Frequently asked questions

BetterHelp is the largest therapy platform in the world and it's 100% online. We change the way people approach their mental health and help them tackle life's challenges by providing accessible and affordable care. With BetterHelp, you can message a professional therapist anytime, anywhere.

After you sign up, we will match you to an available therapist who fits your objectives, preferences, and the type of issues you are dealing with. If you feel your therapist isn't a good fit for you, you may elect to be matched to a different therapist.

Every therapist providing services on BetterHelp is a qualified and experienced counselor, psychologist, social worker, or therapist. They must also have a relevant academic degree, at least 3 years of experience, and have credentials from their professional organization. This includes completing the necessary education, exams, training, and practice requirements. We refer to therapists across our sites and apps according to their professional title and credentials, specific to the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, France, or the Netherlands, as applicable.

Providers are required to provide proper documentation and undergo a thorough verification process, including case study review and background checks.

BetterHelp may be right for you if you're looking to improve the quality of your life. Whenever there is anything that interferes with your happiness or prevents you from achieving your goals, we may be able to help. We also have therapists who specialize in specific issues such as stress, anxiety, relationships, parenting, depression, addictions, eating, sleeping, trauma, anger, family conflicts, LGBT matters, grief, religion, self esteem, and more.

BetterHelp is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:

• You are a minor or you are under the care of a legal guardian
• You are in an urgent crisis or an emergency situation
• You were required to undergo therapy either by a court order or by any other authority
• You do not have a device that can connect to the Internet or you do not have a reliable Internet connection

The professionals who work through BetterHelp are registered therapists who hold the proper credentials to provide therapy. However, while the service may have similar benefits, it's not capable of substituting for traditional face-to-face therapy in every case. Please note that your therapist won't be able to make any official diagnosis, to fulfill any court order or prescribe medication.

The matching process can take a few hours or a few days, depending on therapist availability.

You can get therapy in four ways:

• Exchanging messages with your therapist
• Chatting live with your therapist
• Speaking over the phone with your therapist
• Video conferencing with your therapist

You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.

You can message your therapist at any time. Your therapist will read and respond to your messages with insights and guidance. Messages are not in real-time, so no scheduling is required.

Schedule a time, log in, and start typing to chat live with your therapist in real-time.

Audio sessions are a great way to conveniently speak with your therapist by simply using your landline or cell phone, no matter where you are.

To talk with your therapist over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your therapist and log in to your Therapy tab at that time. The therapist will prompt you to start the audio session and the system will ask you for your phone number. The system will then call you at that number and connect you with your therapist to start the audio session. Please note that the phone number you enter will not be shared with the therapist.

You will schedule a time, and at that time, log in and start the video session prompted by your therapist, similar to Zoom or FaceTime.

Yes, you can log in anytime and review previous messages from your therapist for reflection.

This depends on your needs and varies a lot from one person to another. Some people feel they get most of the value after just a few weeks, while others prefer to stick to the program for an extended period of time. This is completely up to you.

We strive to deliver a web experience that is aligned with the most recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the AA level, published by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

• If you are on a desktop browser, you can enable and launch the accessibility preferences by visiting the Accessibility page.
• For mobile users, we recommend using your device’s native accessibility features. Instructions for iPhone can be found here, and for Android can be found here.
  

You can use credit card, debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay to set up recurring membership payments. If you achieve your goals or no longer find therapy with BetterHelp beneficial, you can cancel your subscription at any time.

The service is provided by independent providers who work directly with you. These providers are not employees of BetterHelp and the site doesn't oversee them professionally. Our mission is to build, maintain, and support a platform that lets users and therapists communicate effectively, and to facilitate this channel so they can get the most out of their interaction.

There are many studies that confirm the effectiveness of the online medium for making life changes. For example, a study published by JMIR Publications and conducted by researchers from University of California - Berkeley, University of California - San Francisco, and the San Francisco General Hospital concluded that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform." You can read the full study here.

All therapists are registered with their respective organizations after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training, practice. This means that when you talk to a qualified therapist online, they are subject to the mandated reporting and confidentiality requirements of their governing organization and respective local laws, similar to in-office therapy.

Generally, the therapist will keep what you tell them confidential, but there are limited exceptions. For example, if you threaten grave harm to yourself or to an identifiable victim the therapist is required to report this information to relevant authorities. Before starting therapy, please discuss with your therapist their legal obligations to confidentiality if you have any concerns or questions.

For more information about how BetterHelp protects your therapist interactions, please review our Privacy Policy.

The information that you share is protected by data privacy laws, for more information see our Privacy Policy. Here are some things that might be helpful to know:

• We have built state-of-the-art technology, operations, and infrastructure with the goal of protecting your privacy and safeguarding the information you provide
• You can always select the "Remove Message" button to remove messages that you've sent to your therapist.
• All the messages between you and your therapist are secured and encrypted by banking-grade 256-bit encryption.
• Our servers are distributed across multiple Tier 4- AWS Data Centers for optimal security and protection.
• Our Platform is HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certified.
• Our browsing encryption system (SSL) follows modern best practices.
• Our databases are encrypted and scrambled so they essentially become useless in the unlikely event that they are stolen or compromised.

If you wish for any of your information or records to be released to a third party, please let your therapist know so that they can facilitate the release.

When you sign up we do not ask you for your full name or contact information but rather a "nickname" created by you that will be used to identify you in the system. When you decide to start the therapy process, we will ask you for your contact information for emergency situations, such as if your therapist believes that you or someone else might be in danger. Your therapist may also request additional information about you when it is required by their respective organization guidelines. All of this data is protected by the confidentiality requirements of the therapist’s organization, similar to in-office therapy.

For additional information about how BetterHelp helps protect your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

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