Okay the cost is a barrier - how do you overcome this in order to get help?

Good morning and thank you so much for your question! 

It appears you are hoping to ask for more options for financial assistance for therapy. Mental health services are definitely a financial commitment and something that is an investment in yourself and your well being long term. Luckily, BetterHelp provides a more affordable option for therapy when looking at traditional therapy costs.

For example, paying for traditional therapy which is very different and does not have all the benefits you would get signing up from BetterHelp, could cost you out of pocket between 500-900 dollars a month based on how much your provider is charging per session.

The resources you get on BetterHelp that you do not get in traditional therapy is that your therapist is accessible to you at anytime, anywhere, and you can ALWAYS check in. When you leave your regular therapy appointments in traditional in office setting, it is typical that you do not speak or hear from your therapist until your next meeting a week, sometimes two weeks, or even a month later based on your circumstances.

With BetterHelp, therapists are encouraging of more communication outside of your regular session time. I myself give a lot of homework assignments to clients so that you can work on your skills and practice needs outside of session. Much of the healing work you are doing in therapy is learning to practice new skills, change your thinking process, change your behavior patterns, and increase a healthier quality of life for yourself.

With BetterHelp's affordable therapy options, you not only get access to scheduling weekly therapy appointments but you also get access to 24/7 asynchronous messaging where you can check in with your therapist anytime that is easy for you.

In the world today I know our schedules are incredibly busy. It is easy to not have a moment to wind down or check in with yourself or do your therapy homework until later in the evening possibly. I have a lot of clients who speak highly of the flexibility BetterHelp provides. It is a wonderful service and much more affordable that in person options you might find elsewhere.

You had also mentioned struggling for six years with anxiety and depression feeling very lost without a way out. First off, I want to commend you for reaching out and finding support. A lot of the times the first step is the most difficult to make so I commend your bravery, courage, and vulnerability in doing so.

There are many skills, changes, and interventions your therapist might utilize to explore the origins of your anxiety and depression. When you begin treatment, a licensed counselor usually is going to complete something called an "intake assessment". This assessment usually consists of a set of questions to understand more about your background, history with anxiety and depression, previous experience in counseling, expectations for the working relationship and more.

After this process is complete, you are able to directly book your first live session from the comfort of your own home. The therapeutic relationship is a large factor in your success in treatment; therefore, being able to connect with your therapist on a genuine, authentic level is very important.

Luckily, BetterHelp has a network of thousands of skilled, unique, licensed clinicians and therapists waiting to support. The clinician you get matched with might not be the right one first, and that is OK! Luckily with BetterHelp it is as easy as pressing a button to find a new provider. You do not have to go back to the drawing board and restart the process ( which you would have to do in a traditional therapy setting). 

Another feature that your therapist might encourage you to use if you decide to sign up for services is the BetterHelp journal. There are incredible benefits to beginning a journaling practice including decreased hopelessness, decrease in anxiety about the future, increased sense of satisfaction and increased quality of life overall. Sometimes writing out how you are feeling can be incredibly helpful and therapeutic to understand more about the origins of your struggles.

The feature of the BetterHelp journal also has a wonderful "emotion check in" option to use as well. These journal entries have the option to be shared with your therapist, but can also be kept private as well if you wish to do so. The good thing about the journal is this is easy to access and it also has some really fun journal prompts to get you thinking if you are struggling to think about how to get started.

Another thing your therapist might be able to support you with is increasing healthy habits. There is a large connection between mind and body health and wellness; therefore, learning habits like how to commit to healthy diet and exercise, practicing daily gratitude and mindfulness, or doing other habits that increase positive well being on a day to day basis could benefit you

Your therapist can be a great accountability partner and someone that can help cheer you on through the journey you are about to embark on. I know this can be a scary and difficult decision, but I promise you it is worth it!

Changing your mindset is a large part of our success or happiness. It is not necessarily our circumstances but the way we think about and perceive our circumstances that affects us most so. Learning healthy reframing strategies, learning psychoeducation about the brain and how it works, and creating a healthy relationship in therapy is incredibly healing and effective. I believe therapy can be helpful for everyone and something important to try especially if you are struggling with these things you mentioned.

Getting started with mental health services is a commitment financially, mentally, emotionally and in many other ways but nothing changes unless YOU are willing to put in the work. I encourage you to make the commitment to YOU! I am proud of you for making the first step today and I wish you best of luck in your healing!