't know. They just needed an example at this point.

I tried better health and honestly, the therapist sounded bored and over-worked when I talked to her. Maybe it just wasn't a good match, but I cancelled soon after.

I work for betterhelp and I could get fired for this. But they care about they will fire there workers in a heart. If you reach out to us be prepared to not get a response for couple of days. Also they implicated a no refund rule. So if you try to quit we have to ask a million questions before you can get a refund. So it’s back and forth e-mail hoping you will forget or get stuck paying. All you need to do is just say give me back all my money or i will contact my credit card. Betterhelp does not care about its employees or customers it’s only about money.

A Therapist on Tik Tok made a couple of videos about Better Help and how a majority of Therapists hate the company. These videos were posted in late September of this year so I am not sure if they changed any of their policies or made any significant changes within the company, however I am doubtful. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8jLEQSm/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8jNBPDQ/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8jNSMTa/ TDLR: Better Help under pays their Therapists, if the Therapists go over the designated word count with you in a session they will not be compensated for it, having 24 hour access to a Therapist can possibly lead to unrealistic and unhealthy boundaries with Therapists, Better Help is a tech company ran by Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires who sell your private health information to third parties.

I thought they were joking about them being a sponsor at first because didn’t we have all those articles last year about how scammy it was? Even PhillyD did a video on it, and other youtubers came out and apologizing for using them too. It’s just weird

I agree, Better Help is AWFUL. I spent my last $200 I had to my name on Better Help when my best friend died, and 3 therapists told me they couldn’t help me and pawned me off onto the next therapist, and I got maybe 5 messages combined from all the therapists in the month that I had the service. The replies I got were one or two sentences, sometimes in broken English. Total scam.

I was a little baffled when he said in today’s live that they are now guaranteeing your therapist will be licensed?? I’ve never gone to therapy so idk. Is it normal to have an unlicensed therapist?

I would also discourage people from using it. In addition to all of these issues if you look on their page’s private policy (https://www.betterhelp.com/privacy/) they literally sell the data from your actual therapy sessions. How fucked up is it to be a menta health ‘advocates’ and make money off of people’s mental illnesses?? I get that a lot of apps sell data but I would expect medical information to be confidential.

With peace and love, H3 have quite a few sketchy sponsors. Can’t remember the name right now, but they often work with a credit or debt reduction company who offer predatory interest rates that usually end up putting people into even worse situations. And crypto brokers like Kraken are doing a pretty good job of fucking the environment (really bothered me when the team got into the NFT game for a while without acknowledging this). No hate, H3 have a big staff now and everyone has to get paid, and since they lean towards more risqué content, it’s probably not easy to find sponsors. But some of the regular ones on the show are kinda shady.

As someone who used the other version of this TalkSpace, I can see what you're saying, and it took a while for me to even realise this. That what I was paying for was.. platitudes, or quotes, and I never really felt as if I was progressing you know? I needed a \*structure\* and I'd pour my heart out - and just.. get back 'I understand'' And she would repeat back what I knew I was feeling but offer very little in terms of what I could do to learn about it, or try strategies in order to HELP myself. Find therapy locally, or via a referral. But don't do it 'online' via these services.

i’ve been super skeptical of better help for years. there were things coming like: no verification of SW licenses, exorbitant prices and youtubers incentivized to push it because of getting a crazy commission. of course everyone will have a different experience with this service (I haven’t used it) but I do kinda cringe when I see ads for it

idk what is going on but every podcast / artist / form of media i follow has been promoting better help - even the ads on YouTube. Like everyone chill, I am depressed yes but I don’t want to use your shitty app!!

CANADIAN FOOT SOLDIERS (specifically in Ontario) there is a FREE WEBSITE called [MindBeacon](https://www.mindbeacon.com/) that hooks you up with licensed therapists to do online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The Ontario government has made this free for residents. PLEASE take advantage of it!

I work for a crisis line and people will call the suicide hotline bc they think they are customer support for Better Help. They have zero telephone customer support.

