Difference between revisions of "BetterHelp"

Revision as of 18:20, 26 January 2023

BetterHelp *this is copy and pasted from my Google Docs draft* Background BetterHelp is an online therapy platform aimed at providing accessible, convenient counseling. It was founded in 2013 by Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier, and in 2015 was acquired by telehealth company Teladoc Heath, Inc. (*Explain Telehealth here*) BetterHelp functions as a platform through which clients and therapists can facilitate their communication using four different modalities: a chat feature, phone calls, video calls, and text messaging. The company is one of the largest telehealth online therapy providers, with over 23,000 licensed therapists and over 2.5 million users. Recently, however, it has been involved in various ethical debates after a series of scandals involving the quality of therapists provided and information-sharing with Facebook.

How It Works Sign Up Process To sign up for BetterHelp, users must go through a series of basic questions to match them to their ideal therapist. Users are asked to provide their gender, age, and general health information. Each question typically has many response options, at least one of which acting as an opt-out (such as “Other” or “I don’t know”). Questions get more personalized depending on a user’s answers. Some questions come with additional information to indicate why they are being asked. For example, one question is “How Would You Rate Your Current Physical Health?” Underneath is an information box that indicates a correlation between physical health and mental health. (screenshot) At the end of the questionnaire, users are asked to make an account, by providing a first name, email, and agreeing to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Afterward, users are given an open space to explain why they sought therapy with BetterHelp, and then a detailed explanation as to what happens next, including a FAQ section, financial options, insurance information, and a cost analysis. Lastly, to complete their account, users are asked to provide credit card information. There is also an option to click “I can’t afford therapy,” at which point users are directed to financial aid information.

Therapist-Matching The questionnaire required to complete in order to sign up for BetterHelp acts as a match-maker to a therapist. To begin, users choose from one of three options to indicate the type of therapy they’d like to receive: Individual, Couples, or Teen (the latter then gives the option to redirect to teencounseling.com *make this a section*). After answering more general questions, users are asked to answer questions about their mental health, to specify which areas of focus they’d like their therapist to specialize in. For example, if a user indicates their sexual orientation is something other than straight, they receive a question asking if they would like to work with a therapist who specializes in LGBTQ+ issues.

Therapists/Providers

Advertising

Scandals

Ethical Issues