Better Help is being EXPOSED again… it's BAD.

[@manomiejones6787]

As a licensed therapist my last two companies have warned us that Betterhelp is searching through the licensed therapist database by state and listing us when we don’t work for them. I also applied to another online therapy job under a different name and Betterhelp called me, they advertised under a fake name! They also don’t require documentation and rip therapists off with their pay. Plus therapists who are on demand by text messages can’t keep appropriate boundaries by licensing standards. Just FYI

[@AngelikaOles]

Omg that’s so awful!!

[@jenniferzimmerman8352]

These therapists who are having their likeness used. Need to file a class action lawsuit against them and have them shut down because they will be so broke

[@reaganquinley3507]

My mom is an LPC and works for AbleTo. It’s not related to better help and she controls her patient census

[@nameunknown1519]

I’ve come across them advertising to receive therapy under different names as well. A long time ago when they first started. You would start out on one website and then you would be redirected to better help. Or it would seem like you were looking through a directory of therapists then if you go to contact the therapist it was actually better help. I never signed up because even though I never been to therapy at the time, I thought it was problematic that I couldn’t choose my own therapist. But it was sure tempting as a broke college student.

[@kiamcintosh3296]

@@AngelikaOles o O😅

[@basil6060]

as someone who’s been in the mental health system all my life i’ve always thought betterhelp was predatory and had so many red flags 🙁

[@AngelikaOles]

It always looked so sus to me!

[@aposiopeza]

Ja samo cujem za utisak

[@MELLMAO]

@@aposiopeza O cemu ti pricas?

[@Souls-at-zer0]

Same! Them handing out medication without barley talking to you is GROSS.

[@aposiopeza]

@@MELLMAO iskreno ne znam bila sam naduvana

[@briannah2222]

Fun fact as someone training to become a licensed therapist, is that in most of the states in the US, it is illegal to even practice across state lines, making telehealth options like this very tricky

[@Deadpool4president]

I think that with BetterHelp the site paired people with a "professional" in their state. Also, technically you could practice across state lines if you were licensed in both states, you just couldn't provide therapy in states where you're not licensed. However, during the pandemic a bunch of states formed an interjurisdictional compact (PSYPACT) that gives psychologists permission to practice telehealth in compact states (not so much relevant as just interesting information)

[@olivia6203]

This is what caused me to cancel! I got creeped out that therapists from states across the country were “” helping “” me (none of them actually had any therapist skills it seemed)

[@juliafaye8764]

Yeah I tried better “help” for a day (got the ick quickly) and my “therapist” was from a different state across the US from me. So fishy

[@zzevonplant]

Yeah, I know someone that has a psychiatrist (or it's a ARNP or something?) prescribing his psych meds over the phone from another state. She doesn't do anything to help him with his mental health whatsoever, just asks how things are going, he says "fine," she calls in the script. That's about it. It's depressing how little some of these "professionals" even try. This same person has been to numerous actual therapists in person and they've all been so abysmally bad that he's given up on getting any real help. I am in the same boat, pretty much. And I went to school for this, so I've sort of been able to help myself, but I shouldn't have had to, honestly. And it's not really enough, though better than nothing. And I also gave up on moving on to getting licensed because of various problems in the therapy 'industry' right now that I just refuse to be a part of. It's really sad the direction the profession is going.

[@Bliss-l1t]

@@Deadpool4president That is not what happened for me. I got a person in Georgia even though I live in California due to me wanting to speak with a black queer woman apparently California doesn't have that. 🥺

[@bbibbibu]

it makes me so mad how many big youtubers knowingly and happily take betterhelp spons because therapy as a whole is kinda taboo here in korea so i saw my fav yters constantly have ads with them so i finally got a vpn and signed up for betterhelp and the person i had was soooo weird and fetishised me the whole time, only asked me about kpop and kdramas and asked me to teach her things in korean .. LIKE HELLO?? i literally paid for this bc i wanted to unalive myself and ur taking my money and wanting korean lessons and fetishising me and my entire country????

[@bbibbibu]

i got a refund after reporting it but the fact that that was even allowed to happen at all is so gross and concerning

[@AngelikaOles]

OMG I’m so sorry that happened to you!!

[@bbibbibu]

@@AngelikaOles was SO WEIRD i was already kinda nervous about my spoken english because i usually only type in english and don’t get the chance to speak often and then she was like “eeee ur english is so cute!!” as if i was five years old🧐 0/10 experience would not recommend

[@yeoisa]

that’s so disturbing i’m so sorry

[@claraaralc]

I tried it as well, about 3 years ago and the lady I had was in the US and 'diagnosed' me with bipolar by asking me questions from a binder at the start of our second(!) session, and basically said she couldn't help me unless I was medicated. The kicker: I definitely, 100% do not have bipolar disorder or anything like it!! It was all really strange and if I'd been less self-aware it would have done major damage...

[@_laurenolo_]

It's crazy that after so much has come out about Better Help over the years and continuining to this day, people STILL promote it to their audiences! Everytime I see it I'm like 👀👀👀. Funny you mention Mickey Atkins because I discovered her channel like 5 days ago and it was through her latest Better Help video.

[@AngelikaOles]

She’s so good!

[@missstargazer9174]

I was gonna comment im sure I’ve KZbinrs still promoting this and then I saw yours and thought thank god it’s not just me and I wasn’t wrong, it’s a lot of other drama channels or true crime channels I’ve seen have better help as a sponsor

[@OnlineDBTSkills]

Certainly not defending BH or those who promote them; I want to add that BH pays one of the highest rates for affiliate links. For further context, BH pays therapists $30-40 per session- so the only folks getting rich off BH are BH and influencers who can make an additional $10k+ with an affiliate code.

[@Jillberto]

@@missstargazer9174 I also thought maybe the influencers have like a long lasting contract? Like, they have to promote BH for, idk, 3 months or smth

[@AbsoluteLeeNot]

I actually had never heard of all of this BH shadiness until now, but it’s making me feel better about my ‘meh’ experience. In addition to them not taking insurance, the therapist I was set up with was…not so much a feminist, is all I’ll say. It made some conversations awkward. Also, I hate when therapists make you feel guilty when you try to end things. I’ve stayed with unhelpful therapists for longer than I should have because of that.

