Mental Health: BetterHelp

When the world went under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people struggled a lot with their mental health from being stuck at home. Some felt depressed and stressed out because of financial issues since companies were letting people go. It was a hopeless situation for a lot of people. According to Pew Research Center, 41% of adults have experienced psychological distress during the pandemic.

With the rise of mental health concerns came the need for therapy to deal with these issues; however, therapy is difficult for many people. First, many places are closed, so people can’t make appointments to meet with therapists. Second, it is costly to meet with a licensed therapist. Third, many people don’t have severe issues with mental health, but they have some symptoms due to social isolation or grief over lost ones.

Pros

But there is a solution to these problems, and that is BetterHelp. The teletherapy platform has licensed therapists that people can talk to. Even after the pandemic, BetterHelp continued to be popular among people who want to improve their mental health. Other licensed therapists who usually have in-person meetings began switching to virtual meetings, but they sometimes keep the same high rates as they would during other times. During the time of pandemic, meeting the demands of fees is difficult. BetterHelp offers an alternative where people can get similar benefits but at a cheaper price. The cost ranges from $60 to $90 per week.

When one sees the price, they might be concerned about the quality of the therapists; maybe they are students instead of credible ones. I know I was skeptical of the platform due to the price. However, these therapists are licensed, experienced, and accredited psychologists. There are therapists who can help with various issues, such as family, stress, anxiety, relationships, depression, addictions, sleeping, anger, grief, religion, self-esteem, and even LGBT matters. The best part is that if you feel like your therapist that matched with you wasn’t the right one, you can find another one quickly. There aren’t any limits to how many times you can change therapists; the main goal is to find the one that best fits your needs. Whereas for in-person therapists, it is way more challenging to switch therapists.

What I find remarkable about BetterHelp is the ability to message the therapist anytime. With in-office therapists, you can only ever talk at scheduled times, but sometimes you will need to talk to someone then and there, so BetterHelp gives you that option. It is also much easier to schedule appointments compared to in-office therapy appointments. You can practically access counseling anytime, anywhere, at your convenience. It is pretty amazing.

Cons

But, according to Forbes Health, there are a couple of things that can be improved on. For instance, BetterHelp therapists can’t diagnose their clients with any disorders. They can assume, but it isn’t an official diagnosis because there is much more to consider—even where you sit in the therapist's office matters. Additionally, when you are having a virtual meeting, most of your body is not shown, so your body language is lost to the therapist. If you are looking to get a diagnosis, it is best to meet one in person.

Another con about BetterHelp is that the therapists cannot prescribe any medication. If you have a mental disorder requiring medication, BetterHelp would not be suited for you. The way I see it is if you are looking to talk about your stress, anxiety, or conflicts within yourself or with other people, BetterHelp would be great for you. But, if you had a diagnosis of a severe illness, you shouldn’t be using BetterHelp. If you also have thoughts of self-harm or harming others, meeting with a therapist in person is best. Therapy is more than just talking, hence why BetterHelp is great for basic counseling but not for other aspects of therapy like medications or accommodations.

Experience

I have used BetterHelp before, so that is why I seem to be aware of these benefits. I only used it for about five months last year during the fall semester because of my stress at university. I didn’t like the mental health resources provided by the university, so I decided to seek a therapist from BetterHelp. It was great for what I needed. I had someone who listened to my issues and offered solutions to improve my life. My therapist taught me a lot about handling my responsibilities and stress. In my experience, the services provided to me were adequate, so if you feel like you want to improve your mental health, I recommend using BetterHelp.