Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOur Most Recent TestingHelen’s 2023 TestingPros & ConsFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Our Most Recent Testing
Helen’s 2023 Testing
Pros & Cons
Final Thoughts
Our Online Therapy MethodologyCurious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Our Online Therapy Methodology
Curious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Throughout the past three years, Verywell Mind has repeatedly testedBetterHelp, one of the biggest names in the online therapy field. In this review, we will first discuss our findings from our most recent testing of the company in 2024. Then, Helen Massy explains her experience testing BetterHelp in 2023.
How to Choose an Online Therapy Service
Sign Up Now
Special OfferVerywell Mind readers get20% off their first monthof BetterHelp membership.This offer is a partnership between Verywell Mind and BetterHelp. If you click this link and sign up for the BetterHelp membership, we will receive a commission.Learn more.
Special Offer
Verywell Mind readers get20% off their first monthof BetterHelp membership.This offer is a partnership between Verywell Mind and BetterHelp. If you click this link and sign up for the BetterHelp membership, we will receive a commission.Learn more.
Verywell Mind readers get20% off their first monthof BetterHelp membership.
This offer is a partnership between Verywell Mind and BetterHelp. If you click this link and sign up for the BetterHelp membership, we will receive a commission.Learn more.
In the summer of 2024, we had a tester in New York try BetterHelp’s services for a month. This was her firsthand experience.
Why I Chose BetterHelp
This was my first time doingonline therapy, but I’ve been interested in trying it for a few years now. I’m a busy mom and was looking for parenting advice. I’ve also been having some “what am I doing with my life” existential issues and was very much looking forward to talking it all through with someone.
Signing Up for BetterHelp
I had to provide my credit card information in order to sign up. Then, I was able to choose between different communication modes: messaging only, video, or phone calls. I could also choose between therapy for “individuals,” “couples,” or “teens.” There is an extensive intake form, with several questions about what you are looking for in a therapist (i.e., do you want someone who will “assign you homework?” “explore your past?” “teach you new skills?” “listen?").
You can specify if you want a specific type of therapist (male, female, LGBTQ+, religious, Black, etc.).
Scheduling was very easy, and my therapist always had multiple time options for me to choose from. Once I had to cancel because of a work issue, and my therapist immediately offered rescheduling options.
I think the ease and flexibility of scheduling sessions with BetterHelp is its number one strength.
Matching with a Therapist
At first, I was assigned a therapist. There seemed to be a disconnect, because I’d specifically asked about parenting issues, and the therapist assigned to me was very young and clearly not a parent themselves. I was also not able to choose any therapists who practiced a particular modality.
The process seems fairly easy, though, and I decided to try the younger therapist.
Scheduling an appointment was very easy.
My therapist, however, didn’t show (!). I messaged them and tried to follow up but received no response. It was so unprofessional, and I imagine that anyone seeking therapy might be especially sensitive to this type of miscommunication (or non-communication, in my case).
I complained, and BetterHelp quickly sent me a list of new therapist options to choose from. They apologized for the no-show, and I chose another therapist. Again, scheduling was easy, and this therapist did make it to the appointment and was very communicative.
The therapist matching process seems very hit or miss.
My Therapy Sessions
My second therapist was lovely and punctual and considerate. I have done therapy before, and I would consider my sessions with BetterHelp as therapy “light.” The therapist let me guide the conversation and mostly just listened. She never really dug deeper or asked probing questions, as I’ve experienced with other therapists.
My therapist did provide interesting and helpful worksheets throughout the process.
My therapist made me feel comfortable but never discussed her approach and never talked about different types of therapy. She asked me a lot of questions about how I wanted the sessions to go. I would’ve appreciated more guidance from her.
Again, I felt like this was therapy “light.” Ultimately, I felt like I was talking to a nonjudgmental friend about my life.
I would have preferred more active leadership from my therapist. I wasn’t always sure what to talk about, and in each of our sessions, she just opened with “How are you today?” She did give me homework, which was helpful. I would see this therapist again, mostly because she did listen and offered up relevant reading materials and worksheets that I found useful.
