Medically Reviewed By Aaron Horn, LMFT, MA

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You can't talk about working with an online therapist without talking about the experienced and licensed professionals that provide the help and support that people are looking for online... that is, their therapists.

All 13,000+ therapists currently available on the BetterHelp.com platform are licensed practitioners. There are many different types of therapists (in-office or otherwise) that can help our users dealing with a variety of important concerns online at a time and location best suited for the user. 

Our experienced therapists help those who have mental health and wellness problems, deal with marriage and family concerns, or face other challenges in life. For example, if someone has depression, speaking with a therapist who uses therapy can help the individual recover, regain their energy, and move forward in life in a productive and meaningful way. A couples' therapist can use our online platform to help couples with marriage, trust, or other related concerns. We even have therapists for teenagers online who can help a middle or high schooler with the concerns that teens face daily.

Online therapy is an alternative form of face-to-face therapy that allows a therapist to communicate with you remotely through the Internet (vs. in-office sessions). Through online therapy, you can communicate with your counselor using a computer, tablet, smartphone, and any other device to use an Internet connection.

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Why Online Therapy Is More Popular Than Traditional Therapy With Therapists

Online Therapy - Current Online Therapy Account Options:

Exchanging messages with your therapist (also known as text therapy)

Video conferencing with your therapist (also known as psychotherapy using video)

Chatting live with your therapist

Speaking over the phone with your therapist

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Online therapy (also known as e-therapy, internet psychotherapy, or distance therapy) is becoming quite popular as of late, and for a good reason. Not only have we been able to help facilitate more than 41 million therapy sessions online with one of our licensed counselors, but we have thousands of reviews from real users of our platform sharing their positive experiences that have arisen from working with a BetterHelp therapist.

What are people saying about working with a therapist here at BetterHelp? We encourage you to see what some of our users say about our platform and how our platform has helped them with their mental well-being.

What are the benefits of using our psychotherapy platform? Aside from what real people are saying about this in-office therapy alternative, which is offered here at BetterHelp.com, you might find that reviewing some of the most common benefits of working with a licensed therapist that our users have most appreciated as indicated below:

How Online Therapy Is Different With BetterHelp

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All Online

One of the biggest differences and benefits is that therapy is now online! This makes communication with a therapist possible from anywhere and gets the help you need via text, phone, or video as long as you have an internet connection.

No location or transportation issues

With a growing number of people living in rural areas away from large cities and towns that typically have various therapists available, working with a licensed professional online has added benefit. Regardless of how far away they might physically be, therapy sessions online are a very useful tool for people that depend on this type of support but are not in a geographical location with an available therapist. The same would apply to someone that does not have reliable transportation needed for therapy appointments in-person, which is why more and more people are signing up for sessions with a therapist on our platform.

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Comfortable for those who have trouble communicating face-to-face

Some people cannot speak or may have trouble talking with strangers face-to-face. Trying online therapy and not worrying about going to visit a therapist’s office can help anyone with verbal communication concerns have an alternative form of communication that makes them feel more comfortable, whether that means using therapy chat sessions online or other types of computerized psychological treatments.

Confidential

There's less of a risk of bumping into someone you know or having someone see you pull into the therapist's office for a scheduled in-person psychotherapy appointment. Despite some people having concerns and reservations about e-therapy in general, this is another benefit related to privacy.

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Lower costs 

Online web therapy typically costs less because many counselors work from home and don't have common expenses like a need for a separate office, etc. These added expenses for a therapist generally increase their overhead and charge higher prices for therapy sessions with their clients. On the other hand, therapist working on the internet can keep their costs low, and as a result, focus on helping their clients with important life concerns and other mental illness & health-related concerns.

Convenient for people with disabilities - no need to travel to appointments

Someone who can't walk may find the traveling required to visit a therapist's office every week quite difficult. However, when working with a therapist via the internet, that can completely remove the next for typical in-office therapy sessions. Examples like this are among the many reasons why an increasing number of people appreciate the features often associated with technology-based psychotherapy, such as video or texting therapy. Additionally, finding and working with a therapist available & helping people online has become a very useful option for non-disabled but has a fear of going outdoors. As a result, I would prefer not to require visits at a therapist's office in-person.

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Freedom to communicate with someone on your own schedule

This kind of support and treatment is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Meanwhile, it can be a little more difficult for traditional therapy to fit it into your schedule if you have a busy life. A stressed-out college kid who has a job on the side may find it difficult to be present for in-office therapy visits. Still, when working with a therapist from one of the 1,000s of professionals available, that's a problem that can be avoided entirely.

Texting

Using an online therapy app, you can message your therapist through instant text messaging. As you can probably expect from an instant message, it provides quick responses. However, texting therapy is that the messages are at times shorter or less thought out. When you need instant relief, texting is a good solution.

Emailing your therapist allows you to provide a more detailed message, and the therapist can formulate a more detailed response as a result. A disadvantage of email and text messaging is that it doesn't allow for body language or tone of voice, which are typically important in a traditional therapy session.

