therapist

mental health therapist

counselor

licensed clinical social worker

screener

BetterHelp

BetterHelp has a good concept and the ability to do so many great things but some of the policies are not member or provider focused. The focus is on subscriptions and keeping the members happy so that they continue their subscriptions for as long as possible. Members have the ability and are encouraged to start with a therapist and then switch to another one if they are unhappy with the one that they are working with. In this instance, therapists are, sometimes, afraid or unwilling to challenge negative behaviors for fear of that member switching to someone else and reducing their caseload to giving the therapist a negative review. Therapists are told that these reviews are for our information only and not used to determine the amount of new members assigned to you but that is absolutely not true. Therapists are told that the "BetterHelp Success Team" will not give clinical advice or direction and usually that is the case unless a member complains about "not feeling respected"; "not recommending their therapist to friends or family"; "knowledge and education of their therapist"; etc. The number of therapists has increased from 10,000 therapists to over 25,000 in the last 2 years with some therapists working 15+ hours per day in order to maximize their pay. When I started, I was told that therapists would not be paid for more than 45 hours per week but if you go to the "Forum", many therapists work many hours and see members every 45 minutes for monetary gain. There were a few times in the beginning that I worked more that 45 hours because the members went over or something came up and I was not paid for the time in excess of the 45 approved hours. BetterHelp could have been pioneers in the mental health field and revolutionary in the treatment of so many disorders but unfortunately, it seems like they have taken a path of thought that this is something "right now" and they should cash in before it ends. When I was there, I saw members from 25+ countries and 40+ States because the border issue was relaxed during the pandemic. Once the pandemic situation improved, as States and Countries were put back in place, the therapist essentially had to abandon their members because they were no longer allowed to legally provide services. In over 3 years with BetterHelp, I spoke to a human one time and that was to be critisized for "hurting a member's feelings" when the intent was for them to recognize a negative pattern of thought or behavior in order to help them; never to harm them. I was strongly encouraged to be more "sensitive to their struggle without challenging them". Most therapists believe that if negative behaviors are recognized then they must be addressed or we could actually cause more harm than good and one of the most basic tenants for therapists is to "do no harm". The concept of telehealth is awesome and it could lead so many people that suffer from mental health issues to seek services in the comfort of their own home and maintain compliance with sessions and participate in their own treatment and clinician. It is important to remember that therapy can sometimes be uncomfortable but if it always felt good then what would be the motivation for change. Therapy was not meant for the member to simply vent their frustrations on a weekly basis but to recognize issues, events, thoughts, or behaviors that have lead them to a place that is actively affecting them in daily life and to change it.

Since starting at BetterHelp in 2023, I have conducted a total of over 413 live sessions and have helped over 48 clients. My experience has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the platform, its operations, and the role of a counsellor within this innovative digital environment.
A Typical Day at Work: A typical day at BetterHelp involves reviewing client updates, responding to messages, and conducting scheduled live sessions. The platform allows for flexibility in managing my schedule, which is essential for balancing professional and personal responsibilities. I appreciate the ability to work from anywhere, as it enhances my ability to maintain a comfortable work-life balance.
What I Have Learned: Working at BetterHelp has significantly honed my counselling skills, especially in managing therapy sessions effectively online. I've learned various digital communication techniques that help in expressing empathy and understanding, despite the lack of physical presence. Additionally, navigating the platform's features and utilizing them to benefit my clients has been a crucial learning curve.
Management: The management team at BetterHelp has been supportive. They are responsive to inquiries and proactive in providing resources that aid in our professional development. However, I believe that more structured guidance on optimizing our profiles to better fit the platform’s algorithm would be beneficial for newer counsellors.
Workplace Culture: The virtual nature of BetterHelp creates a unique workplace culture. It emphasizes independence and self-motivation. While this can be empowering, it also requires a high degree of self-discipline. The community of counsellors, although virtual, is supportive and collaborative, often sharing tips and insights in our forums.
The Hardest Part of the Job: The most challenging aspect is managing the emotional intensity of online counselling without the immediate personal feedback that face-to-face interactions provide. Additionally, attracting and maintaining a larger client load is challenging without a deep understanding of the platform’s algorithm which influences client-counsellor matching.
The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job: The most enjoyable part is witnessing the tangible progress of my clients. Online counselling provides them with a level of comfort and accessibility that is not always possible with traditional therapy settings. This can lead to profound and meaningful change, which is incredibly rewarding.
Overall Experience: Overall, my experience at BetterHelp has been very positive. The flexibility and autonomy provided by the platform are balanced well with fair compensation and support from management. Moving forward, I aim to increase my client load and would appreciate more insights into effectively using the platform's algorithm to enhance my visibility and attractiveness to potential clients.
BetterHelp is a fantastic platform for counsellors looking to adapt to the evolving landscape of mental health services, offering both the chance to grow professionally and to make a significant impact in the lives of many who might not otherwise have access to therapy.