[@jenniferjj2155]

Omg, my Bettter Help experience... 1. I asked for a female Christian therapist. They assigned me a 60 yr old man who works with prison inmates. When I tried to re request a female, they said there were no females available??? 2. I finally found a female therapist who had like 10 degrees. She seemed very accomplished on paper. In my first video session she talked the majority of the time. When I did get to say a sentence like, "I'm struggling with being social," she would say canned answes like, "Believe in yourself! Love yourself!". She had no idea how to conduct a therapy session or how to behave 3. The absolute worst and most unforgivable thing though was that I discovered she was sending out generic automated responses/messages in the chat around 2am. I would write to her, "I'm struggling processing the death of a family member." 8 hrs later at 2am I get a message from her, "You can do it! I believe in you! You got this!" UM WHAT??? I canceled after that

[@Flameonoodle]

Im so sorry you had to go through that, but 2 and 3 made me laugh because the commercials on TV were esentially "Fighting against" that. Basically they were montages of stereotypical unsupportive family members saying those generic lines, ending by pretty much saying "It's time to get some REAL help. 😎😎😎 Start your free trial today!" Hypocrites lmao.

[@mariaescobar1359]

I felt a literal punch in my stomach when I saw podcasters and KZbinrs promoting Better help again. It's literally become a triggering thing for my anxiety. A few years ago I was going through one of my worst mental health crisis and I saw a Better help add and, as a broke college student, thought it could be a decent alternative. So I went in, signed in, got my appointment, and after telling the "therapist" everything that was going on, they basically told me that I couldn't be helped (I forgot the exact wording they used because of how traumatic it was). I understand that there are certain things that they probably can't and shouldn't deal with as online therapists, but telling someone on the verge of unaliving themselves that they're basically hopeless, is just another level of evil.

[@nikkismith2858]

They should have referred you to another organisation but that was incredibly irresponsible of them. They probably felt out of their depth- they couldn’t help you because they didn’t have the knowledge or experience you needed. The fault was them not you.

[@JasminMiettunen]

I'm so sorry that happened, but I'm so happy you got through that! Hope you’ve been able to find actual help. Everyone can always be helped, but not everyone can help you. That’s what that therapist should’ve said, “I can’t help you” and referred you to someone or somewhere else.

[@chiefpurrfect8389]

Holy shit. Glad you are still here with us.

[@Ojo10]

I'm so sorry that happened, what kind of therapist says that rather than, unfortunately this is not my area of expertise, let me help you find someone who does. I hope you are able to find someone who is well equipped to help you.

[@cassidyjeffery5888]

im so sorry. for what its worth, im glad that youre here today

[@japansace]

I alllllllmost tried Better Help earlier this year when I was having a very hard time finding a good therapist in my area, but I got skeevy vibes them right away and decided against it. Good thing too, because I stumbled upon a great therapist right after that, and yes, they're pricey, but I'm making so much progress on my mental health journey now. Don't give up! Invest in yourself! You're worth it!

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m so glad you found a good therapist!

[@japansace]

@@AngelikaOles Thanks 🥹🥹🥹

[@snowcloudd]

I tried betterhelp and their payment plans were very unclear. I wanted to get like a trial to see if i wanted to continue with it, and thought theyd charge monthly, but nope! I open my accound to see that a 900$ transaction has been made through my paypal and my heart literally dropped. I also asked for a refund after my therapist was unresposive for a 3 day period.

[@Duhgel]

@@snowcloudd Hope you got refuned, fuck this company sm

[@snowcloudd]

@@Duhgel I did, thank you. And yeah, they're horrible

[@anastasiabernevik1319]

I'm from Ukraine, and as there is war in my country, there was an option for Ukrainians to get free help from Better Help. To say it didn't help me is to say nothing. I tried for MONTH to seek help (sorry I wasn't in the budget to seek the paid one...) I'm grateful to the person who spent an hour with me, once a month, but it didn't help. As a girl from a video I had a lot of problems like loosing my home, my family, trying to start from scratch, constant feeling im in danger. And the thing is she told me "when our session is over, just try to think about it and then tell me what you think next session". If I could think of a solution myself, I wouldn't need you PS. This person advised me to call my dad and talk to them, knowing I was alone and didn't have any connections to my family since they were already under Russia. I told this at least every two sessions. And she was like "naaah, just call him and talk things out". Yeah, sounds nice

[@beewest5704]

In my country therapist 1st session is abt expectations so they know what their client wants to get from counseling & to make sure they are realistic. The therapist will not give you solutions to most of your problems they will guide you to get to your own solutions. Its helpful because when you get in crisis again you will have the tools to help yourself instead of just becoming dependable on your therapist. I know its frustrating. Hope you are well & safe. Going through a war is the worst.

[@itsmetorigladys]

dont listen to the other commenter ew im so sorry that was your experience. Personally i really hope you were/are able to have a better support system for yourself through these times 😢sending you love

[@itsmetorigladys]

@@phantomthiefalibaba4823 triggered by empathy is definitely a new one

[@EatinPaste]

I really hope that the people that were and are affected by Better Help's fuckery have gone on to keep trying to get help for themselves. That's the worst part to me, that this all has put people off of trying to help themselves.

[@AngelikaOles]

It’s awful that people are taking the step towards improvement but end up being pushed further into mental health issues by Better Help!

[@EatinPaste]

@@AngelikaOles Exactly!

[@zyanyaruelas6636]

I did my training in a program for sexual violence victims and many women had bad prior experiences with psychologists that revictimized them because they didn't have any gender perspective. While I was internally furious, I was happy they kept trying to heal and our program was amazing!

