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.
Therapists on BetterHelp are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW / LICSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC). All of them have a Masters Degree or a Doctorate Degree in their field. They have been qualified and certified by their state's professional board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training and practice. While their experience, expertise, and background vary, they all possess at least 3 years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience. Learn more about the therapists
Our team ensures that every provider we bring to the platform is registered and in good standing. Providers who apply are required to provide a valid license and proof of identity. We then cross-check their registrant information with their respective organization.
Therapists must also undergo a background report, and are subject to periodic checks via the NPDB (National Provider Database) 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 only about 25% 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.
Therapists must also undergo a background report, and are subject to periodic checks via the NPDB (National Provider Database) 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 only about 25% 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.
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:
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
The cost of therapy through BetterHelp ranges from $70 to $100 per week (billed every 4 weeks) and it is based on your location, preferences, and therapist availability. You can cancel your membership at any time, for any reason.
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 won't be able to make any official diagnosis, to fulfill any court order or 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
Once you are matched to a therapist, you and your therapist will get a therapy room which will be your personal and secured place to communicate. In this room, you will write 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 to your room 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 can send messages to your therapist at any time, from any location, using any Internet-connected device. You can log in to your room 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.
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.
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.
Phone sessions are a great way to conveniently speak with your therapist by simply using your landline or cell phone, no matter where you are.
To talk with your therapist over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your therapy room at that time. The therapist will prompt you to start the phone 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 phone session. Please note that the phone number you enter will not be shared with the therapist.
To talk with your therapist over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your therapy room at that time. The therapist will prompt you to start the phone 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 phone 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 Skype).
To talk with your therapist via video, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your therapy room 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.
To talk with your therapist via video, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your therapy room 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.
Your membership payments will be charged to a credit card or PayPal on a recurring basis. If you accomplish your goals or if you find therapy with BetterHelp to no longer be helpful for any reason, you can simply cancel the subscription.
Neither BetterHelp nor Therapists on the BetterHelp Platform submit claims to Medicare, Medicaid or health insurers. Services offered using this site are generally not covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
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.
- Even if your plan covers all your costs, the co-pay that you would be required to contribute may be higher than the entire cost of BetterHelp.
- In many cases, 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 some 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.
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 California - Berkeley, University of California - San Francisco, and the San Francisco 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.
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:
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
- You can always select the "Remove Message" button to remove messages that you’ve sent to your therapist.
- 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.
- We don't work with any insurance companies so nothing needs to be shared, reported or filed with them.
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 additional information about how BetterHelp helps protect your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.
For additional information about how BetterHelp helps protect your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.
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