BetterHelp Reviews

BetterHelp
( 341 reviews )

BetterHelp Customer Reviews

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Therapist review
January 27, 2016

The therapist was fine, I just need someone closer to my age. She was 30, and I'm 59. I also need someone who understands our criminal injustice system, especially wrongful convictions, and the sex offender registry.

It wasn't her fault that she had no experience with this type of trauma.

An excellent alternative to traditional therapy/counseling
January 23, 2016

I have been trying to find a therapist with whom I was comfortable and that I could afford for years. I have insurance, but the people in my network that I have seen did not "click" with me. I've traveled as far as 50 miles away from home to try and see different people, and I just couldn't find a good fit. I started to think that the problem was me, and that I was unhelpable.

That is the worst possible feeling for someone already reaching out for help.

This service has provided me with exactly what I was unable to find "irl", a counselor who listens, is responsive, has the ability to actually appropriately respond to the things I am telling her, rather than just giving me a cookie cutter response, a one-size-fits-all.

Yes, there is a fee, but for less than it would cost me to see an out of network therapist once a week, I am able to write to my counselor at any time, and know that whatever I send her will be read thoroughly, and a conversation will continue. Even if I only spoke to my counselor once a week, it would still be a bargain over speaking to someone out of network, and the benefits outweigh the cost. I am able to write from anywhere I feel comfortable, there is not the feeling of being under close scrutiny within someone else's space.

And the best part is, if you get matched with someone you don't like, getting a new counselor is a button click away.

I was extremely skeptical of this service when I signed up for the free trial, but I'm glad that I did sign up, and I will continue to use it.

WHAT A CRAPPY SERIVICE
January 21, 2016
They bill you even though you emailed and cancelled your service and contacted them months ago then tell you "Oops, well you have to do it yourself, sorry we didn't tell you thanks for the money". AVOID THIS SERVICE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!

BetterHelp Team February 01, 2016

Hi Tom, Were you able to get this resolved? Could you tell us a little more about your experience by emailing [email protected]? Thanks.

BetterHelp Team

Erin February 12, 2016

This happened to me, i'm so frustrated and didn't need this extra stress added into my life. I was looking for help and feel I got scammed and taken advantage of.

I've been charged 2 months that I haven't used.... I canceled it too.

Lori February 25, 2016

I've been charged for 8 months!!! And I never even used the service once, not even the trial. I contacted them and they told me I had to go on their site and cancel!! I didn't even know a password because I haven't been on their site, ever. They told me once they did that they may be able to give me a "partial" credit!!! They have billed my Credit Card $1120.00!!! I didn't notice until the latest charge was declined by my card and I got a notice for my credit card. I'm not myself right now and haven't been paying attention to the details like I normally do. They totally prey on those in weak state of mind. I have requested a refund again and will update on what happens. It taught me a lesson to never, ever pull out my Credit Card until a service has been received!!!!

3rd Party Diagnoses?
January 15, 2016
I'm very concerned about the "help" being given. One of my friends started using it and the counselor said his partner had "textbook Narcissm". This is very weird because they never spoke to his partner. They based their analysis on what he had said. This caused a huge problem in their relationship when he told his partner what his "professional" had said. He was told his partner was the reason for his depression but he was depressed before they knew each other. This caused horrible fights and his partner became so distraught he tried to commit suicide. I seriously hope the therapists understand how extremely inappropriate that is and how damaging that kind of "therapy" can be. I hope the therapist can sleep at night knowing the damage they caused.

BetterHelp Team January 18, 2016

Hi Vivala,

Can you have the member email us at [email protected] to get this sorted out? Thanks!

BetterHelp Team

good
January 13, 2016

I liked this app. Like a lot of people its hard to sit face to face in a weird lit room, and try to dig up your problems and lay them out on the table. I like the fact that you can write whenever you want, you can rant, and vent and just let it all out and someone will reply. I got matched with a great lady and i talked to her for about 3 days. She replied fairly quickly and it was nice to have someone to talk to on the daily about my issues. Unfortunately i am only 20 and i don't make enough to pay there weekly fee. As soon as i do, i will sign up again.