Voice call

Using the mobile phone or an app, you can speak to the therapist through voice. This allows for tone and emotions to come through, but nobody language.

Video chat

Video chatting is always ideal if you want an experience that is comparable to seeing a traditional counselor. You can see both body language and tone.

Online Therapy Testimonials

"I am surprised at how positive I've found the online therapy experience to be, and Cynthia is no small part of that. It is wonderful to feel like I have a helpline when I need it, and I trust her to respond thoughtfully and with all the weight of her experience and expertise." - Written by A.L. 

"Dr. Norton is patient and kind. Allows me the space to process my feelings, as well as offers suggestions and helpful advice. I am so happy I decided to do online therapy." - Written by M.A.

"Esther has been really great. She's incredible, attentive, and knowledgeable. I was worried about going into online therapy about not communicating my thoughts and feelings very well through text. Still, Esther has been patient, understanding, and kind throughout all of this." - Written by K.E.

"While I wasn't looking forward to signing up for any kind of therapy, Elaine is easy to talk to and has already helped in a lot of ways with how I cope with anxiety despite me being sort of new here. I would definitely recommend her expertise to anyone with a habit of worrying excessively." - Written by K.A.

The above written and video testimonials about our e-therapy services are just a few of the thousands that we've received over the years from our users who have benefited from using the BetterHelp platform and being connected to one our therapists.

Not only do these comments help us appreciate the fact that we're providing a service that really helps people with a mental illness or other life issues, but it also results in us creating both a better psychotherapy product and service.

With that in mind, as long as we're in a position to help people connect with a licensed professional...we’ll be working hard to help as many people as possible that cannot benefit from typical in-office therapy visits to get them using the internet to get the support they need by using video, telephone, and texting therapy.

You still might be wondering, "How can this kind of therapy work for someone like me?" If that is the case, please take a look at some of our other reviews to see how our online therapists have been able to help people in more than 41 million online sessions.

Online Therapy Benefits: The Benefits of Online Therapy And Working Online With A Therapist

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• • Benefit #1 = Low-cost treatment with licensed therapists
    

    For many people interested in therapy in the United States, finding an affordable option can be a challenge, which is a primary reason that working with an online licensed therapist in online therapy has become increasingly popular. Even if you have traditional health insurance, a therapist typically doesn't take insurance, which means potential clients must pay out of pocket. The challenge starts with doing the hard work of seeking help, and then the therapist expects the payment for the session to be taken care of upfront, which can cost over $200. When comparing that experience with online therapy visits, those in-person sessions generally don't include phone, video chatting, or texting therapy sessions like it does in online therapy. 

  • Benefit #2 = Accessibility in a variety of ways
    

    There are a variety of ways internet-based and other computerized communication with an online therapist for online counseling that can work, whether that's on the phone, via messenger with text-based therapy (texting therapy), or during video chat sessions; which means visiting your therapist's office in person isn't required for online counseling. Additionally, you can select and identify whatever matter you need assistance with, whether personal (like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or another important issue/concern) or you would like a couples therapy session online. Additionally, if you're looking to get support for your child/teenager or are in need of a family online counseling session... we can help to know that our therapists are licensed (we're aware of the license number for all of our counselors) just like in a therapist's office.
    
    It's a fact that people express their emotions in different ways, and it's not always easy being open and honest about your feelings sitting in a therapist’s office. It could exacerbate their anxious feelings for people with social anxiety, making them feel like shutting down. With this therapy treatment that requires a visit to a therapist’s office, if you're struggling with social anxiety or severe trauma, you can take the time needed to get comfortable with your counselor. Maybe you start with online messaging for online counseling and build up to sessions that are mostly or all via video chats, making finding a therapist with online counseling a great decision for you.

  • Benefit #3 = Convenience and comfort - speaking with a therapist from your own home
    

    There's something intimate about communicating with a therapist in the privacy of your own home or a space that you've chosen for your online counseling sessions. With a traditional therapist, you're on their turf and in their environment during a session. The therapist typically chooses the place for treatment, and you're a visitor in their space.
    
    With individual therapy online, you're in control of where you receive care for your concerns and challenging situations, whether you're using web therapy through video chatting or unlimited messaging therapy. If you're experiencing panic, sometimes being in familiar surroundings helps rather than having to be in a space or environment you're uncomfortable with. For reasons like these, this type of treatment is an excellent alternative to visiting a local therapist's office. You choose the surroundings, and you control when and how you get the help you need; just look for us on your phone app store.

  • Benefit #4 = Choices in online mental health professionals
    

    You can choose so many different licensed virtual therapists from in our network; more than 3,800 to be exact. When you're looking through your health insurance company's list of providers, you may not see a therapist who treats your personal issues or anyone who you find that is best suited for you. Whereas with our therapy option with a counselor that accepts online clients, there are so many licensed & experienced professionals available, and you'll likely find one whom you click with that can assist you.

    When you see how many of our therapists are available, that can help you. You'll soon realize that there's hope that things can change and get better. We're confident that there's a good match out there for you specifically to help deal with tough times by speaking on a platform that is easy to use and HIPAA compliant.