Everything You Need to Know about BetterHelp Counseling Online. Find Out in Our BetterHelp Review
The easy ability to meet with a therapist online to get help through a difficult time can definitely make things easier and more private. But, you may be wondering, “Is BetterHelp a scam?” or “How much does BetterHelp cost?”.
Our BetterHelp review will cover how the service works, BetterHelp prices, how many hours you get for your money, and what things those 20,000+ people mention in BetterHelp reviews.
Is BetterHelp worth it? Let’s find out in this AdvisoryHQ BetterHelp review!
The internet age has made it easier to handle all sorts of things from the convenience of your sofa. You can order dinner, consult with a doctor, get a college degree, and visit a therapist. That last one is what BetterHelp is all about.
This online counseling service was started in 2013 by Alon Matas when he found it difficult to find professional counseling that worked with his schedule. Since then, the service has helped over 500,000 people and has over 20,000 BetterHelp counseling reviews.
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How Does BetterHelp Work? AdvisoryHQ’s Review of BetterHelp
People use BetterHelp due to the privacy, convenience, and the fact that the BetterHelp cost is less than going to a traditional therapist’s office. Some would like to use the service, but wonder if BetterHelp’s a scam or if they use professional, licensed therapists.
If you’ve been wondering, “Is BetterHelp legit?” you’ll be happy to know that all their counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. You might also be surprised at the BetterHelp fees and how much counseling they cover.
Here’s an overview of how BetterHelp works:
- You fill out an online questionnaire to give them information to match you with a counselor.
- You pay a flat monthly rate for unlimited counseling access. (We’ll get into the cost details a little farther down.)
- You communicate with your counselor by video conference, phone, live chat, or messaging over their website or mobile app.
- If your counselor isn’t a fit, you can request a new one at any time.
BetterHelp Review | Who Shouldn’t Use BetterHelp
The company is clear in their FAQ about who should and should not use BetterHelp counseling online, it’s not for everyone. While it may be tempting to use the service in a crisis situation due to the lower BetterHelp pricing, it’s not meant for urgent counseling issues.
If any of these apply, the company says that you should NOT use BetterHelp counselors:
- You’re a minor or under a guardian’s care
- You have thoughts of hurting yourself or others
- If you’re in an emergency or urgent situation
- If you’ve been advised to be in psychological care or diagnosed with a severe mental illness
- Counseling is part of a court order
- You don’t have a reliable internet connection
Next, let’s find out what type of accreditations you can expect and answer the question, “Is BetterHelp legit?”.
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Is BetterHelp Legit? What are the Accreditations?
When you’re telling your most personal experiences and expecting to get caring advice back, you want to make sure the person on the other end of the computer is truly the professional they claim to be.
First, let’s look at the company itself, then the counselors.
BetterHelp Reviews from Media
There are quite a few media outlets that say good things about this online counseling service in their BetterHelp reviews. The company gets kudos from:
- American Psychological Association
- CBS
- Chicago Tribune
- Huffington Post
- Psychology Today
- Wall Street Journal
Berkeley Well-Being Institute Study
Looking for more than media tributes in order to learn how much is BetterHelp going to help you?
Then you’ll be interested to know that a study by the Berkeley Well-Being Institute of 317 people who had been receiving counseling through BetterHelp for at least three months showed that 70% had reduced depression symptoms and 98% made significant progress in their treatment.
BetterHelp Review of Counselor Certification
So how much education do these online counselors have? What type of help are you getting for BetterHelp’s prices?
The company has a lot of transparency when it comes to the counselors, and you can see their names, faces, and accreditations right on the website without needing to sign up. All BetterHelp counselors have either a Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree in their field.
BetterHelp counselor accreditations include:
- Accredited psychologists (PhD/PsyD)
- Marriage and family therapists (MFT)
- Clinical social workers (LCSW)
- Licensed professional counselors (LPC)
For the BetterHelp fees you pay, you’re getting counselors that have all been qualified and certified by their state professional board and that have a minimum of at least 3 years and 2,000 hours of hands-on experience.
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How Much is BetterHelp Pricing?
