Where clinical excellence meets responsible AI
Designed with clinicians. Guided by ethics. Our AI makes therapy more personal, effective, and equitable—without replacing the human connection.
Our AI mission at BetterHelp
Our mission at BetterHelp is to champion the well-being in all of us and eradicate the barriers to mental wellbeing across the globe. This is reflected in our investment in AI - we believe access to innovative mental healthcare is paramount regardless of someone's gender, age, race, religion, or income.
Our approach to technology is to build responsibly with licensed clinicians to enhance the way you find, experience, and stay connected to your therapist. Our AI development prioritizes clinical and legal oversight, and is measured against the lived experiences of clients and therapists who use our technology each day.
Russell DuBois, PhD Vice President, Clinical Quality & Innovation
Our responsible AI principles
At BetterHelp, each new AI tool or feature we build undergoes a formal AI Impact Assessment and approval process across Legal, Security, Clinical, Product, and Data/AI leaders to ensure it meets the highest standards of safety, transparency, and clinical integrity before being introduced to clients and therapists. Our responsible AI principles include:
- Clinical oversight and regulatory compliance
The AI features we build are reviewed and continuously monitored by our experienced clinical and legal teams to ensure it supports your therapy experience while meeting robust healthcare and privacy standards.
- People-powered care
AI still can't replicate empathy. BetterHelp gives you access to real, licensed therapists who provide high quality care. Our AI doesn’t provide therapy, diagnosis, or treatment, and we prohibit therapists from using third party AI tools (like ChatGPT) for therapy communications.
- Privacy, security and risk management
Our AI program was developed in alignment with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. This framework ensures we build, deploy, and use AI systems in a safe, responsible, and trustworthy way.
- Bias mitigation
All new AI tools are tested and designed to monitor any bias across race, religion, gender, and other identities.
- Transparency
You are in control. AI features are clearly disclosed, explained in plain language, so you know where and how it is being used.
Better matches. Better sessions. Better support.
Today, our AI tools are designed to match clients to therapists and strengthen the therapeutic connection, making it easier to build a meaningful and supportive relationship.
By reducing administrative burdens and helping therapists stay focused on what matters most (you), our AI helps create more engagement in sessions and better support in between.
It also helps lay a strong foundation from the very first interaction with our AI enhanced intake, so therapy feels more personal and effective from the start.
These tools are built with the goal of supporting stronger clinical outcomes. They do not replace clinical decision-making today.
Meet our real, therapist network
We believe that AI can’t replace the human expertise and empathy of licensed support. At BetterHelp, every client is connected with a real, human therapist who delivers safe, evidence-backed support.
Our global network of 30,000+ licensed providers ensures access to high-quality therapy across the U.S. and around the world.
EXPERIENCED:
Average of 8+ years' clinical experience (minimum of 3 years' experience required)
37% have 15+ years experience
Over 75,000 continuing education (CE) courses completed on BetterHelp
Only one third of applicants are accepted after rigorous screening
ACCESSIBLE:
Over 25,000 therapists in the US and over 8,000 therapists located internationally*
Median time to match with a therapist: 7 hours
Median time from therapist match to first session scheduled: 2 hours
EXPERT OVERSIGHT:
100% of therapists evaluated against quality standards (CQS)
Dedicated clinical operations team provides continuous feedback and support
CLINICAL DIVERSITY:
PhD, PsyD, LCSWs, LMHCs, LMFTs, and other license types
33% BIPOC, 18% LGBTQIA+, 18% male
20+ clinical specialties, including teen and couples
Data above for US Only *Localized international markets are in UK, Australia, France, Germany, and Netherlands
Meaningful clinical outcomes
Therapy works, and at BetterHelp we use clinically validated assessments to measure impact. Our care is rooted in evidence-based practice and monitored for results. 100% of BetterHelp clients complete clinical outcome measures. Impactful outcomes include:
93%
of members are matched with therapists who meet their needs and preferences*
72%
of clients see symptom reduction within 12 weeks**
82%
reach symptom remission within 12 weeks***
For more clinical outcomes, see HERE
What our AI does NOT do:
- Provide therapy
- Make clinical decisions
- Diagnose or treat you
Frequently asked questions
How does BetterHelp define “AI”?
When we say “AI,” we mean technology— often based on large language models (LLMs) or other advanced systems— designed to make things simpler and more effective. Examples include tools that organize data, reduce administrative tasks, or generate text. These tools are built to support, not replace, the lived experiences of clients and therapists.
Is AI replacing my therapist?
No. Therapy at BetterHelp is provided by licensed therapists. Our AI tools and features are designed only to support our therapists and clients, not diagnose, treat or make clinical decisions.
What is a “clinical decision”?
A clinical decision is any professional judgment related to your care, such as making a diagnosis, creating a treatment plan, or choosing a therapeutic approach. These decisions are always made by credentialed therapists, not AI. Clinical decisions are grounded in evidence-based practice, professional expertise, patient preferences, and ethical principles. Therapist matching, by contrast, is an administrative tool that simply helps connect you with a therapist and is never involved in clinical care.
How does BetterHelp address bias in its AI tools?
We consistently monitor and audit our AI features for bias so they are designed to provide everyone equitable access to care. Our Responsible AI Committee leaders review AI features to ensure they work fairly across different backgrounds, identities, and needs.
How does AI help therapists?
Our AI therapist tools reduce administrative work and support therapists in focusing on the care they provide you in and between sessions. This means more energy goes into your session, not operational tasks.
Do BetterHelp therapists use third-party AI tools like ChatGPT to write responses during sessions?
BetterHelp therapists are required to conduct all clinical responses themselves. Our policies prohibit therapists from using third party AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) for therapy communications with the goal of ensuring that every message reflects the therapist's expertise, empathy, and clinical judgment, consistent with our Responsible AI policies prohibiting third-party AI tools in therapy communications. For more details on therapist responsibilities and platform rules, see our BetterHelp Terms & Conditions.
Who oversees how BetterHelp uses AI?
BetterHelp's Responsible AI Committee reviews every new AI tool before launch. This group includes leaders across Legal, Clinical, Security, Product and Data/AI who work together to ensure tools are safe, ethical, and clinically appropriate. For more about how BetterHelp operates and answers to common questions, see our BetterHelp FAQ.