[@SubwayBrat]

@Needasnackk you're worth trying for, please don't stop looking for help (I'm also without a therapist so I understand it's difficult) but never give up on yourself ♥️♥️

[@aubreewithaextrae]

this whole situation has made me realize that mental illness is profitable now, it probably always has been but it's very prevalent now. it makes me really sad

[@funnybunny-hb8jk]

If a KZbin can promote it literally anything becomes a pricetag. It's so sad. People that actually need these services are vulnerable ,desperate and could be easily fooled while in a bad state of mind and these creator's promoting it do not give a single damn about thier followers by promoting this

[@amsicee]

Years ago I was tricked by my mother into moving to a foreign country where I was exploited for cheap labour. I was horribly depressed and all these KZbinrs I had respect for were pushing Better Help. Better Help took my money despite me filling out a preliminary questionnaire where I indicated I was considering unaliveing. Then they matched me with a therapist who said she wouldn't be able to help me. Then they refused to give me my money back. I get that in those fragile situations that online therapy isn't an option, but the fact is, they knew my mental state before they took payment information, and under the circumstances, they shouldn't have taken my money in the first place.

[@skyefirenails]

They should never have taken your money, and I'm so sorry that happened to you. Better Help is honestly just capitalism at its worst.

[@issamelissaaa]

Oh I am so sorry your mother did such a terrible thing to you, bless your heart being put through that, sending you ❤ 🙏♥

[@beanybabyrabie]

@@skyefirenails you’re completely willfully ignorant to capitalism as a whole.

[@vallarfaxgaming]

It's called suicide, ain't nobody for real saying unalive lmao You were suicidal not unalival

[@mjjgoblin]

My friend had a horrible experience with better help. The “therapist” told her she needed to stay in the line of work that she was in even though she hated it and was miserable. The “therapist” constantly made her feel guilty for wanting to quit something that was making her hate her life. Luckily she did not take that “therapists” advice and she quit her job and now she runs a business doing something she loves and is incredibly happy and successful. I went to college to be a therapist and not giving the client advice is actually one of the first things they teach you so I was shocked they were giving her advice, much less such horrible advice.

[@issiep327]

It’s honestly disgusting how they’re behaving. Seeking help for Mental health is already taboo and difficult enough without companies further adding to that stigma and preying on people just trying to get help

[@wesdavid207]

I have education in psychology and social work and extensive trauma work training, including training in DV, chemical dependence, and PTSD... The stories told by people about Betterhelp scare me. It's one thing to promote peer-support people that can help facilitate therapeutic processes but to not even train non-liscenced people they hired and to not vet practitioners well (it seems) is disastrous to clients.

[@emmyjulianne6850]

So crazy that in 2020 when I used this service and had the worst experience of my life with a mental health “provider,” I would make a comment on any creator’s video who was sponsored by them, then I would get an INFLUX of replies literally bullying me because “people can’t afford therapy” and “don’t you think they would vet their sponsors” “you’re so stupid, just because YOU had a bad experience doesn’t mean everyone else does or will” etc etc. and now look where we are (: funny thing is, the STUDENT DISCOUNT still costs almost $400 for 4 sessions.

[@jadeharley7190]

Girl that’s more expensive than my non BH therapy appointments

[@emmyjulianne6850]

@@jadeharley7190 I was honestly shocked. But when you’re in that space where you think you have no other option and they’re advertising it as “the most affordable option…” and you’re an 18 year old baby with no insurance you believe them…it’s crooked in my opinion

[@jaqsre]

idk why ppl still work with them because they’ve already been exposed for bad and overpriced practices 🤷🏻

[@AngelikaOles]

Exactly!! I wouldn’t take the risk

[@Leaf219]

Because lot people don't have good access to therapist so they go to help them for that not the money. You meant to care for people not just the money

[@lucybird4116]

i got really lucky and have a great betterhelp therapist ive been seeing her nearly a year after a really really bad experience with the nhs but this makes me so sad bc affordable mental health services are so needed and everyone deserves a good therapist

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m glad your one turned out good!

[@hellothereangelface]

Mine turned out good as well… she’s extremely knowledgeable and helpful… I wish there was more info about this bc how alleged is it?

[@xmiaq]

Same! My therapist is lovely and has helped me a lot.

[@JessicaPradoHanson]

I did too and I am wondering why some of us are fine and others are not. Is there a pattern? I live with my parents now in a nicer neighborhood and I am wondering if that is it. When I was homeless would I have gotten a worse therapist like I found out happens in other medical care systems? When I grew up a millionaire it is WILD how differently I was treated and that makes me wonder if they pair richer people with better therapists because they tend to have more influence? Like the rich youtubers have better experiences…. Anyone else wondering?

[@d3lllt]

I had the most amazing therapist on there. I chose a more mature woman because I was looking for someone with female life experience and perspective. She is so sweet and thought me soooo much about myself. I also love the assignments she shares with me. I video call a week I definitely looked forward to. I’ve been to therapists before in real life and the sucked! I think it’s about finding the right match also.

[@daniellemeese1122]

Dear lord, I’m shocked hearing this. My experience with better help wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t terrible. I just thought my therapist told me about his problems too much lol. He was definitely a legit therapist that I could see being a decent one to some people, just not for me. But this is horrible. I would never recommend them to someone again

[@mihan5655]

Around maybe 4/5 years ago i tried better help and the questionnaire reflected pretty common depression and anxiety symtoms, yet the next day I got an email detailing how the service they provide doesn't deal with 'such serious' problems and they adviced I find another therapy source. Finding out other people's experiences with the service upsets me obviously but also makes me glad I was never able to get onto actually paying for it all.

[@thegray5730]

Better Help, Established Titles, Kamikoto Knives, anything Logan Paul....ALL scams.

[@AngelikaOles]

Sucks how many scammy brands are sponsoring KZbinrs these days!

[@s123-s6q]

I don’t think I ever heard of a good review of better help that wasn’t sponsored

[@AngelikaOles]

Same!! So weird

[@nadiazayman779]

Several people in this thread said they felt helped and supported. There are good, indifferent, and terrible therapists both on Betterhelp and in the world.

[@grandpafranndpa]

I had such high hopes for betterhelp but literally my first video chat, my therapist said “wow, finally i get a cute patient.” i closed my laptop and reported him from my phone. doubt they ever did anything about it.

[@JennySieck]

Geez. That's so bad. So sorry that happened.

[@jberndt88]

They won’t do anything. If you speak up too much about it they will send you a cease and desist letter. My therapist told me “I wasn’t a real man”. Compared me to her ex husband and I was constantly setting boundaries with her. Then she tried to play victim like I was stalking her. Yet if I didn’t message her back within 20 minutes she would get angry and say I wasn’t worth her time. Then I just deleted the app. Got an email a few days later from Better Help after I complained that I was removed from the app for harassment.

