How have others found BetterHelp?

[magpiemagpuy]

I recently joined BetterHelp and started working with a therapist.

Four sessions in and I don't know if I'm convinced.

I wondered if other people are finding it more helpful than I am.

I gave specific details of issues I wanted to work on prior to being paired with a therapist but I find they don't particularly address anything.

We have phone sessions and I often get the sense they're doing other stuff while we're talking as it's a lot of "aha, hmmmm, yes" type responses.

Last week we had a really successful session and I felt we were finally starting to progress but this week they didn't pick up on anything we'd discussed and asked how my week was and focused on that. I tried to steer the conversation to what I want to work on but they don't seem to follow my lead.

Then there are comments about me having lots to work through etc. but no steps to actually do that.

Am I doing therapy wrong?!

I think better help is know for being poor. There's stuff in line about the massive data breach, the poor way they treat therapists, lack of qualifications and privacy issues.

So it wouldn't surprise me if itsthem not you. Sorry!

Oh wow, I did not know any of that!

Makes sense though - I was originally matched to a different therapist and we had one session before she contacted me and said she was leaving with immediate effect 😐

Sorry you're having this. I also had a very poor experience with BetterHelp - the therapist didn't seem very qualified, didn't really listen (I also suspected she was checking messages or whatever while I was speaking on the video call). I felt like I was guiding the sessions, and we seemed to spend as much time talking about her life and family as we did mine!

It was a waste of time and money tbh. I think the rates are so low good therapists just don't do it. You could try contacting a BACP therapist directly and see if they'd consider fortnightly sessions to make it more affordable.

I’m a therapist and wouldn’t touch better help with a barge pole. Friends I know who have worked for them have recently been contacted by Dispatches so watch this space for a expose coming soon!

Go to the BACP or UKCP websites and find someone there.

This is exactly the experience I'm having!

Having to lead the sessions, and I can hear stuff going on in the background, keyboard tapping and the phone ringing.

We had one completely wasted session after Christmas when I was told we couldn't discuss anything "heavy" because it's festive period.

My gut has been telling me something is off from the start

They want to match me with a therapist for my depression (which includes suicidal thoughts).

They are also trying to sell me life assurance by email.

Not a mix I like so I ignore now.

My therapist is brilliant. Very qualified, very attentive, remembers EVERYTHING.

I thought it was terrible.

Find a therapist local to you. Don't recommend BACP myself. There are so many people on there who have done a short course who should NOT be in private practice in my opinion. I've seen some absolutely terrible people.

Such a shame and it feels like a waste of money tbh. £240 a month to feel frustrated!

Better help is rubbish, getting ‘therapy’ from ChatGPT was better than better help therapists and it’s free!

Th therapist will be getting a tiny fraction of that. Look for a BACP or UKCP therapist. Betterhelp are awful.

I didn't have a great experience and felt like I'd been ripped off.

Well I'm going to go against the grain and say that DD2 used better help for around 6-9 months and found the whole,e experience extremely beneficial and positive for her. She was initially paired with a therapist who she didn't really 'bond' with so changed to another one. But I guess, at £180 per month, which is quite cheap for therapy, you'll always get mixed experiences.