How I Felt About BetterHelp
Overall, I would use BetterHelp again.
Therapy is expensive, and at $320 a month, I did feel like the services were worth the cost, especially if you use them. Because of the membership format, it’s up to you to schedule your appointments and utilize the BetterHelp resources. If you don’t do that, you still pay.
It’s like a gym membership in that sense—you pay the monthly fee regardless of whether or not you’re actively involved in therapy.
One note is that when I canceled my subscription, I was offered multiple discounts and special offers to stay on as a member.
The therapist matching process isn’t great. It might take a few tries to find a match, and even then, I imagine there is inconsistency between the different therapists and their approaches. Even though my second therapist was kind, I still felt like she wasn’t the exact right fit (I really wanted to talk things through with someone who was a parent, and she was not).
Who Is BetterHelp For?
I’d say BetterHelp is best for someone looking for convenient, easy-to-schedule remote therapy. It is very easy to switch therapists, and if you have the time (and patience) to find a therapist within their network who is a good fit, then it could be a rewarding experience. If you are dealing with a very specific issue or need, BetterHelp may not be the right fit.
In 2023, we asked Helen to test out BetterHelp’s individual therapy services to determine the quality of care the company provides its clients. These are her personal insights.
I have three young children, and as we all know, parenting can be challenging. Although we don’t have any significant problems at home, I have questioned my parenting skills recently and whether I’m doing the best for my kids. I think it’s sometimes good to get insight from a specialist outside of the home just to discuss things and establish whether your concerns are founded—or not.
When I’ve thought about therapy in the past, I never considered looking online but I also never made an in-person appointment because it’s hard for me to find a time that works for me. Online therapy atBetterHelpsolved that problem, so I signed up for a month to see if it might help me feel more confident in my parenting decisions.
As one of the largest online therapy platforms in the world with over 32,000 licensed therapists in its network, BetterHelp seemed like a good first place to start because it advertises that it provides affordable and accessible individual therapy services and provides you with a personalized therapist match. Plus, it allows you to communicate with that therapist in a number of flexible, convenient ways, including asynchronous messaging, live chat, phone calls, and video calls in order to accommodate different preferences and schedules (like my busy parenting one).
Ultimately, I had a great experience with BetterHelp: I found a therapist who met all of my needs and who helped me tackle my problems head-on. Here’s how it went for me.
How I Signed Up at BetterHelp
When you go to the BetterHelp homepage, it’s clear and easy to follow. It describes how BetterHelp works, explaining the therapist matching service, the different types of sessions available, and the availability of unlimited messaging with your therapist. At the bottom of the page, you can clearly see a section of FAQs that answers questions about the cost, who the therapists are, and how you can communicate with your therapist.
To sign up, you simply pick one of the three options on the homepage: individual, couples, or teen therapy. Or you can click on one of the several strategically placed buttons when scrolling down the homepage, which say “get started” or “get matched with your therapist.”
I found it really easy to go through the entire sign-up process.
Once you click one of the buttons on the homepage to proceed, it asks you a series of questions, such as your gender, age, sexual orientation (but you can choose not to say), relationship status, whether you are religious and if so your religion, whether you are spiritual, if you’ve had therapy before, why you are choosing therapy now, what you want from a therapist, your physical health, eating habits, sleep, energy levels, and employment status. It also then continues to delve into your feelings, current life experiences, financial concerns, health concerns, and whether you have any symptoms of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or issues with activities of daily living.
It’s a surprisingly thorough questionnaire that covers a lot of factors. It also allows you to say how you would prefer to communicate with your therapist (video, audio, or messaging) and if you prefer to work with a therapist of a specific gender. But it only takes a few minutes to work through, as it is straightforward to click and follow.
What My Therapy Sessions Cost
Before signing up, I saw the pricing ranged from $65 to $90 per week (billed every four weeks) depending on location, preferences, and therapist availability. (As of March 2024, these prices have increased to $70-$100 per week.)