Better help was horrible, I spent hundreds of dollars and all they did was make me feel worse about myself.

I spent $200 (when I did not really have any money) when I was going through post-pardom depression and they told me to take a bath.

Better Help is like the UberEats/Doordash of therapy. It’s the markets new way of commodifying mental healthcare. Sure you might find the help you need but you need to understand it’s limitations and risks. If you try it and don’t like it-don’t use it. IMO the best help you’ll get will be face to face and in a professional setting.

Reminds me of the old Chappelle bit about doing ads. "I've done ads for coke AND pepsi. Honestly? Can't tell the difference. But Pepsi paid me most recent, so.... tastes better"

Online therapy like better help and talk space are NOT the best way to receive mental health care. Psychology Today has a database of therapists in your area - this is a great way to find a good therapist! A lot of therapists are still doing telehealth, I only recently began seeing my therapist in person and my psychiatrist is still doing telehealth. For anyone reading this, if you are looking for a therapist and don’t click with the one you meet first, don’t give up! Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a therapist that works for you, with the modality that fits your needs best ❤️ better help may be an option to get you through to that first therapy apt with a therapist near you, but i wouldn’t recommend for long term use!

it’s so expensive i don’t think i could try it if i wanted to lol

The point is.. we had this discussion before: https://www.reddit.com/r/h3h3productions/comments/9nov9r/ethan_talks_about_the_betterhelp_drama/ (video down, for some reason) https://www.reddit.com/r/h3h3productions/comments/9nrai4/extremely_disappointed_in_ethan_betterhelp/ https://www.reddit.com/r/h3h3productions/comments/9nou0i/this_better_help_segment_is_leaving_a_bad_taste/ Did they forget?

My husband is an LICSW and we are starting a practice and we agree betterhelp is outrageous. They literally will pay a therapist $25/hour then turn around and bill the insurance $125. And if you want to get paid more then you need to take on more clients. People need to understand that therapists have their own mental health needs and are also trying to get through this pandemic.

Better Help also sells you data!! Your info isn’t even private when you use their services!

I used talkspace for a few months and eventually wanted to change to weekly live therapy sessions. I quit that platform and was able to keep the same therapist but through her private practice. It worked out so much better for the both of us. We did weekly sessions, and she gets more money, I ended up paying about the same but was able to get more reimbursed through my insurance. Win-win. I can't speak on better help but if it's anything like talkspace, I know my therapist wasn't making much at all.

I had such a bad experience with Better Help. I really feel like it’s an app that preys on the desperate 😭 I understand the need, I just wish it was more regulated and therapists were more vetted.

Honestly I’m a little disappointed with all the problematic sponsors. BetterHelp has always been sketchy even after their therapists got licensed. HelloFresh is actively trying to undermine their worker’s attempts to unionize which Ethan has criticized Amazon for *multiple times* and it’s *ESPECIALLY* disappointing now that Leftovers is out and I think HelloFresh was a sponsor for that show too. And Upstart, with their heinous interest rates no one should ever go for payday loans. I’ve seen so many horror stories in comments on this very sub about individuals who took a few hundred dollars in loans from Upstart in moments of desperation and spent years having to pay it off due to the interest. I *know* that Ethan wouldn’t want to work with them if he *just educated himself on each of these companies and saw in depth how awful they each are for their respective shitty actions.* It’s just really upsetting, I always took Ethan as the type to personally vet each sponsor to make sure their practices align with his morals. I can’t imagine having millions of subscribers and peddling *just anything* to them without doing my due diligence in making sure they’re ethical and legit. On the off chance that Hila, Dan, Ian, AB, Zach, *anyone* from the crew is reading this please just show Ethan this thread.

