BetterHelp therapist no show: What should I do?

In this blog we will discuss what you can do if your therapist at Betterhelp is a no show. 

We will also briefly discuss what Betterhelp is and how you can find the best BetterHelp therapist for yourself. 

BetterHelp therapist no show: What should I do?

If your therapist has not shown up for your sessions or is a no show for your sessions- be it via phone calls or emails or messages, here are a few things you can do:

Direct contact

If your therapist has not responded to your chats or emails and has not shown up for the sessions, call them or the company customer care directly.

Sometimes, it is possible that they missed your emails or that they have simply forgottenabout the sessionrs or to respond to your text. 

So what you can do is to call them up or contact the customercare helpline or send in an email or complaint to the company. 

Sometimes direct contact is the best thing you can do so that your needs are addressed, so make your way to the office to see what is up. 

Give it time

If you have contacted your therapist in the last 12 hours via chat or call and they still have not responded, be patient. 

BetterHelp therapists are given a leeway for 24 hours response time, they will probably respond to you soon. 

It is possible that if you have messaged them just recently, they will probably respond in some time.

If they are not responding to a text message within a day, they will most probably do it the next day or after the weekend. 

If they are not responding to phone calls, make a note of their working hours- most therapists don’t respond to calls outside of working hours. They will probably get back to you when they start their working day. 

If it is regarding unanswered emails, they will probably get back to you within three working days meaning that if you have emailed them on a friday, you might have to wait till monday or tuesday. Usually emails might take longer to be responded to. 

Be direct

When you are able to meet the therapist or talk to them, bring up your concerns and let them know that their no show has been stressing you out. 

You have to understand that therapists are people too and they cannot always be at your beck and call nor can they read your mind. It is possible that the therapist works with a delayed time and they are not aware of your need for urgency. 

It is best that you talk to them directly, bring up your concerns and how you feel when there are issues related to them missing sessions. 

It’s perfectly okay to leave it at that. However, if you’re comfortable you and your therapist can work a way around the issue and discuss what each of your boundaries lie as therapist and client. 

Be mindful

While in some cases therapists might forget to show up to sessions and it is also possibelthat your therapist might be neglectful and unethical. 

So once you have had the conversation, pay attention to how they are accommodating of your needs while you also respect their boundaries as your therapist. 

Pay attention to how they are dealing with your crisis needs and your anxieties, make sure that you feel safe and that you trust your gut. 

Move on

If you find that your therapist has not been mindful nor have they made adjustments and accommodations to help you feel safe, heard, and supported and the now shows continue- it is possible that your therapist is breaching ethicality and it is best for you to move on to someone else. 

In such a case, you can let them know that you would like to terminate the sessions with them and be direct in your feedback while doing so. 

You have every right to change therapists if you find that the way this therapist works is not the kind of support you need or require. 

What is BetterHelp?

BetterHelp is an online therapy service provider that allows users to start a text-chat and online therapy session with a licensed, accredited therapist.

Better help was founded in 2013 and has since then become one of the largest online therapy platforms in the world.

The services that betterhelp provides include offering virtual therapy- chat, email, or video call and phone call based sessions with licensed and accredited therapists.

The company also includes additional services for mental health support like journaling and group therapy sessions for multiple people and couples. 

The service that BetterHelp provides uses a monthly membership payment plan which individuals can subscribe to and cancel their plans at any time they want. 

As of today, BetterHelp has expanded its services and works closely to other businesses and several sister websites that provide mental health support and therapy for couples, teens, members of the LGBTIQ+ community, as well as for people who are seeking therapy with a faith-based or spirituality based approach. 

For the mental health service that better help offers, you can access therapy via texts, live chat, phone calls, and video calls with 24/7 access. 

This allows you to reach out to your therapist at any time of the day as well as allows you to change your therapist with ease if you do not find that they are a good fit for you with no additional issues. 

You do not have to commit to a certain amount of time, you can decide how long you want to use the platform, and you can cancel your subscriptions anytime.