[@jberndt88]

Not to mention my replies to her where two sentences and hers where 5-20 paragraphs. I was too scared to report her to the state board after getting a cease and desist letter in the mail for leaving a bad review.

[@grandpafranndpa]

@@jberndt88 that’s horrible. i hope you’ve found a better therapist, if that’s something you were still looking for. i’m sorry that happened to you

[@bookishvlogs3102]

I have had successful online therapy experiences with other companies! I hope better help being gross doesn't put a bad name on all virtual therapy options that can be way more accessible for people with busy schedules. I hear their ads on podcasts all the time I am shocked I hadn't heard about this before, thank you for spreading awareness!

[@bookishvlogs3102]

As a minor my family and I used Teen Counseling and more recently I have used Talkspace if folks are looking for alternatives

[@brendaleelydon]

Just be careful, cuz a therapist in these comments says they applied to a different online therapy provider's job listing, but it was Better Help that contacted her in return! So it seems BH might be running the same business under different names...

[@SteenaSteenerson]

My therapist does telehealth and it's really nice to not have to go to an office especially because I have to use public transportation she's not through any of these companies she has her own practice and my friend referred me but if I hadn't found her I was thinking about trying one

[@amandamandamands]

@@brendaleelydon BetterHelp is owned by Teladoc Health and they own a few other telehealth practices (have acquired them over the years)

[@sarahg2653]

If I may pry, which telehealth services did you find success with?

[@skycarson1987]

I actually tried Betterhelp unaware of the scandals at the time since I wasn't a big social media user. That said, when I spoke to my therapist she actually did right by me. "I think you would be better served by someone else, and I would suggest a local therapist with a presence in your community. If you would like, I can assist you in your search." - after seeing all these horror stories, I feel very lucky I was matched with someone who had genuine compassion and empathy.

[@chibichiquita]

I tried Better Help a few years ago at 22 and after sharing my behavioral and emotional struggles, she told me ¨Why not make better decisions instead of making excuses.¨ Just deleted the app after that. Was too immature to even know what to do.. I was just confused and felt even more like crap. I probably just cried >.< I told one of my coworkers later about the experience and she told me, "That sounds more like a physical trainer not a therapist!" So true... so glad I even came across this vid! I didn't have a good feeling about them & am glad to see people are calling them out.

[@chibichiquita]

Worst part is how I believed her too! I thought like, "wow are my struggles just invalid/dumb?" But no, I later got diagnosed with severe PTSD, and Anxiety Disorder and realized a lot more about my struggles recently, no thanks to Better Help.

[@cali908]

better help always felt like it was wrong. like i couldn't imagine an actually licensed therapist going on an app. idk

[@AngelikaOles]

Same!

[@Xxmellyzxx]

I feel bad that some influencers don’t do research when promoting and they unintentionally don’t know the bad things. I signed up once then I deleted it cuz I didn’t have enough money that time

[@melissamoonchild9216]

its their responsibility to do the research if they are profitting from it

[@elliot__agares]

Is their responsibility to do research, specially with better help since it's so easy to find things about it

[@Ashter9]

I used better help before it got so big & the “therapist” would take so long to respond, I would wait a day. They were no help at all & it was during a time when my depression was bad so I needed anything at that time.

[@AngelikaOles]

That sucks because they make it sound like the responses will be almost instant!

[@Vicky-vh5tj]

This is honestly such a shock to me. I used better help over the summer and my therapist, Corey, was an actual gem!! She has all her experience listed in her description and I have no doubts about her qualifications whatsoever. I feel so lucky now that I got her and not someone that these poor people got. About the money, it was £250 a month which to me is super expensive, but it was worth it because I could message her whenever I needed to and I got an hour of video call every week. I think it works out to about £56 per week??

[@AngelikaOles]

Omg i’m so glad 🥺

[@typewriternoise]

Honestly, this makes me so grateful for my parents for researching and paying the money to get me properly diagnosed by a psychiatrist, put on anxiety meds that work for me, and finding me a licensed therapist in high school. Because now that I am out of college and on my own, it's so expensive and only going up in prices, which gives sketchy sites like Better Help customers cause there is such a mental health crisis as well as a cost-of-living crisis. Which makes therapy costs next to impossible.

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m so glad your parents took it seriously!

[@renee5930]

i remember back when i was a teenager and i liked pewdiepie, he made a video about why betterhelp is scammy and it was the first time i had heard anyone question it

[@bellaaa7020]

They wouldn’t let me cancel my membership and after I finally canceled it and they still charged me five times. (I paid $180 for 4 30 minute sessions) My therapist helped a bit but would make me take these online quizzes to determine if I had bipolar and then when I scored basically 100% she never talked about it again. If you’re going to go to therapy, I wouldn’t use better help. Maybe if your bored and wanna pay to talk to someone but that’s it.

[@GhostCookies48]

reminds me of school therapists, i was given one who blamed my autism on me being vaccinated. wanted to call in my teachers because of it, yet ignored everything I said about the actual abuse I faced. she also yelled at me when I said I felt like a replacement because I was named after the baby my mum lost.

[@cailinanne]

Well this is all horrible. I’m so sorry that happened at a school :,(

[@AngelikaOles]

Omg that’s so awful!

[@fionastakelum2283]

this is awful. I’m neurodivergent as well and I received no support from my school and was blamed for all my problems (with subjects, bullying, classmates) and they refused to help me when I asked. schools need to do better

[@angelab.6444]

I had a bad experience with a school therapist too. Sending you positive energy!

[@borzboi7216]

I had a school therapist tell me that I should pray for forgiveness (this was not a religious school) that the man who SA me wasn't in the wrong that i was being dramatic. Then that my gender issues were because of the "bad experience" Bro

[@kayleighrowell3218]

I currently use BetterHelp and I'm just so grateful I found a good therapist. It hurts my heart to see so many people being harmed by this company.