> The terms of service explicitly state that the company can’t guarantee a professional or even licensed professionals. > “We do not control the quality of the Counselor Services and we do not determine whether any Counselor is qualified to provide any specific service as well as whether a Counselor is categorized correctly or matched correctly to you,” according to the terms of service. > The terms of service also acknowledge that the full responsibility of authenticating the person on the other end of the phone falls on the individual who signed up for the app. > “While we may try to do so from time to time, in our sole discretion, you acknowledge that we do not represent to verify, and do not guarantee the verification of, the skills, degrees, qualifications, licensure, certification, credentials, competence or background of any Counselor,” the terms of service reads. “It is your responsibility to conduct independent verification regarding any Counselor that provides you with Counselor Services (whether through the Platform or not) and we strongly recommend that you will conduct this verification prior to communicating with any Counselor through the Platform and on a continuous basis as you use the Platform.” https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/4/17932862/betterhelp-app-youtube-sponsorship-controversy-explained

When it comes to them charging people up the ass: I have high deductible insurance that doesn't cover therapy and if I want to go to therapy most places I've found are $100 an hour until I satisfy my $3,500 deductible. Better Help IS cheaper than that. --- this is no judgement on the quality or ethics, but, it is cheaper, in my case. That being said, one (like yourself) could still make an argument that it's too expensive. Lots of people don't have cheaper options though.

Seriously though don't use better help. In April they charged me $150 even though I cancelled my account. Still haven't received my refund.

I've been using BetterHelp for about seven months and I find it affordable and my counselor is great.

"secure the bag" take is really bad. If they're making money of something that is affecting the community negatively, I think the bag should be dropped once they understand who they're dealing with.

It's tough because it's the shows main source of income but they're building a couple scummy sponsors. They should drop that Pay-day-loan and Crypto bank one as well.

really? no one here is gonna mention that Ethan is already aware of the BetterHelp controversy and have dedicated an entire segment about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2DrjY_YdZI&t=71s ; 1:10 to 22:00). I'm very disappointed that he's taking sponsorship from them again KNOWING who they are

I agree and disagree with you. There are certain things about the service that are not great, like 30 minute sessions (they should always be 45 minutes to an hour, I also think having the option to text your therapist is not great because boundaries are actually a really important part of the healing process. And also they claim to accept insurance but for the life of me I could never find the option to do so. However, the therapists themselves are going to depend, there might be great therapists on the app, and there might be more unqualified ones, and personally I think the exact same thing about private practice or even in a hospital setting. You can’t generalize the actual skills, abilities, and knowledge of a counselor based on where they work. I used it for a while, and the therapist I had was fantastic, very empathetic, understanding, flexible, and we connected great, the only reason I switched was because I wanted to do in person to do EMDR.

An AMFT here, thanks for sharing your experience! I thought it would be a cool way for extra income once I’m licensed but I’ll make sure to stay away!

I also want to point out that none of the people that I’ve ever seen promoting better help are actually clients of the service themselves. It’s not detrimental evidence for obvious reasons but if they’re not/have not used the service and then why are they promoting it?

I refuse to use better help. I am seeking local therapy through my job or so forth when things get to overwhelmed. I am booking a therapist in my area soon every so often. Its honestly worth the wait than better help.

I have to at least say in my experience I found it incredibly useful when I decided I needed a therapist asap. She was the first person I had ever opened up to like that and she helped me restart my treatment from when I was younger, still meet with her to this day and we have made great progress. So maybe app shitty but helpful is an option? Really made a difference that it was an option when I needed one. That is all. I'm a 3 day old half cooked salmon, not a doctor.

Let's be honest, most sponsors are Sketchy, at the end of the day their job is to produce the most profit with the least effort. This goes for most brands like coca-cola, better help, apple, McDonald's, you name it. Some are better than others, but as long as profit is the end goal, they will always cut as much fat as possible.

Shout out to your family 🥺🙏🏽✨

Well, to be devils advocate, nobody is saying better help is an alternative to traditional therapy. I don’t see an issue with a company trying to provide a cheaper service for less severe cases, for people who just wanna talk to somebody. The money back guarantee seems pretty solid solution to not being able to find a therapist you like..

