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No more than ever, when it comes to our overall well being, mental health is just as important as physical health. But even before the pandemic, many factors prevented people from seeking the guidance of actual mental health professionals. Some people have medical conditions that prevent them from leaving the house, or live in areas without a lot of access to mental health resources. Some people can’t afford to see a therapist. Some people don’t think they can open up to someone face to face, or they worry about lingering stigmatization of seeing a professional. And some people just can’t seem to fit traditional in-person therapy sessions into their busy schedules. But the good news is that technology can remove most of these barriers. In fact, online therapy platforms like BetterHelp are making effective, high-quality mental healthcare more accessible than ever.
Of course, as common sense would suggest, online therapy cannot replace traditional face-to-face counseling in every single case. People dealing with more serious issues and mental illnesses require a level of hands-on care that simply cannot be provided via the phone or Internet. Moreover, online-only providers are not allowed to make official diagnoses and cannot prescribe medications. However, for many of the most common mental health issues people face, online therapy can be an excellent alternative to traditional counseling.
A number of recent studies have shown that online cognitive behavioral therapy can be just as effective as traditional in-person therapy in treating common issues such as anxiety and depression. What’s more, online counseling tends to be more cost-effective than in-person therapy because it reduces rent and travel expenses for the therapists. So if you think you could benefit from talking to a mental health professional, you might want to consider trying online counseling before turning to traditional in-person therapy.
That brings us to BetterHelp.
BetterHelp Online Therapy
BetterHelp is the largest online counseling platform in the world. They provide convenient, discreet, and affordable access to professional counseling anywhere, any time, through a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
When you sign up for BetterHelp, the first thing they’ll do is match you with a counselor who fits your specific issues, objectives, and preferences. All BetterHelp providers are fully licensed and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC), with a Masters or Doctorate in their field and at least three years and 2,000 hours of experience. Because there are no geographic limitations, your chances of finding someone who specializes in your area of need are dramatically increased. However, if you begin the counseling process and feel your counselor is not a good fit, you can ask to be matched with a different counselor at any time.
With BetterHelp, you get four different ways to communicate with your counselor, so you can do what works best for you. You can send messages any time, day or night, and your counselor will respond at their convenience. This has the distinct advantage of letting you get things off your chest at the exact moment you’re thinking about them. It also lets you refer back to your conversation when you need to. However, when you feel you require more immediate and interactive feedback, you can set up a live chat, phone call, or video conference.
All services provided through BetterHelp come with one flat fee, billed on a month-to-month basis. Your bill will depend on your particular counselor, but generally speaking the cost ranges from $40 to $70 per week. That’s incredibly low given the amount of access that gives you to your counselor.
So whether you’re a counseling veteran looking to change things up, or you are thinking of trying professional counseling for the very first time, you need to take a look at BetterHelp.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.
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