[@OfMiceAndDestiny]

Same. I'm so greatful I found an awesome therapist on there but I did have a flakey one before I found her. She wasn't awful, just never showed up. But I hope their experiences don't put then off from getting help as a whole. These stories make me sad because I know in their shoes it would have taken me years to try again. But in person also isn't always better. I actually have a lot of trauma from a therapist I saw as a teenager and it put me off from trying again till this past year and I'm almost 30. So I guess there are always risks.

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m so happy you did!

[@kayleighrowell3218]

@@OfMiceAndDestiny I understand that! The first therapist I had told me I did not have depression and convinced me it was just hormones...

[@tearfilledskies381]

@@kayleighrowell3218 my first therapist told me i didn’t have anxiety, i was just excited?! This wasn’t on betterhelp tho

[@mackenzie1845]

the sad thing is, even low cost counseling clinics that are in person can suck pretty bad too 😕😕 i had a bad experience with one living in the US, specifically Texas at the time. it was a Christian run company and my therapist seemed very underqualified. she made me take the Myers-Briggs exam & told me all my problems were because i'm an introvert (i have social anxiety, theres a big difference lmao). & I know this is stupid but I was a really big One Direction fan at the time and she literally made fun of me for it... i was 14 like?? anyways, just goes to show how horrible the low cost options are for mental healthcare, even aside from Better Help.

[@AngelikaOles]

100% agree!

[@JasminMiettunen]

Honestly, I think the whole introvert extrovert thing should be thrown in the trash, everyone thinks they mean different things and instead of being clarifying, you just have to explain more like “if you mean behaviour I'm social and like socialising with people but if you mean where I get my energy I need some alone time to recharge but that could just be my social anxiety making socialising more exhausting so maybe I'm an extrovert with anxiety or you could say I'm an ambivert but also everyone has some of these traits” like???

[@x.night.sage.x3470]

I definitely got lucky with my experience. The therapist I was matched with was an actual therapist! She was a lovely woman and extremely professional. It makes me sad to hear all of this though as I’ve recommended the site to others based on my own good experience. I hope they can hire more people with actual experience to help others.

[@mateolopez9172]

Wow I never knew about this, this is very interesting but also very sad. They seem to not care at all about people's REAL mental health issues, the "therapists" could've caused even more issues that patients might have had to deal with. 😓 feel so bad for those people, hope they're doing better now

[@LouisaWatt]

Yikes. I’m studying psychology at the moment (hopefully graduating in 6 months) and I have c-PTSD which is incredibly inhibiting for therapy. I went to a licensed therapist a few years ago and was re-traumatised by the experience because she didn’t listen to a word I said and kept insisting that I had anxiety because I was irrational (CBT when applied to trauma victims can end up becoming gaslighting). After 10 sessions I finally worked up the courage to say that I had been SA’d by my ex-husband for 3 years but we only had 2 Medicare sessions left. A year later I found a proper trauma therapist. My point is that even a license isn’t a guarantee that the counsellor knows how to deal with c-PTSD and won’t cause harm. It sucks to say, but you have to find someone who specialises.

[@cutekathren2519]

I’ve always thought better help was suspicious

[@AngelikaOles]

Same! Couldn’t put my finger on it…

[@b_r_a_n]

100% same when everyone was promoting it

[@seonsunnysunshine]

If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

[@weeblife8657]

I talked to a therapist friend and apparently Better Help is well-known within the therapy world as a terrible thing. And then saw a well-liked and respected teenager-focused therapist on Tik Tok promote it multiple times. And when I saw that, it honestly just felt upsetting because as a therapist, getting money should not be at the expense of potentially vulnerable people that are going to get hurt further. And that is honestly absolutely terrifying. I can somewhat give a pass to others, but when you are licensed and people trust you that you would only have their best interest when it comes to mental health? You honestly are just a terrible person at that point.

[@mbm432]

I had no idea even from the beginning! I met my now therapist on there and last year she moved over to Headway and asked if I wanted to move and since she’s been so great I obviously moved. But she was the second professional I got matched with so I got lucky

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m so glad you had a good experience!

[@kloveandpeace8290]

These stories dishearten me. Many people dont seek help. It is totally overwhelming. (In therapy for years) Please dont give up. It may take several visits but keep reaching out. A good therapist is incredible. But to get to that sunny spot, you may go through several storms. Dont give up!!

[@kotakotakota23]

I tried BetterHelp. I was matched with a therapist who was supposed to be specializing in social anxiety, which was my main issue at the time. Obviously, it took A LOT for me to even try this because I have anxiety taking to people (literally the definition of social anxiety lol). I opened up about so many things and shared traumas and all this lady kept saying was “oh, that’s interesting. Have you been drinking enough water?” “I bet if you got more sleep that wouldn’t bother you.” Like… I understand that taking care of myself is good, but I don’t think hydration is going to process the trauma for me lol. I gave up pretty quickly when I realized she was never really responding to what I said, but just giving me canned advice about being healthy lol

[@sunnysday59]

I'm really glad you and other drama channels are calling this out so people are warned about this sort of thing. Imagine being so evil you find ways to cash in on people's trauma and mental health struggles. It also might help channels that weren't aware of shady practices so that will hopefully steer them away from promoting this bunch of greedy predators. Allegedly, of course. :) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Angelika, thank you so much for keeping me company with your great content.

[@MELLMAO]

There are so many very big youtubers who still promote them to this day, even after all of this came out. I know it's hard to vet every single sponsor, it's unreasonable to expect them catching it all the time in timely manner, so we should bring as much attention to cases like these as possible

[@amylouise3092]

I had a therapist from BetterHelp from a free trial (I never paid for any of it fair enough), and she didn’t even help me just made me feel very invalid, she was alright in responding to messages. She would specifically only talk about the fact that I’m comparing myself to my friends and where they are in their life. My parents have both died and I wanted to understand how I could deal with my grief better. The fact I compare myself to my friends and people I know was something I COULD get through myself, you know?

[@Jeremy-wp4yh]

I've used betterhelp before. But since I signed up with one of the 'advertised' therapists, I never got a response back. But based on these stories I guess that is what forces you to switch to a different therapist. If you don't switch, it's simply radiosilence.