Yeah my sister used it and said it was really bad, she tried two different therapists. The first cut the 45 min appointment to 15 min since the therapist felt like there wasn’t more to do that time, the other didn’t even seem like an actual therapist and seemed off to her (apparently she was a cognitive psychologist and not even an actual therapist)

I listen to a lot of podcasts that have Better Help as a sponsor, and find it interesting that H3 gets so much criticism and the other ones don’t seem to.

Somehow it seems to me that no matter who the sponsor is we can find something to be outraged about. Betterhelp, kraken, hellofresh and so on... I never had any issues with them because its their money income and its just... adds. Its adds. You dont get pissed off when you watch tv and see scummy adds. Big business is always exploitative in some way and due to investing in different areas we can find a bad investment in every big company.

I’m glad you’ve posted, I’m looking into therapy for myself and now I’m sure I will go to one in my network. Plus I would much prefer in person. But I also know some people don’t have the ability to do that and hopefully some of those using the service get what they need

I've had the opposite experience, I get betterhelp for my gf, they have a sliding scale system and it can get very affordable, way cheaper than anything else I've seen, and with no large wait-list like local sliding scale priced places. It took her a few tries to find someone that she liked, but she found a very helpful therapist on the platform (went through about 3 or 2 to find him). He did end up leaving the platform since he got hired full time somewhere else, but I guess that could happen any where else.

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Dr. Kirk Honda approves, he made a whole video dispelling the panic around Betterhelp. He's a practising family/couples therapist and professor, and I trust him too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnxlqc0mh0&ab\_channel=PsychologyInSeattle

I’ve been using better help for a year as a trauma survivor and my therapist has transformed and saved my life. Betterhelp works for me because I don’t have time for traditional therapy in my schedule, and helps me communicate my thoughts better. I understand your criticisms and can see where you’re coming from however everyone’s needs are different, and what doesn’t work for you may be life saving for others.

OP is a liar and you shouldn’t trust idiots on reddit :)

Yo are you Autistic as well?

Is there a service with a similar setup (over the phone/text/etc as opposed to finding a local office to have appointments) that has quality service and financially viable that you might recommend?

If I'm part of an organization that would provide free access to betterhelp, would you still caution against using it? I have considered it recently but there are other avenues I could take as well, this would just be the most cost effective for me.

Lol H3 going full RiceGum.

It really works, after 2 weeks girlfriend got a full refund!

I had a therapy session and the therapist literally told me to kill myself. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ (JK) ​ "They charge people up the ASS and offer very very mediocre (mediocre is generous) services" This sounds like regular therapy.

Well he worked out a special deal so really it's risk free. Sometimes just pushing that button to reach out can help break down the ego barrier.

Okay so as a therapist what are you people doing to make it more accessible? It may not be as good of a service but it still costs WAY less. This comes across the same way as the cab drivers did when Uber came out. Its like 250 a session for a decent therapist per session where I live either that or you wait years to get one that's covered by the provincial Healthcare plan. No. Fuck that, and honestly fuck better help too yall should be federally subsidized mandatory employees like teachers.

I've called 30+ therapists in my area and they're all full. I've just given up....so desperate I was actually thinking of trying one of these website therapists :/

There was a big scandal on BetterHelp some years ago on YouTube, surely the crew would be aware of it...

They have an interesting past.

I'm really surprised they're back with BetterHelp. There has been a long saga about them with the H3 podcast like 2 years ago, and Ethan have watched an entire video exposing them as scummy con artists, and said that he didn't know about it and will no longer support them. Two years later, he have them as a sponsor as if nothing happened?

[psychologytoday.com](https://psychologytoday.com) is a great resource to find therapists in your area (and remotely I'm sure); you can filter by specific mental health concerns, LGBT friendliness, insurance types accepted, etc. Highly recommend!

Yes!!! Better help is fucking horrible 🥲🥲made me sad to see them promote it

I thought they already got in trouble for advertising betterhelp?

I tried to use better help three years ago when I had no insurance, paid about 160 bucks for like a month of sessions. They were once a week and half an hour🌝 and my therapist was late a couple times, said about my ex who cheated on me “at least he told you” and I literally couldn’t even read our chat a day after my billing period ran out. I got better catharsis from sobbing to tori Amos and taking bong rips in bed. Edit to add: I heard about them from Emilia fart. My bad experience made me stop watching her for a while.