A Note On PricingBetterHelp practices surge pricing, which means that if you are in an area with a high demand for mental health care, you might pay more for the same BetterHelp services than someone who lives in a place where BetterHelp is not in as much demand.
A Note On Pricing
BetterHelp practices surge pricing, which means that if you are in an area with a high demand for mental health care, you might pay more for the same BetterHelp services than someone who lives in a place where BetterHelp is not in as much demand.
I was offered the option to sign up for $70 per week, billed as a monthly subscription, which included a weekly live session and text, audio, and video messaging anytime. It also included the option to join informative online classes and group sessions. This seemed a little daunting at first to outlay the full four weeks upfront, but I do realize that many therapists charge a lot more than this in person and don’t always have the promised availability and accessibility.
Previously, if you needed to step away from therapy with BetterHelp, you would lose the money you paid for your subscription for that period of time; but now BetterHelp users are allowed to pause their subscriptions for two, four, or six weeks and not be charged for the time you didn’t use.
BetterHelp does not accept any insurance—and this is a big drawback compared to many of its competitors.
The 8 Best Online Therapy Services that Accept Insurance, Tried and Tested
How I Matched with My Therapist
As I mentioned, the intake form is pretty detailed and takes into account the type of therapist you would prefer to work with, how you choose to communicate with a therapist, and the specific skills you are looking for in a therapist. You are then matched with a provider—which, for me, took less than two hours (but I did sign up on a weekday within working hours).
Once matched with a therapist, I was provided with a very detailed description of her. It covered her working history and experience, her particular specialties, her therapy style, qualifications, clinical approaches, reviews, and services offered. I was very impressed with the level of depth this overview went into and felt confident that the therapist they matched me with had been closely considered alongside my intake form. The description said that she particularly specialized in parenting issues, coping with life changes, and self-esteem (among many other things), which stood out to be very relevant to the points I raised when signing up. It was very reassuring.
How to Find a Therapist
How My Therapy Sessions Worked
After being quickly matched with a therapist, I then immediately received access to a portal within the online platform. This is super easy to sign in to; you just click login on the homepage and use your email address and password. Once signed in, you can clearly see when your therapist is available as well as what group sessions are available. I could schedule a live session within 48 hours, and there was a good range of availability and various times to choose from over the days ahead.
What really amazed me was as soon as I had everything set up and accessed the online portal, my therapist sent a message to introduce herself and ask what my concerns were and what I wanted to talk about at our planned session so she could get a bit more insight. She immediately clarified boundaries, explaining that I could write as often and as much as I liked—the chat room is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She said she typically responds to all messages within 24 hours but takes weekends off.
On using the messaging option to reply, I found her very responsive. It was apparent she took the time to consider my messages and provide supportive replies.
Her responses were quick but considered, usually within an hour or two at the most during the working day. I immediately felt both seen and heard and found myself looking forward to the planned video call.
8 Online Text Therapy Companies We Tested and Recommend
You can choose different ways to have a therapy session: phone call, live chat, or video call. I prefer video calls for my sessions as I find this an easier way to communicate. You get plenty of reminders leading up to your session via email and text—you can’t forget it. BetterHelp also advises you to try the video session test before joining a video call to ensure all your tech is working properly. This was an easy process to follow in the help section of the online portal, and my video tests were all fine. But despite this, the video quality for the sessions could have been better.
Although it was easy to log on to the video call, the video quality was quite poor and a little delayed at times (but the therapist said this was good compared to how bad the quality could be). It was manageable, but certainly nowhere near the quality you would get on a regular phone or computer video call. For one session, the sound would not work at all despite me and the therapist not finding any problems when running the tests. There appears to be regular technical glitches with the platform. When this happened, she quickly offered the alternative of switching to either a call or live chat so I didn’t miss out on the session. It was useful to have those alternative options.
Regardless of the format we used (video or live chat), I found the sessions successful.