[@justingraves8649]

They sent a cease and desist to a licensed therapist youtuber. She was forced to takedown a vid criticizing BetterHelp🤦🏼‍♂

[@AngelikaOles]

Yepp Mickey Atkins - I mentioned her a few mins into the video!

[@sixwilldo6865]

This is timely and you're the first YT creator I've seen addressing better help! I'm broke in the states and was considering the service because several podcasts do push it. I don't tiktok, I wouldn't have any idea how shifty the company is.

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m glad I could let you know!

[@amandamandamands]

If you want more info Mickey Atkins has a couple of videos that she has done since the privated one - she is extremely careful in her wording of allegedly etc

[@sixwilldo6865]

@@amandamandamands Thank you! I lucked out by finding out beforehand. I will totally check out her videos!

[@annakiss1066]

it’s so weird that so many people still promote better help, like just the website alone is so suspicious

[@celestestone9181]

I just ended my better help subscription after a year and a half. My therapist was a really good person and I loved talking to her but it didn’t seem like we built on anything or actually tackled anything. I had such a problem with the ethics of the company and did want out as soon as I heard about their privacy sketchiness.

[@haven_unfound]

I thought that I would chime in on this since my experiences w/ BH haven’t been entirely awful. It did take me a couple of changes between therapists before I finally found one that I clicked with and to be honest, she was a bit of a life saver. She never talked a whole lot during our sessions b/c she could tell I had a lot to get off my chest. It was a huge help for me as I lived in a small town in southern Missouri and had very little access to mental health workers. BH’s prices were much more affordable than any of the therapists and counselors that I did have access to. My therapist helped me to build my confidence as well as helped me to gain the courage to leave the fundamentalist doomsday cult that I had been raised in my entire life.

[@bakalaurel]

I had a similar experience to the people you featured in this video. Also it cost the same amount that normal therapy appointments would cost for me, but with fewer perks because it was just a few texts per week. It made me really scared to go back to therapy but thankfully I have a REAL therapist now who I see for a full hour every week. BetterHelp is super predatory and really takes advantage of people with social anxiety or less access to mental health services and I loathe them

[@brianamaddox]

Signed up for Better Help after going to a shitty therapist that work covered (it was supposed to be 10 free sessions, but the therapist started charging $200 a session after our first 3 sessions & her continuously derailing each session to talk about her beach vacations when I wanted to talk about family issues, grief, generalized anxiety disorder, & a bunch of other stuff). Glad I canceled my Better Help account & got a refund bc I never heard of them until this year. Cheap/free therapy is now a red flag for me

[@kxngNaki1252immortalsoul]

My therapist also would derail the conversation to talk about politics. Talk about incredibly unprofessional

[@danielleann710]

I used better help one time, it was to discuss my raging Ed, depression & adhd management. The therapist was allegedly a specialist in all of those topics & yet went on a detailed tangent about how the reason I had an ED and depression was simply my experience of rejection sensitive dysphoria from the adhd basically making my brain think we had those things. I was diagnosed (by a longtime psychiatrist) with the depression & ED prior to ever being tested for adhd. He was so harsh and refused to listen to me despite me repeatedly saying I was very self-aware and really needed help reflecting and talking through the issues, not just asserting that I only had adhd and was basically exaggerating my other disorders. It was wild. I never went back. Not nearly as bad as others I’m glad, but I already had experience therapeutic abuse as a child so I just don’t trust therapists.

[@stripesandsparkels]

I used it for a couple months when I was having a hard time and the lady was alright. But would only do texts, and I’d get max two texts out of her a day. She never answered all my questions in detail or some at all. She helped with a couple things but after I got it together (enough lol) over time I just thought you know what it’s not worth it

[@laylagrace5398]

I tried better health about a year ago. I was at my lowest point trying my hardest to push through. One issue that I was explaining to my “therapist” is how I do everything for my family but am feeling really low and unfulfilled. The therapist told me “you do for others and now have nothing to show for it. All these years and nothing.” Now keep in mind I’m in a dark place. Like WTH she made everything worse. She gave the worse advice. She would say things that I knew would tear my husband and I apart, and things that made no sense when I have children to care for. It’s like she wanted me to forget about my children. Crazy, Idk about the therapists on there.

[@AngelikaOles]

That is not how anyone should approach a patient omg 😭

[@annadough5309]

this video reminded me of a 'therapist' i saw on there when i was 15. she straight up didn't show for one of our meetings with no warning, regularly talked about herself and her own personal life, and one time gave me "homework" to consider things from my sexual assaulter's point of view and mitigated the event. she was the first person i told about this happening and after that, i didn't open up about my sexual assault to ANYONE until two years later. i also haven't returned to therapy since. better help needs to regulate their professionals better.

[@Pesciolotto]

wow i haven't watched your videos in over a year, i wish you all the best for 2023! + you look stunning!!

[@aljade9545]

i think BH is extremely inconsistent- its like they will gladly hire under qualified people + provide bottom of the barrel services (text only, stuff outlined in this video around the 7 minute mark), and then also hire people who are certainly qualified but are overworked and cannot provide adequate service. for example i had a therapist in 2020. they were a psych ward overseer at a hospital. not only this but cancelled on me several times in the 6 months i was seeing them due to the cancer battle they were going through. also this was kind of off but i expressed my concerns of maybe having an ED to which i was completely written off and told i didnt have that because "ive had that and you dont have it". they were extremely good at their job but those were my concerns.

[@localjoke_]

You really knocked this one out of the park! I'm so glad you boosted these victims' stories. I can't even decide which of these situations were the "worst" because I was gobsmacked by them all. Thank you queen

[@naurrr]

thank you for making this video, I am really sick of Betterhelp. Predatory companies like these are not a solution to providing people affordable mental health care.

[@anyaforger8093]

Almost ended up trying better help because I have anxiety and body dysmorphia, I actually saw a few KZbinrs promoting it at the time which was why I was curious. But I got nervous every time and backed out, now I’m glad I did.

[@johannaw2818]

I’m still just waiting for Hello Fresh to be exposed and cancelled for something. I live in Sweden where the employees at the company stated to the newspapers in December 2022 that they are being treated like animals, getting screamed at all the time by bosses, having their visits to the toilet surveilled, sexual harassment and being scared to lose their employment because the bosses do some kind of lottery to see who gets to continue to work there. One of the employees contacted the management about the horrible work conditions in the summer of 2021, talking about drugs, stress and physical fights at the workplace. Nothing was done until January this year. There’s also speculation about the company brutally taking advantage of migrants.