A few months ago I thought about using Better Help because I was suffering with some pretty bad depression. After filling out their questionnaire, the estimate for their service was $500 a month! Might as well see a therapist in person if that’s the case because it’s about the same price. So I did neither and I consider myself $500 richer every month instead and that makes me pretty happy. 😂

Speaking as a therapist, never used as a client. Many of us won’t work for them because they are a big tech company first, and a healthcare provider second (or third or fourth). They have had some data and confidentiality issues, pay therapists really poorly so folks don’t stay, and many clients have experienced their therapist just disappearing without a proper termination because BH doesn’t facilitate a proper end to treatment. If you’re looking for virtual sessions, at least in the US, most private practice therapists are still offering telehealth. Good luck!

Ironically, there is better help out there than BetterHelp.

Not to be discouraging but I tried betterhelp for a month and it was absolutely the worst, for me.

It took me a while to find a good therapist on there, but once that happened, it worked really well for me! I now see an in-person therapist, but was with my BH therapist for about a year and a half. I loved having a weekly video session and the ability to chat during the week, if needed.

I’ve used the service since September & have found the experience to be a positive one. My first T was not great, so after a few sessions I opted to change & the process was easy. Thankfully I found a brilliant T who has created a safe space for me to talk. The positives for me are: it has a payment option for people who are on a low income. You choose how to communicate during the session. The platform enables you to journal, which can be shared. You set goals together & you control the sliding scale (as a visual person I love this). And you are sometimes given worksheets to complete at your own pace that support these. The platform can be used to message your T as much as you like which my T encourages me to use especially if I’m struggling with something. Every message is read but obviously not replied to. I get 2 messages a week, 1 lengthy reply if I’ve messaged & another reminding me of our session & telling me that she’s read my reply in preparation if I’ve messaged again. For me the only negative is that I can’t access the webinars that are included as I live in the U.K. But people in other time zones might find these helpful.

I haven't used BetterHelp, but this thread from the perspective of mental health clinicians might be of interest to you. [https://www.reddit.com/r/psychotherapy/comments/jsdeb5/is\_anyone\_else\_worried\_about\_services\_like/](https://www.reddit.com/r/psychotherapy/comments/jsdeb5/is_anyone_else_worried_about_services_like/)

I use and like it...i also don't need out of session contact with my T so that might be why it works for me? it's the same as in person/telehealth therapy to me.

As a therapist I’ve only heard bad things. They advertise that you’ll be able to message your therapist at any time which doesn’t set up a foundation for proper boundaries and then clients get upset when they don’t hear back or they try to use their therapist for mental health crises like active SI. I’ve also heard they have unrealistic expectations for their therapists and pay them poorly. It doesn’t seem like their practices are all that ethical and text therapy doesn’t seem like it would be that helpful to begin with. I would look for a local therapist who’s offering telehealth.

So I actually had a positive experience. Betterhelp is my first experience with therapy. I got matched with an amazing therapist and I can see the massive improvement after just 1 month and a half. I don't like to use the chat as my therapist is super nice and always sends me these long replies. I just feel guilty and think it's a bit too much for the therapist so I rarely use it or just use it to send funny pictures.

Wow, I’m surprised at so many negative comments. I found my therapist on betterhelp. I stayed with her through there for 11 months and then, when I found out how little she was getting paid, I asked if I can see her privately through her own practice. It was a good experience.

Hi, I know this is old but I'm Canadian and was able to find Telehealth therapy as my T is only doing virtual due to covid reasons! I briefly tried to sign up for better help but for some reason they rejected me form the service? Lots of people on here have said that better health is not a good platform, so I would try a local provider!