I have been with BH for 2 years and my experience has not been good! I was excited to start and was told that we would have total control over our therapy style. They give clients the opportunity to evaluate us regardless of how long we have or have not worked with the client. Since the beginning they have a “stats” report that only the therapist sees and we are told this is just for our info only. They tell us not to worry about low scores and they say it won’t be held against you. That is a lie! There are 6-7 questions that clients answer and each question is worth 5 points. Ex of question: “how likely would you recommend this therapist to friend or family?” Or “Does therapist respond timely?” They are questions that ALL CLIENTS get to answer, even if they never had one session. This may not be a huge deal if BH really only used this for our info only. But the scores do affect how many referrals you get. So like I said the questions are worth 5 points, every single question on my “stats” are 
4/5. Now they are listed as 4.5/5 or 4.1/5 or 4.3/5 To me I look at that and think 4/5 is above average. Well that is NOT how BH looks at it. When I started noticing I was not getting referrals I inquired about this. That is when I found out that they do use these “stats” to determine if you get referrals. I was told that my scores were below average. Let me remind you my lowest score is 4.1/5! Also on my “stats” page it says the following: 95% (of my clients) have reported therapy with me was helpful! They said they are comparing my scores to other therapists and that’s why they say I’m below average. Once again I remind you they tell us those scores are for our info only. It still says that on the website. I don’t like to be lied to or compared to other therapists when they are NOT equal comparisons. We all work with different types of clients, different ages, genders and different mental health diagnosis, etc. We all use different therapy approaches and different ways of communicating (video, phone, instant chat)! So
 judging therapists based only on the scores of “stats” is not a fair comparison, not even close! 

I know there are other companies out there that offer better salaries and other benefits. The only reason I have remained is bc of my clients. But I will be leaving within the month. I have 20 years of experience but I do know I am not perfect and there are always things I could work on to improve. But BH lied to us by saying these “stats” won’t hurt us. I am no longer receiving new clients and it is NOT bc I’m not open to, bc I am open. My profile says I am accepting new clients but none are coming my way. With so many people hurting out there due to Covid and the fact that BH is looking for new therapists, immediAtely, AND therapists are overwhelmed with referrals but I am open and waiting makes no sense! 

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to get the truth out there. I am sure I am not the only therapist who was lied to about the “stats” purpose! Also, the pay is very low! There are similar companies out there who pay double and even triple of what BH offers. I know this bc I have been interviewing with these other companies! 


PROS
The primary initial 'work' involved is to RECEIVE referrals. Therapists review all presenting concerns/intake information, and when client signs membership form online within the BH system, we are 'matched'/assigned to them; and can begin messaging to move forward. Clients can schedule their own appointments based on the schedule we post, and they can select messaging, phone or video appointments. I usually successfully encourage clients to move to phone from messaging. Messaging feels safer/more comfortable if anxious or new to therapy.  Forms and questionnaires are available, and we can upload our own. 

There is a large forum for support, feedback about clients' experience, and clinician consultation as needed. Administrators are very responsive to questions/concerns. Being all remote simplifies and we have no overhead with office space rentals etc. All of therapist client interactions are valued and accrue dollar amounts weekly, and distinctly add to weekly direct deposit earnings.  Referrals are varied, enlivening and a great challenge to our organization skills, along with drawing upon our adaptability with ranges in age range and clients' concerns. 