[@maiarino9639]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I never knew this and the only impression I had was the sponsorships I've seen, so I love knowing the truth!

[@sammisamsammi]

7:28 YES I tried betterhelp twice and both times the people I got paired with would only want to focus on my relationship. Like my relationship is the healthiest I’ve ever had; I’m trying to figure out how to cope with existence, bestie. 😭

[@love4scotland]

Former Better Help user. It took a week to pair me with my therapist. (I was still charged that week mind you) they pair me with someone and I opt for the highest package including 1 30 min session a week and unlimited texting. It was 339 approx a month. I have bad social anxiety so I thought this would be great. At first I noticed no red flags. I talked and she listened but after a couple months I felt like I needed to be pushed so I asked her advice about something. She said to do what I thought was best. That sent some alarm bells and I started to notice she rarely talked during our entire session. I literally ran my entire session and ran both sides of the conversation. She would say hello maybe one sentence of "your doing great" and then before my time was up she would say well check my schedule for next weeks openings. She never remembered anything I had told her and never referred back to anything I have previously said. It was like telling a living breathing wall my deepest anxieties and not knowing if it was even listening. It became a game for me to see if I could get her to give an opinion or advice about anything or even some homework she could assign me (she never did any of these). She was just completely checked out for the whole thing. I eventually went to a friend of mine who is a therapist and got a referral to someone else. When I cancelled, BH tried to get me to switch to a different BH therapist but I declined. I now pay 200.00 a month for two hour long sessions a month with a licensed therapist in my area and am just now realizing how much better I am doing at 1. Being forced to go to someone's office and get out of the house 2. Having someone remember what I have said and follow up on my progress and actually care what is going on and work with me to get to a better mental state. While I am sure it works for some people and my story is nowhere near some of the horror stories I gave heard, I spent quite a bit more to honestly be my own therapist for 6 months.

[@briannamottola]

I commented so many times on popular KZbin channels promoting it trying to let them know respectfully and they would just completely ignore me there’s still a lot of people that promote it unfortunately And I’m currently in therapy and other mental health resources and I know how much my team puts into my treatment plan so it just makes me sad that there’s company’s out there like better help that would take it advantage of mentally ill people and the influencers are just as bad for promoting it

[@ZippyKittyCat]

I used Better Help to help me get through a tough transition to a new job that I still struggle with. It was my first experience with therapy. My therapist was licensed in my state and gave me some useful information and strategies, but during our second session, she repeated all of the same information and exercises from the first one until I interjected. She also forgot so much of what I told her and asked redundant questions and said she just “didn’t take good enough notes.” She was sweet and apologetic but after my four sessions I cancelled my subscription and haven’t been to therapy since. I just felt I wasn’t being taken seriously and was paying too much money to be wasting time going over the same topics over and over again.

[@AngelikaOles]

It definitely seems like they put too much on their plate because none of it is in person which leads to a lack of connection to the patient :/

[@poelogan]

This was my exact experience with Cerebral, a similar service

[@GloomyYumi]

I've never tried better help. But as someone who's needed mental health help for a long time, I have my fair share of horror stories too which is why I can believe all those people were actually licensed despite of being bad at their job

[@lexibug149]

I was lucky to have a good experience with BH and I really enjoyed speaking with the therapist I was assigned. BUT I did have to switch therapists twice before coming across the one who was helping me work through some things at the time. It wasn’t terribly expensive for me because a lot of insurance companies reimburse patients for it, but without insurance I can’t really say whether it’s a competitive price or not.

[@chrisauntae6690]

I never trusted it.. too many celebrities endorsed it and that doesn’t usually end well.

[@mackenzieg7911]

I honestly had a really good experience with better help. It’s really not that much more affordable than any other therapy but my therapist was really great, I saw her for over a year and made a lot of progress. But my therapist being amazing doesn’t mean there aren’t also terrible ones

[@findingabir8311]

wow this is so bizarre, for me I live in Saudi Arabia and I couldn't feel safe talking to a therapist from the country about my sexuality and beliefs so I went to betterhelp, I was matched with a weird therapist who would tell me I'm thinking of you as if that does anything, then I switched and I search far and wide within the app and I got matched with a licensed therapist who I was working with for a year and a half now, she's good and helped me process a lot of my issues, so I'm grateful I got a chance to do so. but then I realized I need a therapist who understands my cultural background so I found a therapist in Saudi who's good and I switched to her. but other than the cultural aspect it was good!

[@sun_daes]

my sister used better help and it was so overpriced, she used the $70-75 dollar pack but she gets charged like $350-400 dollars every month, it’s horrible she thought she was saving money while also taking care of her mental health. fuck better help

[@AngelikaOles]

That’s what I thought they would try to do - hidden charges!

[@sun_daes]

@@AngelikaOles we were really confused on why that is, better help is exploiting people who are already exploited and suffering it’s insane they should be sued and shut down for this

[@Luna.Alexandria.Rivers]

I remember when I was looking at better help and filled out the application for a therapist form, I put that I didn’t want a male therapist because of my trauma. I was matched with a male therapist. I was upset with them and never ended up using them.

[@AngelikaOles]

They honestly don’t seem to care about the people they are promising to help 😭

[@fedejesus2648]

The way i chose to major in psychology bc i knew my parents would never agree to spend so much on therapy 😭😂

[@AngelikaOles]

Love that loophole! 😂

[@seonsunnysunshine]

As a Psych major, I feel you lmao. My semestral tuition costs the same as 6 months of therapy...it's basically the same thing but in disguise for me

[@itskashkashi]

Taking advantage of (and possibly abusing) people that were brave enough to try to help themselves is a different kind of scummy.

[@meganmobley22]

My husband tried it a few months back and ended up canceling his membership because of how little help the therapist was. We didn’t do much research in the company prior to trying it out, but just trusted the content creators promoting it. Big mistake on our part.