The therapist was warm, calm, and made a real effort to delve into my concerns. In total, I had three live sessions with chats in between, and she came up with practical ideas that I could incorporate into parenting at home—several of which I have taken on board and continue to use. But she was realistic and understanding of our individual lifestyle and family dynamics. I was impressed, reassured, and felt we had a positive therapeutic relationship. One of the critical aspects that this therapist got right was taking the time to holistically understand our family life, and therefore she didn’t suggest things that simply wouldn’t work for us. Each session gave me more tools to help with parenting, and my confidence and self-esteem also built up a little more each time.
I didn’t think I would connect with a therapist online as well as I did.
She followed up each session with a summary and suggestions of things I could try at home. Plus, if I didn’t respond or couldn’t book a session for a while due to my schedule, she would check in regularly and ensure I was getting all the support I needed. I felt confident that I was working with a qualified and caring therapist despite some of the technical barriers.
Had I wanted to switch therapists (which I didn’t want to do because I liked her so much), it was comforting to know that it’s easy to do at BetterHelp. After each session, BetterHelp sends you a few questions asking how your session was, and there is a button you can click to switch. There is also a “switch therapist” button clearly visible when you login. I didn’t do this as I didn’t feel the need.
Overall I had a positive therapy experience with BetterHelp. It provided a safe and supportive space to discuss my thoughts and feelings, and I received professional guidance and tools to manage my parenting concerns. However, there are always pros and cons to consider before embarking on therapy and here are mine regarding BetterHelp.
ProsUser-friendly websiteSimple but thorough sign-up processDetailed descriptions of the matched therapistExcellent availabilityVery responsive in the chat roomConsDoesn’t accept insuranceMight be too expensive for many peopleTherapist is chosen for youVideo call technology doesn’t work too well
ProsUser-friendly websiteSimple but thorough sign-up processDetailed descriptions of the matched therapistExcellent availabilityVery responsive in the chat room
User-friendly website
Simple but thorough sign-up process
Detailed descriptions of the matched therapist
Excellent availability
Very responsive in the chat room
ConsDoesn’t accept insuranceMight be too expensive for many peopleTherapist is chosen for youVideo call technology doesn’t work too well
Doesn’t accept insurance
Might be too expensive for many people
Therapist is chosen for you
Video call technology doesn’t work too well
The therapist I was matched with turned out to be very well suited to me, my personality, my needs, and the way I communicate.
I can honestly say that I also found a therapist that met all of my needs and was extremely insightful and my experience seems to be in line with other BetterHelp users too.
BetterHelp User SurveyWe surveyed 100 users, and most users had a positive experience:87% rated the overall service from BetterHelp as good, very good, or excellent.95% found the website easy to navigate (which I can totally agree with)94% were matched with a therapist that met most or all of their needs93% said it provided good, very good, or excellent value for money96% said they would recommend BetterHelp to a friend
BetterHelp User Survey
We surveyed 100 users, and most users had a positive experience:87% rated the overall service from BetterHelp as good, very good, or excellent.95% found the website easy to navigate (which I can totally agree with)94% were matched with a therapist that met most or all of their needs93% said it provided good, very good, or excellent value for money96% said they would recommend BetterHelp to a friend
We surveyed 100 users, and most users had a positive experience:
If I knew a friend or relative was looking to try online therapy, I would certainly suggest they give BetterHelp a try. Despite there being problems with the video call technology, the therapist ensured I could access alternative communication methods when required, and I didn’t miss out on any therapy session time. I felt that I was able to access convenient, beneficial, and accessible therapy.
The cost could be a barrier to some people, but it is pretty reasonable compared to most therapy services. I felt I got a lot for my money when considering the 24/7 chat room and how much value and advice my therapist provided in between sessions.
I’ve only used BetterHelp for a month, but for people who want to improve a specific problem in their life or address a situation that is bothering them, it’s a great online therapy option. The convenience and accessibility were two of the biggest selling points for me, as I could easily fit therapy sessions around work and family life. But I would point out that the platform clearly states it’s not suitable for anyone in an urgent crisis or an emergency situation.
The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
Hannah Owens, LMSW
andSimone Scully
Simone Scully
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
