BetterHelp Reviews - See What Customers Are Saying

I came upon BetterHelp.

BetterHelp is about business. Clean and simple.

The client is not a priority. You are just pushed around and the counselors want to finish fast and do the minimum to get a good rating, while you want to be heard and your issues sorted.

Do NOT bother. Get a proper therapist who is well recommended by someone you know outside of BetterHelp.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I needed to find a way to speak regularly with a therapist as I have been dealing with a lot of depression lately. I enrolled in BetterHelp and used the little money I had saved for my health to do so.

After three weeks, I have had two counselors who were completely unresponsive to me. The first one never showed up for our Live Health session. And the second canceled only one hour before.

The company promises that you can have "unlimited" sessions, but this is a false claim because each counselor only makes available about one session per week, and then if you schedule them, they cancel on you (or just don't show up).

I don't normally write reviews, but this is serious. This company is taking advantage of people who need to talk to someone, and who need help. It's unusually cruel.

DON'T get caught in this trap like I was.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I joined BetterHelp hoping that the online interaction would be more comfortable, also because it is cheaper than conventional face to face.

I reached out to BetterHelp when I was in a tough spot, and needed some help to get things in order.

I had my first counselor for about a week. He barely communicated with me, explained nothing, showed no interest, and then forgot our scheduled appointment.

My second counselor communicated more over the second week, reviewed the process and then provided responses in a timely manner. Again, this counselor "forgot" our scheduled appointment.

I now am on my third week with BetterHelp, and I have not had a single one on one session with a counselor, even though I paid for a one on one session once a week.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Where I live, there were only like 10-12 counselors available. After ruling out the counselors who are specialized in areas I didn’t need, I ended up with only 3-4 counselors. The one I started with wasn’t the greatest fit. When I decided to switch to a different one, I found that the other few that matched what I needed had schedules that didn’t work for me. So I ended up canceling the service.

The concept sounds nice, but it isn’t realistic for all areas of the US. Might as well see some state provided assistance or use your insurance for less frequent sessions in person.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This website says that you can cancel your subscription yourself at any time by logging into your account. This is not true; you cannot cancel your subscription without asking your counselor about it. This is not disclosed prior to registration. Also, there is no information about refunds or a minimum number of months prior to registering, which is sketchy to me.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

BetterHelp is not upfront about their payment system. They will charge you $45 a week for the first few weeks, and then $25 a week afterward. They will also CONTINUE to charge you for SEVERAL weeks AFTER you cancel!

When you fill out the cancellation form, there is no confirmation that your subscription has been canceled. I filled out the cancellation form three times, but my therapist continued to send me automated messages checking in with me, which is what tipped me off that I was still being charged.

I reached out to their support team, and that was where I found out that I was still going to be charged for several more weeks after I canceled.

If you don't use the service for a week, you are going to be charged $45-$25 for a bunch of generic messages from your therapist.

I think that this system could work for people who want to have therapy sessions multiple times a week, if BetterHelp was a little more upfront about their system of taking payment.

Overall, I feel like I was scammed.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

In summary, the first therapist - selected by BetterHelp - was highly responsive, but only asked the standard "and how does that make you feel?," "What do you think you need to changes," "How do you think you should change how you interact with." It ended up being NINE pages when pasted into a word document and not one single suggestion. When asked about why we couldn't roll up our sleeves and tackle any single issue, she claimed that she didn't know enough about me. The nine pages represented no less than four full sessions with an in-person therapist. She finally agreed it was out of her scope and I should seek another therapist.

I gave the next therapist a summary. He promised to read it and get back to me in the morning. FIVE days later, no response. I sent him an urgent message asking when we could talk and also sent a note to customer service summarizing the issue so far with both therapists.

The therapist committed to responding the next morning (it was around 6 pm).