When looking for a straight answer on the website for the question, “How much is BetterHelp?” The company is a little vague unless you go through the entire sign up process. They state the BetterHelp cost as between $35.00 to $80.00 per week regardless of the number of messages or sessions you have with your counselor.
BetterHelp pricing is based upon a subscription plan that you can cancel at any time. After digging a little more to answer, “How much does BetterHelp cost?” we found a little more information online regarding BetterHelp cost details.
What You Need to Know about BetterHelp Pricing:
- The first month is paid in advance
- BetterHelp prices are on average $65 a week during a “trial” period, after which, you can adjust them.
- BetterHelp prices are generally not covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid
If you already have your counseling covered by insurance, then you may want to compare how much BetterHelp costs with your insurance co-pay. This will help answer, “Is BetterHelp worth it?” in your case.
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What are People Saying in BetterHelp Reviews? Does the Service Help?
Now that we’ve answered the question, “How much is BetterHelp?” let’s hear what people that use the service have to say and learn does BetterHelp work for them?
The company has multiple BetterHelp reviews on their own site you can read, but we wanted to research some other online sources to get a little more insight into whether people feel the service is worth the BetterHelp prices for unlimited support.
BetterHelp Review | The Negative Ones
First, we’ll take a look at negative BetterHelp counseling reviews from sites like HighYa, Trustpilot, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). These are people that would answer “No” to the question, “Is BetterHelp worth it?”.
- One reviewer for BetterHelp said they clicked a 7-day free trial link and were charged for two months and did not receive an invoice. They thought the therapist was no help at all and that it’s a BetterHelp scam.
- In another BetterHelp review the person was matched with a counselor who was unavailable for three weeks and was upset about not being able to get a refund for the billing period.
- In one of the BBB BetterHelp counseling reviews, the reviewer said that “unlimited” is not what it sounds like. One counselor tried to respond to messages within 24 hours, but another took longer.
- An unhappy customer that thought there was a BetterHelp scam said they tried to cancel the service and kept getting charged. Their complaint was poor customer service and difficulty getting reimbursement for BetterHelp fees.
BetterHelp Review | The Positive Ones
While looking through both the negative and positive BetterHelp reviews, we did see that there were many more positive ones than negative on multiple sites. For example, at the BBB, there are 89 positive BetterHelp counseling reviews and just 11 negative.
Let’s take a look at the people that would say BetterHelp counseling online is definitely worth it.
- One BetterHelp reviewer said her therapist was nurturing and straight forward. She had a lot of appreciation for the help she received on the site.
- One of the BetterHelp reviews on HighYa had never tried counseling before and was afraid of the price. They got exactly what they were looking for from the BetterHelp cost and said their counselor was great.
- Someone going through a hard time after the death of a family member mentioned in their BetterHelp Review they got a lot of comfort from the service. It was also very convenient to do from home since it was hard for them to get around.
- Another BetterHelp review mentioned they were impressed after using the service for about a month. The lower BetterHelp pricing helped fit counseling into their family budget and they would recommend the service to others.
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AdvisoryHQ’s BetterHelp Review Conclusion
In answering the questions, “Does BetterHelp work?” and “Is BetterHelp legit?” a high percentage of reviewers give affirmative answers to both questions.
We found that similar threads in negative BetterHelp reviews were about counselor availability or that they didn’t feel a counselor helped or cared enough. The company does address this by including in the BetterHelp price the option to request another counselor.
It’s important to know going in that you’ll be charged for a month up front and that insurance is most likely not going to cover BetterHelp counseling online costs.
We found that some people defined “unlimited” sessions differently. Some BetterHelp reviews didn’t feel they got the time they needed, while others praised the care they received and said their counselors even called or emailed to check up on them.
Overall, we give high marks in our BetterHelp review for this e-counseling service. They offer a professional alternative that is affordable, convenient, and that can help those that might not be able to afford it otherwise.
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Image sources:
- https://www.betterhelp.com/
- https://www.betterhelp.com/about/
- https://pixabay.com/en/clasped-hands-comfort-hands-people-541849/
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