BetterHelp is an online counseling platform that connects users with a licensed, experienced therapist for remote teletherapy sessions. Virtual visits are conducted on your time and in the convenience of your home, car, or wherever you like via live video, phone, or chat sessions.
BetterHelp works for those looking for general mental health counseling or therapy for a diagnosed mental health disorder. How long you stay with BetterHelp depends on your mental health needs, budget, and lifestyle. This could equate to a few weeks, a few months, or an extended period of several months. According to our reviews team’s April 2022 survey of 1,000 online therapy users, most BetterHelp customers (38 percent) used the service for four to eight months. Of the rest, 24 percent used it for eight to 12 months, 23 percent used it for four months or less, and 15 percent used it for at least one year.
You can access the BetterHelp platform via its website or its mobile app, which you can use to manage your account, schedule appointments with your online therapist, and contact customer service.
Therapy Session Format
The weekly subscription cost for BetterHelp online therapy includes unlimited messaging and one live chat, phone, or video session per week, which gives you the freedom to choose the telehealth format that works best for you. Some people change the format each week depending on their mental health needs.
In general, each live session lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. The exact session length will be determined by both you and your therapist, though BetterHelp confirmed with our reviews team that the average session length is 30 minutes.
Unlimited Messaging
With BetterHelp online therapy, messaging is not a real-time form of communication like video is. Instead, it works like email. It’s available 24 hours a day, but that doesn’t mean your BetterHelp counselor will respond right away. In fact, according to our reviews team’s online therapy survey, only 50 percent of BetterHelp users received a response within a day. Of the rest, 17 percent received responses within a few days, 25 percent received responses within a week, and 8 percent said it regularly took more than a week for their therapist to respond. Your therapist will work with you to establish when and how often they will reply to messages.
You will receive an email when your counselor sends you a message. Messaging can be a convenient feature between live video, phone, or chat sessions when you have a quick question or need to check in with your therapist. It also creates an ongoing conversation you can reference at any time.
If you are concerned about your privacy, it may be useful to know that BetterHelp also allows you to “shred” messages you send to your therapist. Once shredded, it will no longer be visible in your account. You cannot delete messages from your therapist.
Live Chat
The live chat feature on BetterHelp’s online therapy platform is a lot like text messaging. You will be in a private, secure online therapy room with your BetterHelp counselor, and you’ll both be able to type questions and responses. Live chat can be a good option for users who prefer text over live video or phone sessions, especially if they are concerned about privacy.
Plus, you can always go back and read over the conversation, since the chat session will remain in the therapy room until you cancel your subscription.
Live Phone Sessions
You can schedule a live phone session with your counselor the same way you schedule a chat or video appointment on the BetterHelp app. Some people prefer the convenience and relative anonymity of this communication preference.
If you choose to speak with your therapist over the phone, you will log in to your therapy room at your scheduled time. Once logged in, your therapist will prompt you to start the phone session, and the system will request your phone number. The system will dial your number, and once you answer, it will connect you with your therapist to start the phone session. BetterHelp will not share your phone number with your therapist.
Live Video Sessions
The closest thing to an in-person counseling session is a live video appointment. As with chat and phone sessions, you need to schedule a video therapy session with your therapist. You will meet via video through your online counseling room. According to our reviews team’s online therapy survey, 66 percent of BetterHelp members used its video therapy option. The second most popular option was live chat, followed by phone therapy.
Group Webinars
BetterHelp users are able to join group sessions called Groupinars, which are therapist-led educational seminars on different mental health-related topics. Once you sign up for a membership, you will have access to a calendar that displays the sessions and topics for the week, including communication skill-building, identifying unhealthy behaviors, and building resiliency, among others. The “chat” function is available, so you will be able to ask questions at any time. Therapists will either answer questions live or at the end during a Q&A session. Every Groupinar is recorded and available for registrants for one week after it’s hosted.
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