Support came back with the fact I had not responded to his last message (five-day delay), so it was on me. When provided a screenshot of the last two comments in the thread, they changed their tune, but what a terrible thing to initially say to the kinds of folks they have in their client base.

TWO full days later (48 hours), still no response.

I requested a full refund after the second day had elapsed. Waiting to see if it is, in fact, a complete refund.

Save your money and find another service.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I signed up with BetterHelp because there isn't a therapist for the expertise I need that took my insurance, had availability, could work within my time constraints, and was close to where I live. I thought I might have better luck online with a wider pool of therapist to choose from (I did not know that I can only be matched with a therapist in my state). The site claims that you will be matched with "over 2,000 therapists." However, when they limit it to the state you are in the number drops significantly.

Furthermore, this "policy" of only in state matching is not explained anywhere on their website. Apparently, it only exists in certain states or something, which makes it very confusing. Even their own therapist wasn't clear on the policy.

After several failed matches with therapists who didn't have the skills I need, one therapist suggested two others who had the expertise I required. One was in Canada and the other in Texas. It was recommended that I contact help and request one of them. But BetterHelp refused me to match me with either of the therapists that could help me just because they didn't live in my state. However, one of the therapist I was previously matched with was also outside my state, so it really didn't make sense. They definitely need to make this more clear on their website. I'm sure that I'm not the only one that believes that online therapy isn't or should not be limited by state borders.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I got rejected by the company and told to seek on person counseling, which I can't afford. The claims that they will help anyone are bull, and it took courage for me to even think about getting help. I was in a bad place and I'm glad that the rejection took 12 hours, because had it been immediate I would have been devastated.

I chose this as a convenient and more affordable solution, and was shot down.

Thanks for nothing and false promises.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

When I first started with BetterHelp, there was a huge problem. I was matched with a therapist, I wrote my first message, then I received an email claiming that some therapists were "concerned" about my responses and that I was not allowed to utilize their services anymore. Let me clarify, I was NOT suicidal, I was NOT a danger to myself nor others, and I simply wanted someone to help me through PTSD issues. I had paid $180 for the month, and it went through successfully.

When I responded, asking for clarification as to why I was being rejected, I received an email quoting their policies that stated they were allowed to reject help to anyone for any reason and a note about getting a refund. That was it. I was so deflated. I tried again a second time, and, same as the first, I was rejected. I had made sure my introductory message was very tame the second time around, nothing more than the ramblings of a desperate housewife, so I was even more confused as to why they were rejecting me! Again, they refused to give me a proper answer and refunded my $180. By this point, I was furious, and I left a scathing review on the counselor who reported me. I was ready to quit trying to get help from this site when something wonderful occurred!

The third time was a charm! I got matched with a counselor who could have been my soulmate. Her expertise matched my disease, her counseling style matched my schedule, and her words were laced with a lack of judgment and complete empathy towards me.

I went to purchase a month of therapy when I noticed an option for financial aid. Curious, I clicked and filled out a short survey. Within seconds, the price of counseling went down by 50% for the first two months! Excitedly, I took advantage of the offer, and no rejection letter!

We started out with a list of questions about where I was at in life, mentally, and physically. My counselor asked pages worth of questions, and I wrote back pages worth of answers. Unlike the previous two counselors that I had been matched with, this counselor had no intentions for live chats or video chats, which was perfect for me. The best part about BetterHelp is that you can switch counselors at any time and for any reason, so, if you don't match with someone's preferred style of counseling, if they don't respond as often as you'd like, or if they simply rub you the wrong way - one click, and they cycle in a new counselor. This, along with their financial aid option, is what puts BetterHelp on the top list of online counseling sites.

All in all, the verdict is: BetterHelp is like a luxurious country club. If you can afford the fee and get accepted in, it will be the best money you've ever spent. However, you CAN get rejected without reason, and the services are not free. Take the chance. The worst that can happen is that you're stuck where you started, so you honestly have nothing to lose, but you're temper.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I tried to get help with them for my severe anxiety. They offer a 7-day trial but as soon as I confirmed the counselor they chose, they immediately charged me $180. I disputed it, and they reversed the charge...and deleted my account.

