Frequently asked questions

BetterHelp is the largest therapy platform in the world and it's 100% online. We change the way people approach their mental health and help them tackle life's challenges by providing accessible and affordable care. With BetterHelp, you can message a professional therapist anytime, anywhere.

After you sign up, we will match you to an available therapist who fits your objectives, preferences, and the type of issues you are dealing with. Different therapists have different approaches and areas of focus, so it's important to find the right person who can achieve the best results for you. We have found that we are able to provide a successful match most of the time; however, if you start the process and you feel your therapist isn't a good fit for you, you may elect to be matched to a different therapist.

We require every Therapist providing Therapist Services on the Platform to be trained and experienced licensed U.S. Psychologist (PhD / PsyD), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or similar applicable recognized professional license based on their state and/or jurisdiction. Therapists must have a relevant academic degree in their field, at least 3 years of experience, at least 1,000 hours of hands-on experience, and have to be qualified and licensed by their respective state board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training and practice requirements as applicable. Learn more about the therapists

Our team ensures that every provider we bring to the platform is licensed and in good standing. Providers who apply are required to provide a valid license and proof of identity. We then cross-check their licensure information with their respective state licensing board.

Therapists must also undergo a background report, and are subject to periodic checks via the NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank) registry. In addition to these checks, potential providers must also complete a case study graded by a licensed clinician. The result of this rigorous process is that less than a third of applicants who apply to work as therapists through BetterHelp are accepted to the platform.

We also show the full credential information for each provider to make it easy for you to do your own due diligence on your therapist.

For providers that accept insurance, they are additionally verified through a Primary Source Verification (PSV) by an NCQA certified Credentialing Verification Organization. This PSV verifies additional sources such as education, training, sanctions & preclusions. Insurance providers are subjected to ongoing monthly monitoring from applicable Data Sources such as SAM, OIG, Medicare Opt-Out and more.

BetterHelp may be right for you if you're looking to improve the quality of your life. Whenever there is anything that interferes with your happiness or prevents you from achieving your goals, we may be able to help. We also have therapists who specialize in specific issues such as stress, anxiety, relationships, parenting, depression, addictions, eating, sleeping, trauma, anger, family conflicts, LGBT matters, grief, religion, self esteem, and more.

BetterHelp is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:

• You are a minor or you are under the care of a legal guardian
• You are in an urgent crisis or an emergency situation
• You were required to undergo therapy either by a court order or by any other authority
• You do not have a device that can connect to the Internet or you do not have a reliable Internet connection

BetterHelp offers two ways to pay for your therapy, private pay and through your insurance. You can pay privately for a membership, which includes live sessions (video, audio, or live chat), messaging with your therapist, and other features such as access to support groups, worksheets, goal tracking, and journaling. The cost of this membership ranges from $70 to $100 per week, and it is based on your location, source, preferences, and therapist availability. You can cancel your membership at any time, for any reason.

BetterHelp has also joined with select insurance carriers to provide in-network therapy coverage. If you are covered by one of the insurance carriers we work with, you can use your insurance benefits to cover therapy access through BetterHelp. When you signup, BetterHelp will share an estimated out of pocket cost based on your individual health plan and benefits. If we are unable to obtain full reimbursement from your insurance carrier or if a claim is denied, you may be responsible for additional out-of-pocket costs, such as coinsurance or the full session fee. We recommend reviewing your insurance benefits and contacting your provider to understand your coverage and any potential expenses.

BetterHelp accepts HSA/FSA cards and is recognized as an eligible expense by most HSA/FSA providers.

The professionals who work through BetterHelp are licensed and credentialed therapists who were certified by their state's board to provide therapy. However, while the service may have similar benefits, it's not capable of substituting for traditional face-to-face therapy in every case. Please note that your provider may not be able to make any official diagnosis, will not be able to fulfill a court order and will not prescribe medication.

This process can take a few hours or a few days, depending on therapist availability.

You can get therapy in four ways:

• Exchanging messages with your therapist
• Chatting live with your therapist
• Speaking over the phone with your therapist
• Video conferencing with your therapist

You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience. Learn more about online therapy.

Once you are matched to a therapist you can start messaging them. You can message about yourself, the things going on in your life, ask questions and discuss the issues that trouble you. Your therapist will then read your messages, and respond with questions, feedback, insights, and guidance.

You can send messages to your therapist at any time, from any location, using any Internet-connected device. You can log in at any time and since messaging is not in real-time it doesn't require scheduling. Instead, you can choose whenever you want to write or respond to your therapist. You will get a notification by email when the therapist has sent you a message.

You will sometimes want to have a text conversation with your therapist in real-time. This way you can still enjoy the convenience of messaging but also enjoy a "live" interaction that allows instant response and feedback from your therapist. Live chat sessions are only available to users with a membership, and not available to those using their insurance coverage.

To have a live chat session, you will first need to schedule a time with your therapist. At the scheduled time, log in to your account to start typing and chatting with your therapist.

Audio sessions are a great way to conveniently speak with your therapist by simply using your landline or cell phone, no matter where you are. Audio sessions are only available to users with a membership, and not available to those using their insurance coverage.