For those who are complaining about being charged after the free week trial, you should fully read about something before you type your credit card information into it. The app states that you NEED to unsubscribe BEFORE the 7 days are up. If you do not unsubscribe your card will be charged. Stop getting angry at this company when its YOU who didn't read.

Scam
January 13, 2016
I signed up for this counseling app thinking that this could really help me. For some odd reason I'm not able to sign back in the website and have contacted them three times now about a refund and I have not got an response. I'm going to just dispute it with my credit card company.

BetterHelp Team January 18, 2016

Hi Bria,

Were you able to get a hold of the support team? Email us at [email protected]. We definitely don't want you paying for services you didn't receive.

BetterHelp Team

Arrogant and Condescending
January 12, 2016

My “counselor” wanted to cut and paste pages of canned "therapy" text in response to written questions via 3rd party email, and get paid for it.

Disingenuous at the least. More like inherently dishonest.

That any company, let alone a mental health “provider”, would facilitate such a scam is indicative of health care fraud perpetrated across America every day.

Great Counseling Bad Customer Service
January 4, 2016
I have been with BetterHelp since November. I was matched quickly and easily with a counselor and she has been great. I knew the site would be temporary for me as I was using it more as a stepping stone to actually getting a real therapist. The only issue I have had was when I went to unsubscribe from my account. Despite it being a holiday, the automatic subscription fee hit my account in the 1st of January. According to the billing schedule for my subscription, it wasn't supposed to hit until the 4th. I unsubscribed immediately and contacted the site via email, as that is the only option they give you online! I checked my bank account information again and there was a number listed to contact BetterHelp. The first lady I spoke with on the 1st seemed very understanding and told me someone would get back to me Monday. I had to call the number again today (Monday) because I had not received a phone call from an agent. The young man I spoke with today was indifferent and far from helpful, which considering this is a service for people with mental and emotional health concerns is very problematic. When I asked if there was a supervisor whom I could speak with, he told me no. As I was continuing to speak, he told me goodbye and hung up the phone, prompting me to call back again. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was informed that there were none available, they were all out for the day. What?!? What kind of company has no supervisor on the premises? They told me I could leave a message and they would mark it urgent, and that someone would get back to me. Eventually this all worked out, but I was concerned enough about the indifferent response via telephone from a "receptionist" and the seeming lack of managerial or supervisory positions that I decided to submit a review.

BetterHelp Team January 08, 2016

Hi C, Sorry for your experience with our receptionist. I can assure you that this is not the norm. Were you able to get everything worked out? Please let us know by emailing [email protected].

BetterHelp Team

Super happy so far
January 3, 2016
My counselor was matched with me immediately, responds quickly and thoroughly, she's helped me make great strides emotionally in 3 days. I will end up paying for this service because I'd like to invest in myself and my mental health in order to create a positive and happy future for myself and those I love. I couldn't be happier with this service and all its done for me so far. If you are thinking of signing up, I recommend it. The only thing I regret was hesitating.

5 stars!
December 26, 2015
I used their services about one year ago for a few months. It's a great resource and a wonderful additional option for accessing counseling. The counselor was professional and prompt. I was having financial difficulties and the people at betterhelp.com immediately offered me a short term discount in order to continue for a couple more weeks. Highly recommended. If you are suicidal go to a hospital. I'm very satisfied with my experience with this company.

Helpful for small, temporary crises
December 21, 2015

I found Better Help through an ad on Pinterest and decided to try it as I had been out of therapy for a while and was really looking to get back. I was matched with a counselor quickly and we began exchanging messages. I was able to get financial aid, which dropped the cost to $20 a week (much better than the $115 I was paying for my therapist before). My counselor responded in a fairly timely manner for my concerns, but I just didn't find it that helpful, unfortunately. At one point, she told me that I should see someone in person because my problems are too severe and I was getting fed up with the way she didn't seem to address any of my concerns as I got deeper into discussing my problems. When I mentioned not having the time or money, she suggested I try seeing a therapist in person and continue my online counseling concurrently, which I obviously couldn't afford.