I was less anxious before I even signed up.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

The worst customer service ever from some girl (or should I say bot?) named Allison. I emailed with a very simple concern regarding my account, and she sends the most boilerplate response back that had absolutely nothing to do with anything I emailed about. When I responded informing her that I didn't feel my question was appropriately answered, she sent back the SAME response with parts of it bolded now as if I was too dumb to read it the first time. She couldn't take just 30 seconds to type out a genuine response back?

I ended up just asking for a refund because I didn't want to deal with this, and her next email to me starts with "Thanks for contacting us. We'd be happy to help!" As if this is the first email she's sending to me. You couldn't take two seconds to at least remove that first line from your boilerplate response?

After a few more email exchanges, she continues to use these boilerplate responses, completely ignoring my request for a refund. It took me calling their hotline number and threatening to sue them to get my refund.

Advice to everyone else: Don't even bother emailing them trying to get support as they obviously do not care about their customers at all. I actually was excited to use BetterHelp and had no plans of canceling, but this experience completely turned me off to them.

My counseling experience, although short-lived, was just so-so, hence why I was reaching out to them. But who knows, other counselors on the platform may be better than the one I was assigned.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I hate this company even though they refunded me all my money. After being in "therapy" for a month, I got an automatic message saying I didn’t qualify for counseling via this media. My "therapist" wasn’t even kind enough to tell me this even though we spoke the night before.

I now use Talkspace, and though you don’t get as many frills as BetterHelp, they are compassionate and honest.

If you need help, you’d better run from BetterHelp. They are a rip-off, they charge you the first of each month but you can hardly get response thereafter. Not helpful at all.

I wish I could give no stars.

Heck no, I wouldn’t recommend to a friend or enemy.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I had a great therapist assigned to me. He was compassionate. Bright, caring, and helped a great deal. My problem was dealing with the BetterHelp staff. First, they will not speak to you on the phone. Then they refuse to furnish information necessary to get insurance claims paid. They did not have any problem taking over $1000 from me, but would not help in any way to get it reimbursed.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I used this online "therapy" over the summer when I was depressed and anxious. I tried to cancel but ran into problems. I used it for a month but got charged for three months and never refunded for the time I wasn't using it. It took me multiple attempts to cancel! The process wasn't straightforward. I just wanted out, and they wouldn't let me! When you have mental health issues, that is incredibly frustrating and difficult.

The counselor was horrible. She had little understanding of my situation and just kept giving me the same generic things like "grief cycle" stages. No coping mechanisms. She also forgot to reply several times. Never helped me and it probably made me worse because I was so frustrated about the whole ordeal on top of having a mental health issue! Plus, I ended up back in an emotionally abusive relationship, and my depression got SO much worse.

I am in real, face-to-face therapy with a therapist that listens and does research on my particular problems outside of my sessions and the cost is about the same. And I am improving day by day. Go to a REAL therapist!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have had about 6 or 7 counselors. The first one canceled an appointment 15 minutes before the start. I had canceled another appointment to keep this counseling appt. The second one LEFT during a live chat without telling me why. The other ones were just bad. The last one started out really good, but became unresponsive to my messages. The last message she sent me was mean. She said, "I'm not a mind reader, Nancy."

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I used BetterHelp for a few months. I felt my therapist was not professional and may not have even been qualified to be a counselor. The therapist talked about themselves quite a bit, accused me of lying to them very often, and was passive aggressive. They also diagnosed me with a disorder I definitely don't have. After I brought this to their attention, and asked them to work with me on my level, they basically said I was the one that was wrong. They again accused me of lying and being the thing that I am not. Then they contacted BetterHelp themselves and told them these things. BetterHelp then kicked me off the platform. I have had in-person therapy for years, and found it helpful. But, this was not even close to a professional therapy session. I would not recommend using this platform at all.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

After being connected with two counselors in a week, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. About as helpful as a question in a Facebook status.