We are not 'alone' with clients who might be either violent, self-harming, or abusive; as there are tabs on our session pages to call for urgent help in such situations.   

I've really enjoyed the process and utilizing ALL of my skills with BetterHelp. Very pleasantly surprised!

CONS: 
The pay is "low" ($40 to $80/hour depending on number of sessions per week). However, considering that therapists have zero responsibility to gain referral sources/marketing/outreach etc, office rental or commuting expenses, I really appreciate this professional experience and income.

I'm assigned to all of California due to licensure, which thus far means that when I indicate my availability for new referrals, within the hour I begin needing to respond promptly to several (up to 10 within 2 hours at times). Reviewing LOTS of intake information, accepting or declining (extremely rare to decline), and messaging those matched to us requires readiness, a good template already-formulated to introduce ourselves, and mega-organizational skills. What a ride!

The hardest part for me has been sitting so much, and is reminiscent of COVID remote service days. That said, we can schedule whatever we need to accommodate needs for movement, meals etc :) One other factor that is more of a ‘nuisance’ is the MANY emails (other therapist may prefer the text setting) notifying us of client messaging, submission of worksheets and upcoming appointments. My inbox is replete with those, and there is no need for me to receive reminders of my schedule. 



If you can figure out how to increase income this can be a good place to work, maybe. The lack of clear transparency on how you are paid for messaging seems like a sham. In order to make a decent income you have to have a certain number of clients, who are able to switch by clicking a button if they don't like what you have to say, you are not compensated for no shows but the company is, this happens a lot and can mess up the small amount of pay you receive, especially if you work parttime. It is a huge waste of time and energy if you dont have a full time caseload. You will feel insulted by the pay. You have to have at a minimum of 50-60 clients in order to get reasonable pay and that is because of the no shows, people who don't respond and because they only pay for up to 45 mins for live sessions. The therapist on the forums are supportive. 

The referrals may stop coming all together one day and you have no idea why because they are constantly hiring therapist. This is a HUGE downside if you are relying on BH as the sole source of income, so please have a back up plan. This is a big complaint by therapist on the forum as well, there is never a good explanation as to why, it feels punitive when they stop coming and you get a cookie cutter response, when asked about it. They did away with the stats which are based on clients thoughts even if you don't have therapy with them, if you are not able to get them in when they want, you can get a bad stat, and this i believe impacts referrals. Also, if you don't respond to a new client within 24 hours you automatically get cutoff from getting new clients. You may see between 7-10 clients a day and still not get 5 hours worth of pay. It can be difficult to stop working at this company if you have a reasonable case load because of your commitment to the clients, however in the end when you compare the pay to how much interaction the clients get its pennies. Also, im not sure clients understand how much they would have to pay if they had to go to a therapist in private practice, for what therapist do on BH well exceeds what they would get in a private practice. 

I believe one day that they will be forced to change the way they deal with therapist and how the platform is solely designed for client service only,  lack of respect for clinicians and one person who works for the company was very clear on the forum that BH is always going to be customer focused no matter what feedback the therapist provide. 

Low pay and after awhile low referrals. Carrot in front of the horse to work hours so you will have no self-care time. If you don't have a lot of clients, you make a pittance, weird rate "scale". You don't get paid by the session like most jobs, you get paid by the hour and the sessions themselves are cut off for pay at 45 minutes despite the fact that you go over a lot if you pay for clients, literally giving away your time for free. Good for clients, great for Betterhelp as they don't pay, not so great for therapists who make about 22.50 an hour. You can make more working at Costco in retail without an MS and above degree. They have done away with bonuses that used to equal at least a couple of hundred dollars a month. They don't keep promises and over 5 years the company as far as being a therapist there has gone totally downhill to not have ANY good traits about it. The only positive thing is the clients. Any therapist that works there should really think about this pay as they can go to other companies and make three times as much a session, or even at the direct competitor, 64.00 an hour plus bonuses for productivity. For one company if the client no shows an appointment you collect half the money for that appointment and that is over 40.00. Betterhelp only pays for the first 10 minutes of time if the client cancels twice! Unbelievable! Why would you work for this company when competitors will treat you so much better and pay you more? The platform is okay, but when you work with other companies, they are okay too. You don't get much help when you ask for it from the "therapist success team", they just keep talking in circles giving you the same canned answers for the most part. Also, it feels like there is more micromanaging at this job then there used to be for less money and benefits. I am working at another company now and if you go on FB to the groups there, they discuss this, that have more respect for you as a professional, excellent customer service for therapists (you aren't all on your own and they help with clients), Betterhelp doesn't help you with situations regarding clients, there is no way to reach anyone for an emergency. It is just pretty much deficient in any way anymore, no reason to stay.  Other companies are so much better for clients and therapist that the contrast is very stark as of late to just how bad it is there.