[@mariahlamb2983]

I have always felt so iffy about BetterHelp and even in times of desperation, I’ve passed on giving it a try. Now that I’m seeing all this I’m really glad I did. What a shame though, something like this if done correctly could do so much good…

[@j_jizzle_69]

I remember I was watching the little show/podcast Anthony Padilla does and he just nonchalantly does a Betterhelp ad. Didn’t acknowledge the passed controversy like it didn’t happen. He was talking about it same way defranco talked a couple a years ago saying stuff like “oh it helped me so much with my mental state and such”. He would talk about it like he was specifically told to say what he was saying. (Not trying to invalidate anyone’s mental health or anything just saying it’s obvious what people are saying about betterhelp they’re are be specifically told what to say.)

[@lemonmeat]

I never liked anthony. ever since that "I spent the day with people with 'MPD'" video, as someone with osdd-1b (DID and OSDD-1 being the CORRECT name as MPD has been outdated for years,) i do not forgive him. it was filled with misinfo, more stereotyping and stigma on us, the comments were full of infantalization and i could not make it through the video. I'm sick of people calling us "personalities" when that isnt what we are and im sick of the misinfo on this trauma-rooted disorder. It's not a surprise to me he's sponsored by betterhelp.

[@gabbyabbybby]

I used BetterHelp for 4 months and graduated. I greatly appreciate my therapist and highly suggest changing your therapists until you find the right one. It’s unfortunate that there are so many people who’ve had a negative experience. Wishing everyone well and hoping you all can heal.

[@natasham6835]

There is a HUGE KZbinr that promotes them and I honestly thought about signing up… I’m so glad I saw this first!!!

[@cassiel.6918]

My experience with actual, certified therapists has been almost as shitty, so at this point I’m doubting whether therapy as a concept should even be a thing, but that’s just me.

[@rinesserin]

Therapy is a really difficult thing because you're in such a vulnerable position. It really is all about finding the right therapist for you, but that process in itself can be exhausting and draining, both mentally and financially. I had a bad experience with Betterhelp and then later a decent experience with a private therapist but my sister has made incredible progress with her therapist. Like really amazing, it actually makes me tear up to see how amazing she's doing now. But her trauma was incredibly specific and her therapist was equally as incredibly specialised so I think that played a major part. My point is, you're absolutely right that therapy can do more harm than good if you don't find the right match but if you do, it can work wonders.

[@Martyna_126]

I've never used better help but I've heard a lot of ads for them made by mostly podcasters and honestly, I'm kinda disgusted by them. Allegedly in my opinion recently theyre basing their ads on the fact that "you can have a therapy session on a video call and you don't even have to turn on the webcam" which kinda seems like pondering strictly to people who may be in a very weak state or people who don't deal with human interactions well. Idk how to explain it well because English is not my first language but it seems rather exploitative. Allegedly. In my option.

[@idad4522]

Anthony Padilla is still sponsored by better help and it is so confusing... With his kind of content Im expecting... more.

[@hannahhood5481]

It's always bothered me that he sponsers them with his specific content, also his introduction of his sponser pisses me off because it's just one sentence and is so vague

[@hatsunemikey]

i didnt know about the controversies until semi-recently and im so glad i found out because i was going to use better help. i was in a very bad headspace and i couldnt do anything because i had no motivation. im only 16 and ive been begging my parents to get me a therapist for years.. and i know they wouldve let me use better help. its really a shame.

[@sarahellenrose]

So upsetting. I am in graduate school for art therapy/counseling. It is a 2-4 year program to become licensed and accredited. And this is after getting an undergraduate degree 😳 . It is so hard to take the step to ask for help, and then to be met with someone who has no clue what they’re doing……. That is so sad. To anyone who’s been harmed by mental health “professionals” --just know that there ARE good ones out there who really want to help. Unfortunately, we have to search 😞

[@skateralien1260]

i had a bad feeling about Better Help, but i hadnt seen anything about bad experiences online so i assumed that it was just a random feeling i had. im glad youre talking about this.

[@abbykorb]

One of my therapists on BH told me I should go on a website and wager money against myself to keep myself on task. Basically telling me to gamble instead of working with me to improve my ADHD. Another got defensive when I tried to “break up” with her and kept messaging me, telling me we could make things work. It all made me so uncomfortable, and it took me so long to find a therapist I actually trusted again.

[@vovabarnard6174]

I contemplated doing Better Help, but never went through it, thank god. Because this year I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD and I can’t imagine going through better help and having someone not believe me

[@airbooks9163]

I remember my doctor mentioned betterhelp to me last time i had an appointment and i was horrified because i had followed the scandal back in 2018. i had to explain that they were a complete scam but i’m so worried for others who think they’re legit who maybe aren’t even getting it from people on the internet but instead from people they should be able to trust

[@ryg2714]

I’m glad you’re talking about this because they had a scandal in 2019 about the same thing and everyone just forgot about it? Pretended it didn’t even happen and now they’re everywhere in ads again. Like do the people promoting them not remember or research?

[@Thilius]

I was lucky to get a really good therapist on there. She helped me alot with my eating disorders and relationship issues I was facing at that time. I never even heard about the original drama and I used their site last year

[@AngelikaOles]

I’m happy it turned out good for you ✨

[@vantheghost9588]

I was wondering why people started advertising for them again. Thank you for bringing this up

[@aokiQ]

I used better help once, that’s exactly how I felt, the “ therapist “ I talked to seems like just someone listening to me, not a actual therapist that can help! So I canceled my subscription immediately ! I wasted $70 in 30 mins. I only wish you made this video earlier, so I could save $70 😅

[@af7521]

Man, hearing all these stories scare me. My first therapist (name of Pamela) was somewhat rude. She would roll her eyes and not want to talk about my bad experiences. I decided to get someone else who was a completely different person. Theu actually cared about me. I'm going to see how it goes and write down any red flags. I might also try to look for a therapist near me. Hope all goes well.

[@riddickraymond7067]

I never heard about this for some reason but that will be why they stopped there sponsors on KZbin. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[@Jujudeze22]

I looked into BH last year when I was struggling with anxiety and I’m so grateful I just went through who my pcp recommended. Edited to say I was unaware of the drama and heard about BH through KZbin influencers.