As a single mom with no time, I thought this would be a great option. $150 is not cheap, and I'm demanding a refund.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I signed up for BetterHelp hoping to get in contact with a counselor. They give you a questionnaire with a few basic questions such as age, gender (with nonbinary option included), what type of counseling you're looking for (LGBT+ issues, family issues, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, etc.), and if you have a preference for male or female counselors. After you answer those, you are sent to an open chat with an automated message requesting you type out a more detailed description of what's wrong and based on that description they will match you with "one of their 2,000 professional counselors."

I wrote about six paragraphs detailing my situation, and about an hour later another automated message came up requesting I write more. I added another paragraph, and again, an hour later I got another automated message requesting more info, so I wrote again.

I didn't expect to get a quick response that day because it was the Fourth of July when I applied. But the next day much later I get an automated email stating this:

"Hello Kristin,

Unfortunately, based upon the answers that you provided when signing up, we have determined that online counseling may not be the best resource for you. This decision reflects the ethical recommendations of the major counseling associations.

Online counseling is still a fairly new approach and is not considered the most effective form of care for everyone. In order to ensure that you receive the most appropriate and effective care possible, you may consider scheduling an intake with a licensed counselor who can provide you with in-person counseling in your area. You can find many available counselors by clicking here."

Honestly, this was very upsetting as especially because how unclear it was as to why I wasn't accepted. You approach a company and ask for help, which is their job to help you, and they turn you away without even explaining why. Simply "Our higher-ups decided this isn't for you.

If you have any questions or if you need assistance please contact us at contact@BetterHelp.com."

Personally, I would've wanted an explanation as to why these higher-ups decided to refund me because I REALLY need help. Since they seemed open to questions I did email that contact email asking what brought them to this decision. I received an automated email stating they would get back to me within one business day.

Three business days later I still haven't heard from them. I'm very stressed out and disappointed in this company. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with actual problems.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Getting therapy is hard, period. Firstly, you need insurance. Your schedule needs to work. You have to wait several months to find a specialist, then you may find out you do not click with them.

I was needing a little help and due to schedule constraints, finding it was pretty much impossible. BetterHelp was my next best option. So I tried it for a couple of months. The therapist I was matched with was pretty good, and I enjoyed being able to write out my thoughts to gather myself. I felt really good about it for the first month.

The second month, I was finding this app to be a little bit of what I was afraid of happening. Firstly, the rate you needed to pay for the services kept increasing. Second, the nature of having an application like this means that you innately have less boundaries. I think if I was really in the midst of a crisis, this may have been beneficial. The constant ability to have contact with your counselor became more of an annoyance rather than a benefit.

If you really enjoy privacy like I do, this is actually not your best option. You have the privacy of being behind a screen, but you never really get left alone. Unlike talk therapy, you can't leave everything in the therapy room. You have to drop everything to be in therapy mode when your counselor messages you, no matter what you're doing--this became bothersome after awhile. I got to the point where I was dreading talking with the therapist because the contact was so frequent I really ran out of things I needed to talk about. For most people like myself, I would recommend this as a last resort.

The issue is that they actually have very good therapists and the idea is wonderful and well-intentioned. However, the nature of a counseling application really does not utilize these therapists in the most optimal way. Good in theory, but in practice, the application turns out to be intrusive, inconvenient, and cumbersome.