I have been with BH a few months and there are definite pros and cons. 

Pros: 
Availability of clients - You could work all day, everyday if  you wanted. They have the clients.

Diversity of Clients- The clients are great. Really interesting and diverse people who are, almost always, fairly committed to treatment and actually show up. 

Flexibility- I do video and phone, very little messaging. If you don’t want to spend tons of time messaging with clients and being paid barely anything, you don’t have to unlike some other platforms. 

Cons:

Therapist support - there is no phone number to call them. You have to wait for them to respond to email. It took me weeks to get started because of technical issues. I had to track someone down by email multiple times to straighten it out. When I have an issue with a client, they sometimes take two days to respond. The clients are anonymous so if they say a questionable safety thing, it’s very difficult to do anything about it since there’s no emergency number. 

Pay- This is the biggest problem. Everything about BH is designed to make you take more clients. They increase the rates due to “high client demand”. The base rate is $30 per hour for your first 5 clients that week and then $35 for the next 5, and so on but then they will offer you more to reel you in to take more clients. They require you to have 10 open slots a week and that doesn’t count the clients you have scheduled. They say it will effect your ratings if you don’t keep 10 open. If I have 35 clients, how do I keep 10 more slots open at all times? I need 45 slots a week? I mean, what? How does this make sense? Sometimes clients can automatically match with you even if they aren’t a fit at all and you can’t unmatch with them. You have to ask them to unmatch you which is so awkward. Then you have clients who never respond on occasion and have apparently forgot they signed up. BH makes you reach out to them for weeks before they “snooze” them which is a waste of my time. I should be able to unmatch them. Also some clients choose to get matched before putting in payment info and when they do, they freak out about the cost and guess who’s getting the messages about that? You are. I got two messages last week from new members who matched with me and then were angry about the costs and canceled their membership. 

Overall, I won’t be long for this site but it’s working ok for me now. Since the pay is by the minute and not the session, you don’t make much. I use another platform where I get $60 a session. At BH, I’m lucky if I get $30 for 45 minutes. The messaging pays basically nothing. I don’t even notice the money I make from that. 

I've worked for BH since 2014. Originally I only worked a few hours a week, but now it has become my primary source of income.  BH works well for me because... I can work from home, my schedule is flexible, I can type really fast, I tend to be very verbose, and I am very picky about the type of client I am willing to work with. 

The low pay you hear about really depends on three things. If you have a larger caseload, there are bonuses and that effectively bumps up what the hourly pay works out to. Also, it depends on how efficient you are with your time. For example, if you go over 50 minutes during your sessions, you are not going to get paid for the extra time. If instead you use the 10 minutes before the next client to type 500 words you will be more satisfied with your pay. Finally, it depends on where you live. In my part of the country, the hourly rate is not bad for a licensed counselor when you look at commute times and the expectations of being in trainings and meetings that are not compensated for. 

I've read a lot of complaints about there not being a sense of community. That can be true of any private practice. There is a forum through BH that helps with this, but outside of that there is a Facebook group and in some states, therapists meet face to face. 