The platform provides you access to well-qualified and experienced therapists who are board certified and have a minimum of 3 years and 1,000 hours of experience. 

BetterHelp  prides itself from being able to offer financial assistance to those who qualify for it; however, the drawback is that the services are not covered by insurance. 

Another additional issue is that, therapists at better help provide talk therapy, but they do not diagnose, prescribe medications, or fulfil a court order and the services are only for adults. 

To get yourself into the service, you have to register and you can do that through their app. 

For users, to register they will be asked to complete a questionnaire and then the company will match them with an appropriate therapist.

To avail their services, the process is as follows:

• Go to betterhelp’s website or register in the app. On the website, select the type of service you’re interested in, while for app users, you simply hit “get started”.

• When you sign up, complete a questionnaire that focuses on you and your life.

• After you’ve completed the questionnaire, you will be connected to a therapist that can best fit your condition. 

After you’ve been matched to some therapists and you have chosen your therapist, a virtual therapy room is created for you and the therapist which you can access through the app or site. 

• Now, you can begin and pick up conversations from your device whenever and wherever 24/7. It has to be mentioned that your therapist will respond to you five times a week and depending on the schedule of your therapist, you will have to wait for a reply. For example, if you message at night the reply will come in the morning the next day.

• For people that want face to face sessions, betterhelp also offers live video sessions. For this you will have to consult with the therapist you are working with. 

• You also have the liberty to switch therapists or stop therapy whenever you want.

When it comes to the legitimacy of the professionals at betterhelp, the company claims that each therapist is licensed and has the required training and credentials to practice as per state laws- this includes: master’s or doctorate degree and possess at least 3 years and 1,000 hours of experience as mental health professionals- all of which the company cross checks before hiring. 

How to find the best BetterHelp therapist?

Here are a few things you can do to find a BetterHelp therapist that is a best fit for you:

Answer the screening questions appropriately

When you first sign up for BetterHelp, you’ll have to answer several questions about your current needs, here make sure that this questionnaire is adequately answered. 

The questionnaire is for the company and the therapists to know your specific needs so that you can be assigned to the best therapist for your condition and your needs. 

Make your preferences known

Preferences are personal to you, and they are often important for you to feel comfortable and safe within the therapeutic realtonship. 

For example, some clients prefer to work with a same-sex clinician or someone closer to them in age

Make sure that you make your preferences known during the questionnaire that you are filling in. You can also change your preferences at any point.

Look into the therapists’ credentials

It is possible that when you are matched with a particular therapist, you can look up their credentials and experience online. 

This means that you might have to do a little background check independent of whatever information BetterHelp has provided on their website. 

This is for your own mental health and wellbeing, so take some time to cross check the credibility of the therapists that has been assigned to you. 

Trial mindset

You have to understand that when it comes to therapy, it takes time to find the one that you are able to connect with. So go into each session with each therapist with a mindset of getting yourself comfortable and being open to new people. 

Just because one therapist does not fit well with you does not mean that all therapists at Betterhelp are the same, take time to get acquainted as well as open yourself up to the possibility to changing therapists and trying out new therapists when one does not click with you. 

Conclusion

References

2022 BetterHelp Review: Should You Try It? Healthline. Retrieved on 4th May 2022. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/betterhelp-review

Top 7 Tips on Finding the Best BetterHelp Therapist. Inner Body Research. Retrieved on 4th May 2022. https://www.innerbody.com/choosing-best-therapist-betterhelp

How to tell a therapist it’s not working. Zen Care. Retrieved on 4th April 2022. https://blog.zencare.co/how-to-tell-a-therapist-its-not-working/

‘Don’t think this is a healthy therapeutic relationship’: Therapist exposes BetterHelp’s problems in viral TikTok. Daily Dot. retrieved on 4th May 2022. https://www.dailydot.com/irl/therapist-explains-problems-betterhelp-tiktok/