Pros: I liked that I could put the service on hold and return later to my same counselor, with all of our messages saved.

My counselor was generally good at getting back to me within 24 hours.

Financial aid made it relatively inexpensive

Cons: if you have any serious mental health issues, this is not the platform for you. There's only so much you can accomplish through scattered messages over several days.

I would recommend this site for someone dealing with a temporary stressor that just needs to talk through some stuff with a professional. Not recommended for anyone with serious mental health conditions like chronic MDD or EDs, etc.

DEFINITELY A FRAUD
December 16, 2015

So, I suscribed to BetterHelp on November 21, and had no response until I wrote them complaining about not getting a counsellor 9 days later (I suscribed with the understanding of the one week trial), they asigned me a counsellor on December 8th (17 days after subscribing) apologizing and extending the trial one more week from that day, and today on December 16, after exchanging some messages with my counsellor for 8 days, I've been charged for USD 180!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm getting no response from them right now.. Has anyone had this problem? I don't know what to do I feel deceived

BetterHelp Team January 06, 2016

Hi EGU, Did you ever hear back from the support team? Please email [email protected] to resolve this issue.

BetterHelp Team

Kathryn January 12, 2016

I did that yesterday(emailed better help), after recieving a $190.00 bill after only using the free week trial. Now after not getting an email I called and a receptionist answered saying she can't do a single thing to provide me and info about my overcharge and insisted that even though it should only take one business day for responses to emails or calls that I should still be getting a call today about my concern yesterday with the overcharge. The only reason I used someone elses credit card is because I planned on unsubscribing before getting billed at all..which is what I did- and didn't have access to counselling services at all..got a few messages saying "do you want to rejoin after your free trial?" WELL HELL NO if a free trial is $190 ****ing dollars.. you people are dumb scam artists with nothing better to do but prey on sick people

Better help online counseling
December 9, 2015

I was very skeptical about betterhelp, it being an online therapy service, but I decided to give it a go. I opted for the free week long trial, and the next day I was matched with a councillor, Michael Castrilli. I received a message from him about 4 minutes later, which must have been an automated message. I replied within the hour and waited for a response, which did not come. This was on a Saturday. By Tuesday, I was concerned, so again I messaged him but again got no reply. In that time I also received an email from "noor", the community and support manager, who was asking me about my experience so far. I emailed back and got a response from "bonnie" a few hours later. Though the answers back seemed to miss a few points I made, responding in a way that was very generic, as if my email was not being read and understood properly, I at least got a response , and also an offer to extend my subscription by a week and advice to maybe change councilors, but by this time my skepticism had turned into distrust. This was my first experience with online counseling, and right off the bat, it was unreliable. The price was around $50 per week, which I could not justify paying as I gained no benefit whatsoever, only negatives. I should not have been in a position where I would have to give this service a second chance 4 days into my week trial. I am very dissatisfied with the service, but this is just my experience with betterhelp.

Peter

This service is a scam
December 8, 2015
I am outraged to be charged $246.96 by Betterhelp. I signed up to use a Betterhelp counsellor on the understanding that the first week was free of charge and charges would only apply after the first week. From 28 November 2015 to 2.12.15 (five days) I exchanged several emails with a Betterhelp counsellor assigned to me. I did not use the Betterhelp service after that time. This should not have incurred ANY fee, let alone a five week fee. When I contacted Betterhelp via email and their website, I had no response. This service is a scam.

EGU December 16, 2015

Did you get an answer?

BetterHelp Team January 05, 2016

Hi Kristin,

Has anyone from the team contacted you? Please email [email protected] regarding any billing issues.