To talk with your therapist over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your Therapy tab at that time. The therapist will prompt you to start the audio session and the system will ask you for your phone number. The system will then call you at that number and connect you with your therapist to start the audio session. Please note that the phone number you enter will not be shared with the therapist.

You can also have a video session with your therapist where you see each other and talk with each other in a virtual face-to-face setting (similar to Zoom or FaceTime).

To talk with your therapist via video, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in at that time. Your therapist will then prompt you to start the video session. After you confirm, you will immediately begin video chatting with your therapist.

Yes. You can always login to your account and read all the therapist's messages to you. This may help you in reflecting and remembering some of the guidance and input that you received. This is one of the main advantages of e-therapy.

We strive to deliver a web experience that is aligned with the most recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the AA level, published by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

• If you are on a desktop browser, you can enable and launch the accessibility preferences by visiting the Accessibility page.
• For mobile users, we recommend using your device’s native accessibility features. Instructions for iPhone can be found here, and for Android can be found here.
  

This depends on your needs and varies a lot from one person to another. Some people feel they get most of the value after just a few weeks, while others prefer to stick to the program for an extended period of time. This is completely up to you.

BetterHelp accepts credit card, debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. If you achieve your goals or no longer find therapy with BetterHelp beneficial, you can cancel your membership at any time.

Yes! BetterHelp has joined with select insurance carriers to provide in-network therapy coverage. If you would prefer not to use your insurance, your insurance doesn’t cover therapy, or your insurance provider doesn’t work with BetterHelp yet, starting a membership without using your insurance plan continues to be an option to receive quality care from our extensive therapist network.

If BetterHelp does not accept my insurance, can I be reimbursed by my insurance instead?

Coverage and benefits for traditional therapy and therapy services change from one health insurance company to another and from plan to plan, but generally the following rules apply:

• With many health insurance plans, coverage can be partial or very limited.
• Before you can get reimbursed by your insurance company, your therapist would have to diagnose you with a mental disorder or issue. This diagnosis would be sent to the insurance company and recorded in your medical file. In many cases, the therapist would also have to provide additional clinical information to the insurance company, such as treatment plans, summaries or copies of the entire record.

Please note that BetterHelp offers very affordable pricing options which are typically comparable with the co-pays and coinsurance of most insurance plans. BetterHelp accepts HSA/FSA cards and is recognized as an eligible expense by most HSA/FSA providers.

The service is provided by independent providers who work directly with you. These providers are not employees of BetterHelp and the site doesn't oversee them professionally. Our mission is to build, maintain, and support a platform that lets users and therapists communicate effectively, and to facilitate this channel so they can get the most out of their interaction.

There are many studies that confirm the effectiveness of the online medium for making life changes. For example, a study published by JMIR Publications and conducted by researchers from University of Berkeley, UCSF, and the SF General Hospital, concluded that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform." You can read the full study here.

Our confidence in the platform comes primarily from the feedback and testimonials we receive from users. Every day we are excited to hear from more people about the way this service helped them make a tremendous change in their lives.

All therapists are licensed with their applicable licensing board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training, and practice. This means that when you talk to a licensed therapist online, they are subject to the mandated reporting and confidentiality requirements of their governing board and respective state laws, similar to in-office therapy.

Generally, the therapist will keep what you tell them confidential, but there are limited exceptions. For example, if you threaten grave harm to yourself or to an identifiable victim the therapist is required to report this information to relevant authorities. Before starting therapy, please discuss with your therapist their legal obligations to confidentiality if you have any concerns or questions.

For more information about how BetterHelp protects your therapist interactions, please review our Privacy Policy.

To learn more about how therapists treat your confidential information, please see Will my therapist treat what I say as confidential?.

The information that you share is also protected by data privacy laws, for more information see our Privacy Policy. Here are some things that might be helpful to know:

• We have built state-of-the-art technology, operations, and infrastructure with the goal of protecting your privacy and safeguarding the information you provide
• All the messages between you and your therapist are secured and encrypted by banking-grade 256-bit encryption.
• Our servers are distributed across multiple Tier 4- AWS Data Centers for optimal security and protection.
• Our Platform is HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certified.
• Our browsing encryption system (SSL) follows modern best practices.
• Our databases are encrypted and scrambled so they essentially become useless in the unlikely event that they are stolen or compromised.

If you wish for any of your information or records to be released to a third party, please let your therapist know so that they can facilitate the release.

If you use our private pay membership offering, when you sign up we do not ask you for your full name or contact information but rather a "nickname" created by you that will be used to identify you in the system. When you decide to start the therapy process, we will ask you for your contact information for emergency situations, such as if your therapist believes that you or someone else might be in danger. Your therapist may also request additional information about you when it is required by their licensing board guidelines. All of this data is protected by the confidentiality requirements of the therapist’s board and licensure, similar to in-office therapy.

For those using insurance coverage, your legal name must be shared with both your therapist and your insurance provider.

For additional information about how BetterHelp helps protect your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

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