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Health Wellness

I Used BetterHelp for A Month, Here's An Honest Review

Is virtual counseling worth the price?

Katie Regittko

Aug 15, 2018

University of North Carolina

7515

BetterHelp

If you haven't heard about it yet, BetterHelp is the largest online counseling platform in the world. It's marketed as an accessible, convenient, and affordable way to talk to a licensed therapist for anyone who may need or want that service. With BetterHelp, there are three main ways to talk to your therapist: through a live-chat, phone call, or video call. For anywhere from around $30-$55 dollars a week depending on financial status, users have access to contact their therapist, complete worksheets, and attend live seminars whenever they like.

It's important to note that this article isn't sponsored, and I was never contacted by BetterHelp to promote or review them. I was simply in between therapists and interested in trying something new that I had heard mixed reviews about.

Upon creating an account on BetterHelp, I was prompted to fill out a 10-15 minute questionnaire about my reasons behind pursuing therapy in order to match me up with a therapist who would be a good fit. I was primarily seeking support in eating disorder recovery and with manic depression. The selection/availability of therapists who were trained in these areas, especially with eating disorders, was very limited. Granted, this could have more to do with the number of therapists who are licensed to provide that specialized treatment in my home state of North Carolina and less to do with BetterHelp structurally.

After filling out the survey, I was immediately matched up with a therapist and was prompted to make an introductory appointment to set up a sort of treatment plan. However, the earliest appointment I could get was about a week and a half away. And just like with in-person therapy, it took me a couple changes in therapists to find the right fit. But with BetterHelp, you do not pay by appointment, you pay a weekly fee. So I ran into the problem where I was paying $40 weekly for about a month without any real, consistent therapy, which was pretty discouraging.

I was just about to cancel my subscription when I found Melissa, a therapist who had experience working in an eating disorder unit in a hospital, went to the same school as me, and has a pug (okay, the last two points may not matter that much but I thought they were pretty cool). I decided to give it one last try, and I'm glad that I did because I've been working with her for around a month and have made exponential progress, more so than I ever have in any other outpatient setting. My therapy "room" is accessible to me to look back on 24/7, which is important to me because some of the hardest parts of in-person therapy in my experience were not being able to fit into my therapist's schedule and forgetting what we talked about in session. Now I have the ability to meet with my therapist weekly or twice a week; chat with her if I need to in between sessions; receive, fill out, and send off worksheets within the app; and attend different workshops about positive psychology, healthy relationships, self esteem, etc.

Pros of BetterHelp

1. It's convenient

Your therapy room, worksheets, scheduling, and workshops are available to you on either the BetterHelp app or website 24/7. Simply connect to wifi and you have access to all the features.

2. It's good for people in rural areas

In some parts of the country, there aren't any counselors or therapists for hundreds of miles. However, mental illness doesn't care about location or access to resource. BetterHelp is a great resource for people without direct access to in-person therapy to receive help.

3. Access to mental health workshops is included in your subscription.

You aren't just paying for unlimited therapy during the week, you also have the opportunity to sign up for a selection of over twenty workshops throughout the week at all different times of day.

4. You can go back through and read all of your past conversations with your therapist.

This is a big one for me. If I'm having a hard day dealing with guilt around eating but that's something I talked about with my therapist a week ago, I can scroll back to that conversation to remind myself of different tools I can use. With in-person therapy, I had to make the conscious effort to write things down when I wanted to be sure I could remember them.

5. It's affordable

$30-$55 a week is a relatively low price to pay for the amount of therapy you can access without insurance on BetterHelp. However, everyone's financial status and healthcare plan are different, so you have to weigh whether this amount is feasible for you

Cons of Better Help

1. It isn't covered by insurance

While the price range is a lot lower than other therapy providers who do not accept insurance, it can be higher than receiving therapy with your health insurance plan. In my situation, I am paying a little bit more money monthly with BetterHelp than I was with my health insurance plan. However, I also get a lot more "bang for my buck" with the ability to contact my therapist more frequently and to attend the workshops. If that is something you thing you would utilize, I think BetterHelp could be worth it to you.

2. There is a limited amount of therapists with specific specialties

There were only about five therapists specialized in treating eating disorders in the entire state of NC on BetterHelp, so that made my selection pretty limited. However, I did end up finding someone I mesh with.

3. Scheduling your first appointment can be a pain

Like I mentioned before, I had to pay for BetterHelp for a month before I could find a consistent therapy relationship that worked for me. It was a bit of an investment, and I wish there were more options for trial periods or free intake sessions.

4. BetterHelp isn't for everyone

Some people need a physical therapeutic space to process, and that's okay.

I wasn't expecting to like BetterHelp, much less stick with it for more than a couple weeks. But I have found a great therapeutic relationship which allows me to obtain tools to use in my recovery and process hard thoughts and emotions as well as work on my independence and self-advocacy. If you want to learn more about BetterHelp, you can visit their website at www.betterhelp.com

25 Beatles Lyrics: Your Go-To Guide for Every Situation

The Best Lines from the Fab Four

SUNY Binghamton

52792

Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

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best beatles lyrics

Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Smith College

114100

college students waiting in a long line in the hallway

StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

waitlisted

Recommended for you

I Used BetterHelp for A Month, Here's An Honest Review

Is virtual counseling worth the price?

Pros of BetterHelp

1. It's convenient

2. It's good for people in rural areas

3. Access to mental health workshops is included in your subscription.

4. You can go back through and read all of your past conversations with your therapist.

5. It's affordable

Cons of Better Help

1. It isn't covered by insurance

2. There is a limited amount of therapists with specific specialties

3. Scheduling your first appointment can be a pain

4. BetterHelp isn't for everyone

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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