BetterHelp Team

Kathryn January 12, 2016

I'm in the same situation. called them today, some dumb secretary told me they would call in a day. told her I emailed already yesterday,THEN she told me I should get a call today..WELL IF I'm TALKING TO YOU RIGHT NOW THEN GO GET SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME what a ridiculous scam it is too..taking advantage of those who are sick..everyone should be ashamed of themselves..losers

I was overcharged for an account I only used for one day and immediately unsubscribed from less then a week afterward. This is not even my credit card... junk butt jobless ****tards over at better help better get themselves some goddamn help from me

Very generic words of encouragement given only
December 6, 2015
Went to better help for some encouragement in moving forward with my life. Every time I would explain to the counselor what I was feeling or thinking I got a very canned generic response. "You deserve love" etc. She offered absolutely zero feedback in terms of what she felt was right or wrong, good or bad or otherwise. Then at the end she started generalizing and accusing me of expecting her to give answers to my problems when I mentioned how canned and generic the answers were. I never once asked what I should do or anything like that but basically if you're looking for exactly what you would get out of typing "encouraging phrases" into google, then you've got your answer here. Would NOT recommend!

Convenient and Helpful
November 25, 2015

I started using BetterHelp while traveling overseas. I was seeing a therapist before I left home and really missed it. I enjoy the convenience of being able to talk to some one at any time, I also enjoy writing out my feelings as opposed to communicating them out loud so I think it is a very good method for me.

Even though I am on a tight budget the cost really isn't that much when you consider how much it costs to see a therapist without insurance or even with a co-pay. There is also financial aid which can be applied for very easily. I have recommended it to friends who feel they are too busy to make appointments to talk to someone in person or don't have insurance which covers therapy.

Wonderful!
November 23, 2015

Not having insurance, I didn't know how I was going to manage to get the counseling I needed. I sure as heck couldn't afford $100-$200 per 50 minute hour with a face-to-face counselor; not to mention the fact that no one can get you in right away. Then I found BetterHelp. With a 7-day free trial, I figured I had nothing to lose.

I got matched with a counselor right away and she has been terrific. I've been working with her for a couple of months now. She really "listens" and provides great feedback and suggestions.

This version of counseling works great for me. I love that I can write to her whenever and as often as I feel I need to. It's easier for me to communicate in writing so I can organize my thoughts - there's less chance of getting sidetracked, like what seems to happen with in-person therapy.

The couple of times I've contacted customer service, they've been very helpful and quick to respond.

I would highly recommend BetterHelp and, in fact, have recommended it to several friends.

Prompt response and useful advises
November 18, 2015
Service is very friendly, quick, concise and realistic. Despite not being a face-to-face counselling process, you get the feeling that someone is actually listening to you and understanding your situation. Responses are very useful.

Seems like a scam to me
November 17, 2015

After reeling me in with a "free trial" week I decided what could it hurt- I was really needing a professional to talk to and it seemed simple enough. I signed up with my credit card info, but nothing else. There were no instructions or information on how the program actually worked. In less than a day's time I was contacted by one of the counsellors, who assured me she was here to help. From there, we had a lagging exchange of emails which were mostly her asking one liners "when was the last time you were in therapy?" Or even the more confusing and off-topic " I prefer to keep online conversations private."

Every email following her initial contact lagged further and further behind, and didn't really ever indicate anyone was actually on the other side reading what I wrote. I honestly wondered if it was a canned bot-response. I finally gave up and decided to cancel my subscription when I received an email from "Noor," asking me to report on how it was going so far as they were genuinely concerned. When I replied. I got an automated response--only adding fodder to my suspicion that they aren't really providing one-on-one counseling. In this time I had also received another email from my counsellor, ensuring that she was "taking the time to draft a thoughtful response." Well at this point I just felt like I was being played a fool, and that I would be strung along for as long as they could convince me that they were just gathering the right information and formulating a thoughtful response.

Aaron Minks November 21, 2015

I'm actually a counselor on BetterHelp. I don't work for them - I have my own practice as do all the therapists on the site. We subcontract with BetterHelp. I can assure you that your therapist was legit and licensed...unfortunately probably just not a very good one. I'm sorry you had that experience. Anyway, I just wanted to say that we are all real therapists.

Here is a link to my BetterHelp profile page: https://www.betterhelp.com/aaron-minks#testimonials

And to my website: www.revolutionarytherapist.com

So far so good.
November 12, 2015
I've only tried the service for a couple days but just knowing someone is there when I need them helps. I understand they have many clients but the couseler I am with has been pretty awesome with returning messages. She wants to know me and what I'm going through and I feel like she genuinely wants to help.