It is important to keep in mind that BH is a profit-oriented business that provides a platform. As a business they are not very therapeutic. They allow clients to switch counselors on a whim; they keep stats that worded in ways that can be hurtful to therapists; their standards of privacy are not what professionals in the field would hold to.  The professional who is going to be successful and fulfilled with BH is going to have to have firm professional boundaries, a passion for helping people, and the ability to engage and retain clients using the written word. A very careful reading of their policies both for therapists (the handbook and the contract) and clients is critical in formulating a concept of how to do online therapy. That concept of therapy needs to be spelled out within the informed consent so that your clients know what you are and are not able to provide. This dramatically reduces the ethical issues that often come up otherwise. 

Overall, I enjoy working there. It isn't perfect. There are certainly things I would change if I was in charge, but overall they had not a reasonably good job in providing a service that gets help to people who otherwise might not be helped.

I have worked now for Better Help for one month. Overall, I have enjoyed the experience thus far. The ability to be flexible with my caseload, the ability to not take new clients and the flexibility that I have in maintaining my own schedule is a huge plus. Also, clients who are assigned to me have the ability to journal and complete worksheets which further enhance the therapeutic process. As many mentioned, the compensation is not competitive and does not reflect the amount of work required. Yes the pay can be better but if you're doing this as a side job, then pay is not much of an issue. I just wish that they would either give bonuses, incentives or something to just show their appreciation. One of the new updates to the platform is the ratings or metrics of performance. I'm not for sure if clients are the only ones who have the ability to rate and thus it affects your performance metrics. However, I also find that these ratings can include clients that you have never worked with. One of my biggest issues with the platform is the emails in regards to responding to messages. Most of the time, I am responding timely to my messages from clients on a daily basis. However, I still get reminders to respond to messages that I have sent to clients. I find that this is not necessary to follow up on a message that I've sent to a client that requires no follow-up or additional response. There is somewhat of a pressure to work more than what you're paid or have time for. Most clients have an unusual expectation to message you throughout the day when you're not working throughout the day for Better Help. Additionally, the compensation for responding to messages is highly disadvantageous and if I can just be honest, an insult to the required amount of work necessary to respond. Now, working for this platform for about 13 to 14 hours a week is okay for me. The pay is obviously not great but I have a full-time job so it's more about just having the ability to practice and to keep my license. So overall, this is a great platform, yes it has its good and bad but overall it allows you the ability to practice, have an active client caseload and it takes care of all the other logistics.

What is the best part of working at the company?
5 years and counting!!!! 

The best part of being employed as a 1099 psychotherapist  is the flexibility, a user friendly platform, and the supportive staff.  With that said, it is similar to your own practice along  with referrals, colleague discussions and resources that are offered.  I also benefit from the partnerships such as working with Couples, Teens, and specialty clients.  There is a mutual respect between the staff and the therapist to allow growth and other perks. 

Aa a side note, during the interview process, I was given vignettes ( case studies) on how we would approach the challenges the client was facing from our therapeutic modality , administrating our expertise and how to build the rapport that is needed.  There were a few interviews before deciding.  I found that unique and beneficial to the hiring of qualified therapist.  I have 21 years experience and being so thorough allows for quality vs quantity to ensure professionalism and experienced therapist.  It was impressive. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of being an employee was not that stressful at all.  It was very manageable. The overscheduling could get out of hand.  My solution was to state in my introduction that I prefer to schedule rather than the client entering on my calendar.  I explain I have other private clients to attend to as well.  They were  more than respectful.  With that in mind, the time of the sessions, can be stressful at times.  But that is a boundary issue on my part. 
I at one time wanted to work more to gain benefits.  I am a therapist who knows their limitations.  Id rather take on fewer and be  affective and present rather than focus on the numbers .   
 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I work remotely so the environment is great.  In regards to the company, they respond quickly to any questions and are very generous should my client miss a week due to my absence.  The company is also very accommodating should the therapist need anything or have questions.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
My typical day is scheduled.  I am structured and plan my patients in advance. I sill always check in for changes or rescheduling needs.  I am a contract employee so I balance private clients with BetterHelp platform so all will go smoothly. I also read the FORUM to get announcements or clinical or referral needs from colleagues.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Therapist 3 salaries reported	$31.00 per hour
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Screener 8 salaries reported	$35.00 per hour

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