Even before the pandemic, finding support for mental health conditions was already hard enough. In fact, a study by Mental Health America reveals the following grim statistics:
These statistics were based on a survey conducted pre-pandemic. Imagine how bad it is now, with WHO reporting a massive increase in anxiety and depression in the first year of COVID alone. Why was it so hard to get access to mental healthcare? If you live in a city, you might have access to several therapists, but how many of them accept insurance? If you live in a rural area, good luck finding one that specializes in your condition. If you do find one, chances are, they already have full caseloads and can no longer accept new patients. Or, you'll be added to an already long waitlist. So what do you do in the meantime?
Fortunately, the increased demand for health services paved the way for a new way of getting mental health support: online therapy.
Online therapy is a way of providing or receiving mental health services online via live chat, text messaging, voice, or video calls. Also called e-therapy, teletherapy, virtual therapy, e-counselling, or cyber-counselling, it aims to narrow the existing mental health treatment gap by making mental healthcare more accessible and affordable. Although online therapy is not recommended for severe psychiatric illnesses, it can be helpful with most other conditions. It can also be as powerful and transformative as the traditional face-to-face format. Still don't see it as a viable treatment option? Consider the following advantages:
Founded in 2013, BetterHelp is the biggest online counseling platform in the world today. It houses (virtually) over 30,000 licensed, accredited, and board-certified therapists and has facilitated over 5,000,000 online therapy sessions over chat, video calls, voice calls, and messages. It's located right smack in the middle of Silicon Valley, along with tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple. I guess you could say it's Google's equivalent in the world of online therapy.
When you subscribe to Betterhelp, you'll have access to a massive network of licensed and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), and board licensed professional counselors (LPC). The specializations and approaches are just as extensive. You'll find different types of therapy, including psychotherapy, CBT, couples therapy, gender-affirming therapy, borderline personality disorder therapy, existential therapy, addiction, career, trauma, and more.
Get Betterhelp - Take care of your mental health!
Finding a good online therapy platform can be very difficult, especially for someone who's already mentally overwhelmed. To help narrow down your choices, our team reviewed and tested the best providers in the industry. We've curated our top 10 list based on the following criteria:
Yes! Reputable online therapy platforms only work with mental health professionals and psychologists that have passed their rigorous screening process. All mental health practitioners are required to submit proof of identity and licensure information which the platform then cross-checks with the appropriate state licensing board. In addition, it is also a standard requirement for a therapist to have at least 3 years or 1,000 hours of hands-on experience in their respective fields.
Of course! You can change therapists as often as you like until you find one you vibe with or who better matches your needs. You won't even have to notify your current therapist. Most of the time, you can do this with just a few clicks on your dashboard, and the portal will notify your therapist about the change. That's it! No awkwardness or hurt feelings.
It can help with different types of mental health conditions, including but not limited to the following:
Most online therapy providers operate on a subscription model, meaning you pay a monthly fee to access their services. While some, like Cerebral and Talkspace, accept insurance and EAPs, many don't. You won't have to worry, though, as monthly subscriptions are often reasonably priced and comparable to most insurance plans' co-pays.