I think my better help therapist is a robot. I’ll send her legit paragraphs (and I get she might not have the time) and she replies things so vague and random like “well done!” After a lengthyyyyy emotional out pour, or things that look copy and pasted from wiki :(

As a man who is struggling and looked to them for help I couldn’t even get past their initial “screening” or whatever you want to call it I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone unless they are trying to burn money. This was the first time I engaged with mental health “professionals” and it has turned me off completely to the entire idea.

Here is my personal experience with Betterhelp. I want to preface this by saying that two of my close family members have had really great experiences with the platform, and continue to use it. So I think it really depends on who you're placed with. Sadly I can't say the same. In fact, based off my own experiences - I'm concerned that some therapists may have an agenda in the way that they are being matched to clients - and that they may be using teletherapy to push their religious ideals. Let me begin by saying that I had specified I was looking for a non-religious therapist. First therapist - seemed okay at first, but when I brought up the fact that I'd had an abortion (and was struggling with this decision, mentally) she suggested that I "write an apology letter to the baby, because they're an angel in heaven now." I switched therapists. All was going well, until about three sessions in, when my new therapist suggested I try volunteering on a "mission trip." She then disappeared - and in fact, I have no idea if she ghosted me, or if something happened to her. I literally never heard from her again. So, I again switched therapists, this time making extra sure I had checked the box that specified a "non-religious" therapist. I did a quick google search on the woman I was matched with. She teaches at a private Christian Evangelical university. I have no idea if anyone else has experienced anything like this - but I wanted to put it out there. These kinds of topics are tough enough to discuss without the feeling of being judged by your therapist. People who are seeking therapy are often in a vulnerable state of mind, and it angers me someone might take advantage of this to push an agenda of their own.

My therapist didn't turn up twice for my session, with poor excuses both times. The one time he did turn up he couldn't wait to get off the phone .

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I'm not sure what the rules are on speaking ill of sponsors on this subreddit, but I'll say my piece and maybe it'll get deleted. I signed up for Betterhelp on two different occasions with podcast promo codes, and didn't think it lived up to its price point, even discounted, either time. Maria Bamford has an amusing anecdote about getting a response from a Betterhelp therapist that was clearly addressed to someone else, and it seems indicative of the whole site: "licensed" therapists are working through a queue of messages each day in the way that a customer service agent might work through a queue of tickets. Unless you've got some real juicy issues to excite them, it's pretty easy to feel downplayed. I'd advise checking to see if any local therapists in your area work through Zoom (they probably do) and accept your insurance (more likely than Betterhelp).

Do traditional therapy. I wish podcasts wouldn’t partner with them honestly

My wife is a professional counselor and she has little good things to say about Betterhelp. From her perspective phone or video counseling works for only some people. They churn through counselors on their platform as well. She’s heard stories of people who work for them but are running errands or doing their own thing instead of giving their attention to the client on the call. Granted this can happen in a normal counseling session as well but in that situation it can be addressed. If you’ve already looked in this avenue i apologize for giving you info you already know. But a lot of insurance programs give some help towards mental health options. Sometimes the benefits aren’t easy to find without calling your provider. Lots of counselors also work on sliding scale prices as well. Psychology today’s website is able to give you a list of counselors in your area and you can specify certain types of counseling or specific people groups or situations.

It’s so funny, I was actually talking about my experience with Better Help with a co-worker today. I had BH for about 5 months and had 9 different therapists. I promise you I’m not a difficult person but I had issues with every therapist. One of them used our sessions as a time to prepare dinner for the family so I had to put up with hearing pots and pans banging in the background. 1 of them never kept his scheduled time. Another one’s call dropped in the middle of the session and didn’t call back,another was too young (early 30s and I’m in my 40s), 2 of them insisted on texting instead of talking, even during our initial session, 1 just didn’t show up for the first session and I didn’t click with the others. I wouldn’t say I don’t recommend BH-I just had a shitty experience.

I've never used it, but after listening to a ton of ads for the service on various podcasts, the responses in this thread don't surprise me. I always got the impression that this is just the "gig economy" version of therapy, and I'm pretty sure that's not a good approach to something like this. Just VC's throwing money around on whatever "____ but now available as an app!" ideas they can and seeing what actually sticks, I don't see this service being around very long.