If you need an option and have exhausted yours, however, I would recommend this. I'm glad I tried it, but it's not for me. There are people who can switch gears easily, but for me, I was never in the mindset to do therapy if I was receiving messages from my therapist at random hours of the day.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I have never had the experience of a company turning away a payment made because they feel that I do not fit into their preferred customer. I had done the free trial with them and a few months before and things were great. I couldn't afford the price of full-time counseling, so I waited a few months to save some money and pay for a month to see if it helped. After all that, they sent the money back saying I am not going to benefit from online counseling. How do they know what I need? They haven't even let me share my story with a counselor just looked at my form and turned me away. Unbelievable. Don't waste your time with them.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I recently went through a family crisis and wanted someone who could give me an objective take on it. I contacted BetterHelp and they refused to deal with me. I replied to their email and asked why. I received an overly-polite response, suggesting I wasn't a good fit, and that I might check with a one-on-one in-person counselor who took Medicare. Because I didn't say anything unusual in my initial contact or follow-up, I can only assume BetterHelp practices age discrimination and that I have been a victim of it. All I can think to do is spread the word to others my age, to save them the insult and possible injury due to this ever-growing form of discrimination. I also called my daughter, a marriage and family counselor, so she can let her clients and colleagues know. It's sad that things like BetterHelp show up online, but I suppose the internet allows anyone to pull just about anything.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

So far this service is just great. I really love the ability to write what's on my mind at the time it's going on. I'm seeing a therapist every two weeks, but receiving feedback, even if it's hours later, is so much better than waiting for 14 days to talk to someone. By the time I get to my next appointment, I've forgotten about the episode, and the therapist tends to direct me in ways that are not addressing my most serious issues.

In just a few days on Betterhelp.com, I've been able to say more about the important issues that are impacting my life right now than I've been able to address in months of standard therapy. Maybe it's just me, but I feel more comfortable writing down what's going on in my head than I do talking about it. Also when I'm face to face I only have 50 minutes to accurately state what I want to address most and, like I say, the therapist often steers the conversation elsewhere. Whereas on Betterhelp.com I can take my time writing and editing what I have to say until I feel that my situation and feelings have been properly described. And it's also easier to describe a situation if I'm currently experiencing it than it is two weeks later.

I love this service. Thank you so much.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Initially, I thought BetterHelp was good. The counselor definitely was well trained, but they were new to the platform when I started and much more available. Quite quickly, we ran into technical issues and also the time to respond got longer, I felt they were not reading my messages very carefully, and it became hard to schedule sessions. The follow up was not good for the sessions. In the end, I discontinued as a deadline loomed for payment and the counselor did not reply. They then got in touch, I tried it again, and in the first session back together with my trust still a bit fragile, they decided online therapy was not correct for me. I found this to be a very unprofessional way to discontinue therapy.

I then signed out of the platform, but they would anyway have discontinued my account. I found this to be both unprofessional and unkind, allowing a person to open up and then be shut down and left alone. In addition, they promised unlimited contact, but in practice, it is quite limited.

I would say be very careful with this service, as it may not be a safe place for your inner work. I would recommend that the therapist take on less people, so they can be less stressed and have more time. Also, if for some reason the therapy is discontinued, that there is a personal follow up not just a termination of the contract.

I am ok, but it could leave someone in a very bad space, and I did feel a bit abandoned as I had opened up emotionally.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

They turned me away and closed my account after I spent money. I am waiting for a refund, but what kind of platform for therapy is going to turn away someone looking for help? Don't waste your time if you have a lot of issues; they won't help you and will instead make you feel like you are beyond help.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This company continued to bill me for service for a YEAR after canceling the subscription. The amount was $1,800. When I contacted them to reverse the charges, no one responded. Now I am having to use legal recourse to attempt to get our money back. Do NOT get involved!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I really detested the sales tactics used by this company. You aren't told BetterHelp does not accept insurance until after you sign up. Then you're bombarded with rude and disrespectful messages if you don't sign up. Their FAQs around insurance are discouraging people from checking to see whether they have existing coverage for treatment and instead use heavy-handed language to persuade you into thinking they are offering a great deal. Yuk, very tacky. I would expect a more honest approach from a company supposed to be assisting needy and vulnerable people.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend