What can you do if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or another mental health issue but don’t have the time or resources to see a therapist in person?
If you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain unhappy, but you live in a rural area with no access to mental health services, is there another way to get the help you need?
No matter your situation – mentally, physically, geographically, or financially – BetterHelp can help you.
Through their virtual counseling platform, you can get matched with a licensed therapist who will provide you with the support and guidance you need to get your life back on track. This platform has helped over 2.5 million people since it opened its virtual doors in 2013, and there’s no reason why it can’t help you too.
Virtual Counseling on Your Time with BetterHelp
BetterHelp is the world’s largest virtual counseling service. This therapy platform connects people with licensed and accredited therapists who can help them work through their problems.
BetterHelp is a virtual counseling service that continues to meet the various needs of people worldwide. Their experienced therapists can address a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma – to name a few.
Who is BetterHelp Virtual Counseling for?
BetterHelp is a virtual counseling platform that effectively facilitates communication between users and therapists. Whether you need to address a specific mental health issue or concern or want to improve your quality of life, BetterHelp is a virtual counseling service worth exploring.
Through BetterHelp’s various communication options, users can work with a therapist to address issues surrounding:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Relationships
- Grief
- Family conflicts
- LGBT matters
- Parenting
- Anger
- Stress
- Self-esteem
- Eating
- Sleeping
- Addiction
- Religion
This list is by no means comprehensive. Overall, BetterHelp may be the right virtual counseling option if anything is interfering with your happiness or goals.
That said, as long as you have internet access and a device to connect you to it, BetterHelp will do its best to guide you through the rest.
How Does BetterHelp Virtual Counseling Work?
BetterHelp offers features that make it highly convenient. This top-rated virtual counseling platform is appreciated by its users most for its ease of use.
There are many ways BetterHelp subscribers can communicate with their therapist:
24/7 online messaging
You and your therapist will have a private and secure dedicated “room” to communicate online. You can send your therapist messages anytime, and they will respond during their work hours.
The 24/7 messaging feature is a great place to ask questions and talk about what’s troubling you. Once your therapist reads your message, they will respond with guidance, insight, and questions. You will get an email notification anytime they reply, though you can respond to your therapist anytime.
The other helpful aspect of this specific virtual counseling feature is you can go back and access those messages anytime. This can be helpful for those wanting to reflect on or remember their therapists’ feedback — a major benefit of virtual counseling.
Live chat
Unlike 24/7 messaging, live chat is in real-time. With this feature, you can text your therapist and receive an instant response and feedback. This helps anytime you need a question answered quickly or want to share something with your therapist at the moment.
Video conferencing
Video virtual counseling sessions allow you to see your therapist and talk to them in real-time. It’s similar to Skype, and you’ll need to schedule ahead of time.
Phone call
It doesn’t matter if it’s a landline or cell phone; you can schedule a phone call with your therapist from anywhere. Your therapist will never see your phone number; instead, the system will call the phone number you have entered.
Phone sessions are a useful virtual counseling method as they can be more convenient than video calls and feel more personable than text messaging.
Overall, BetterHelp’s virtual counseling platform makes it easy for users to schedule a session or send messages to their therapist. BetterHelp’s desktop and mobile app are also known for being user-friendly.
BetterHelp Virtual Counseling Plans and Pricing
BetterHelp’s monthly subscription plan is all-inclusive and cannot be customized. But the best part is the features mentioned above all come included in BetterHelp’s convenient monthly plan.
The plan includes:
- Unlimited text or audio messaging with your therapist
- The option to schedule weekly live video or phone sessions (30-45 minutes)
- Unlimited 24/7 messaging with your therapist where they reply during their work hours
One important thing to note about this plan is that it does not include psychiatric or medication management services. This may be an inconvenience for you if you currently take medications or are interested to see whether a combination of medication and virtual counseling would work best.
Regarding pricing for this monthly plan, the subscription cost can range from $60 to $90 per week – starting at $240 per month. Your unique cost will depend on your location and the therapist assigned to you.
Note that coverage can be partial or limited with many health insurance plans. BetterHelp does its best to offer affordable pricing, which, in some cases, are lower or comparable than the co-pays of most insurance plans. Still, insurance may be worth exploring, but unfortunately, you will not know your weekly cost either way until you sign up.
So, is BetterHelp virtual counseling worth it? That depends on your unique needs, goals, and preferences. But we’ll take a look at one more thing that can help you determine if this virtual counseling option is the right fit for you – the therapy types BetterHelp offers.
BetterHelp Virtual Counseling Therapy Types
BetterHelp offers a wide range of therapy types, providing the best chance to find what works best for you. Some of these common therapy types include:
- CBT
- DBT
- EMDR
- Psychoanalysis
- Mindfulness meditation
- Journaling
- Motivational interviewing
In addition to these therapy offerings, many therapists may also incorporate guidebooks and education resources like worksheets to further support your progress.
Of course, this all depends on your therapist’s style and background. Once you sign up for BetterHelp, they match you with the best therapist fit possible. However, if you don’t ultimately feel the same, BetterHelp makes it fairly easy to switch to a new one.
Not every therapist is a good fit for every patient, and this feature helps patients feel more comfortable acknowledging this. Feeling safe, heard, and unstuck is essential to therapy and mental health improvement in general.
Final Thoughts on How BetterHelp Can Help You
BetterHelp is a great option for anyone looking for virtual counseling, offering a variety of therapy types and convenient messaging features. While the lack of medication management services may be a drawback for some people, overall, BetterHelp is a flexible and affordable way to get the help you need.
If you’re considering BetterHelp for virtual counseling, be sure to visit their website to browse their therapist bios before signing up and see for yourself how BetterHelp might help you.