I looked into Betterhelp earlier this year, and I was put off by the price. Good for you for taking a proactive stance on your mental health! It's a difficult first step. The best advice I can give you is to be patient. You're likely going to have to make a lot of calls before you find anyone who is accepting new patients, and you may not click with the first therapist you talk to, or the second, or the third. Keep at it. Once you find a therapist who is a good fit for you, it's a wonderful thing.

I've worked with a BetterHelp therapist for over a year now and have had a good experience. I am not necessarily "working" on something with her (when I have had goal-oriented therapists, it hasn't panned out) but it has been good for my mental health to have a weekly session to talk about my life shit and get a different perspective. And my therapist has been very focused and a great listener (she wouldn't make a sandwich during a session!).

Don't get anything sponsored on a podcast. You're getting chopped up balls, horrible cereal, and bad therapy.

Most if not all traditional therapies have remote options now. I would first make sure they’re in your insurance network to save on costs. I’ve been on weekly for about two years now for my depression and anxiety (multiple panic attacks a day) and it really helps. Enjoy it because it will make a difference.

I know I could have probably got a new therapist through the program but I was only trying to use it until I can see one through insurance. But boy howdy this lady was awful. She was talking about how a friend of hers in college was also trans and they "Decided" that they were because they had a tiny dick. And then she asked me if that's something I can relate to. Session 1. Like, who does that. Never went back. Honestly having others others who have gone through similar life experiences has helped more than the app. Not speaking ill of therapy at all

Good on you for taking steps to address the issue! Your health insurance company might have a contract with a different telehealth company. For instance, Blue Cross Blue Shield is affiliated with Teledoc. While it can be a bit of a pain to set up an appointment with a specific provider you want to talk to, it can help you see what therapy is all about. I’ve used it a couple times and can recommend it as a platform, but the experience will be different based on provider. And this sounds weird, but there is an AI therapist app called Woebot, that I believe is free. My wife tried it out while waiting for an intake appointment with a human therapist and thought it had potential. It might be useful for some self-reflection, at least (if you can get over the fact you’re talking to a robit). Good luck!

I used betterhelp when I was devastatingly depressed to the point of it being dangerous for myself. I never connected to a therapist I really liked but I didn’t have the mental wherewithal to find a real therapist and I needed someone to talk to. Betterhelp fulfilled that bare minimum. I would not really suggest the service to any degree accept that it’s easy to connect to someone to talk to. But you really have to take charge and make it what you want because I don’t think you’ll get much out of it otherwise. Try to find a real therapist but do betterhelp in the meantime or do it if you can’t find a therapist…

Good luck Egarock, the first step is one of the hardest, but getting to this point and organising treatment is already an achievement. Keep going like this! I've had therapy a few times, and it definnitely helped me.

Not knowing your financial situation but I would recommend investing in traditional therapy as others have recommended. If you have insurance you can often get discounted therapy that way, but yeah working with real licensed professionals is the way to go. Good for you for wanting to address this issue and good luck with whatever direction you take.

I've used both Betterhelp and Regain (which is its platform for relationship counseling) and I've found it useful. The key for me, however, is that it works for my life -- I like sending messages whenever I want, doing a video session from home or my office, not being restricted to the same time/day every week, etc. I will say that I feel I really lucked out with the therapist match on Regain -- my partner and I have now been "seeing" her for 10 months and it's greatly improved our relationship. On Betterhelp I've been through 2 counselors and I ended both when I felt they had gotten to the point of not being a good match for me. But overall, I have had an easier time there than finding a therapist IRL.

Honestly, check with your insurance and your employer. They may very well be much cheaper for a much better service. Good for you on getting help. It's dang hard to recognize. Do not be afraid to reach out to a trusted friend or family member to help you navigate the process of getting started with an actual in person individual. Sometimes that helps a lot. A good therapist will be able to refer you to a psychiatric professional if need be, which is lacking from things like better help. They will give you individual time and attention and are well trained to maximize your time.

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