BetterHelp vs Regain (Which is best for you)

BetterHelp vs Regain

This review discusses two renowned e-therapy providers’ services. It draws a comparison of the two and in doing so, does not aim to establish the superiority of one over the other, but instead, looks to acknowledge the benefits and weaknesses of both. 

It aims to recommend both in that depending on a potential clients’ needs, one may strike as the better deal, whereas the other may suit someone else. 

It draws a comparison along the lines of the facets enlisted in the table below. 

Feature	BetterHelp	Regain
Background	Separate body	Sister Website
Cost	35USD/week minimum	Approximately 60-90USD/week
Illnesses covered	Most mental health issues	Couple counselling
Registration procedure	Algorithmic questionnaire-based	Algorithmic questionnaire-based
Insurance	Unavailable	Unavailable
Interaction with therapist	Text, audio, video and live calls	Text, audio, video and live calls

Background

BetterHelp 

BetterHelp was founded by Alon Matas in 2013, a tech expert who had personally battled depression. It was bought by Teladoc shortly afterwards, which resulted in a hefty increase in the available investments for the platform. 

This expertise, combined with the right investments allowed BetterHelp to provide mental health services across a wide range, in terms of illnesses and geographical locations. 

Regain

In ways, Regain is different from BetterHelp and in others, it is very similar as well. 

Infact, it is not an entirely separate body of therapeutic services such as Talkspace, Cerebral etc. 

Regain is an extended service and website of BetterHelp itself. It was formed for services specialized to cater towards relationship interventions, couples counselling and the likes. 

Moreover, it is one of such extended services provided by BetterHelp. Others include Teen counselling and Pride counselling. 

Range of Illnesses

Based on the background and the foundations of both services, readers already probably have an idea where the major differences between both platforms lie. 

One of them is the range of mental health distresses they treat. 

BetterHelp

BetterHelp treats an array of differing mental health disorders and stresses, which, as mentioned in detail in other reviews of ours as well, include: 

• Depression
• Generalized Anxiety disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive disorder
• Psychosomatic disorders
• Bipolar disorder
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa
• Chronic impulsivity
• Chronic stress
• Sexual orientation issues
• Teen therapy
• LGBTQIA related issue
• Educational issues
• Career related problems
• Financial worries
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Grief
• Loss
• Spiritual matters
• Existential worries

One major difference in this list compared to other reviews of ours about BetterHelp, is that this list does not include the services which BetterHelp offers through Regain, as this reviews the platform Regain separately. 

Regain

Regain, as touched upon above, is BetterHelp’s sister website that caters to individuals and couples with respective to their relationship challenges, what might be causing them and what they could potentially cause to ensue.  

These typically aim at: 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Parenting issues
• Relationship issues
• Addiction
• Family issues
• Sleeping disorders
• Eating disorders
• Trauma
• Intimacy matters
• Grief and loss
• Religious issues

Hence, although it is evident that BetterHelp has a wide variety of services it offers and treats more illnesses than does Regain, but Regains’ services are so highly specialized that it’s unlikely anyone facing the troubles that Regain caters to, would seek help elsewhere. 

Registration Procedure

BetterHelp and Regain

Since Regain also essentially originates from BetterHelp, both platforms follow a nearly identical registration procedure and way of signing up for the services. 

Both BetterHelp and Regain include answering a brief questionnaire while signing up.

The answers given in response to these questions determines the therapist you are suggested to match with, algorithmically. 

The questions on both platforms have to do with basic demographics and asking about one’s illness such as symptoms, perceptions and and the clients’ way of thinking and what they intend to demand from the therapist they are looking for. 

One difference between both platforms, however, is that BetterHelp allows a secondary way to highlight potential therapists as well. BetterHelps’ website has a link named ‘Find a therapist’. Upon clicking that, BetterHelp suggests additional therapists whose bio and qualifications can be searched through manually by clients. 

Another, is that while using Regain, an individual is informed that they can allow their partner to join therapy as well. This includes no additional costs and can be done through the convenience of merely an email. 

However, despite this secondary method, clients who have used Regain, have mostly only had the best of words to review their registrational procedure and that through which to find a therapist. 

Cost 

BetterHelp

BetterHelp, as reviewed before by our surveys, have four main pricing strategies. 

Weekly Package

Through this week by week offer, the customer just pays 80USD each week. This permits the customer to avail 1 live meeting with their specialist and 24 hour texting.

Monthly Package

This costs 65USD each week as a single payment of 260USD is made towards the beginning. It incorporates a sum of 4 meetings for the whole month and round the clock messaging in a safe talk box. It is an expansion of the previous bundle, with the added benefits of greater economies of scale.  

Quarterly Package

This arrangement is worth 45USD each week and requires a single installment of 540USD. It permits 1 meeting each week and limitless messaging. 

Yearly Package

This costs an aggregate of 1820USD every year, which likens to just 35USD each week and permits similar features as the other bundles. 

The takeaway from BetterHelp’s strategy is that the arrangement of features stays pretty much the same, only it is spread throughout a more extended timeframe, which brings about lower expenses upon the customer in the long run.

Regain

Regain usually requires clients to pay around 260USD per month and on average costs from 60USD to 90USD per week, depending upon the services subscribed to. 

These prices are not only already pretty affordable, especially compared to in-person traditional therapy, the fact that an individual can invite their partner to therapy without any additional charges is a massive plus point. 

This makes it an attractive and affordable price even when compared to BetterHelp and Talkspace etc. 

Insurance

BetterHelp and Regain

Both BetterHelp and Regain, and most e-therapy services for that matter, are generally not covered by insurance companies. 

Although BetterHelp does allow clients to pay reduced fee depending upon their individual eligibility, Regain does not have such policies as yet. 

Interaction with Therapist

BetterHelp

BetterHelp usually allows clients to speak to therapists using text messaging services and/or audio calls, video calls and instant messaging. Moreover, it also allows the feature of a live chat box. 

All these communication methods are SSL and 256-bit encrypted. This ensures the confidentiality and security of the messages sent by both therapist and client. 

Clients are allowed to add extra sessions via audio or video call incurring additional charges. Moreover, therapists mostly reply to clients’ messages every 24 hours. 

Regain

Regain’s communication channels also ensure confidentiality the same way as BetterHelp. 

Moreover, it similarly allows contact to take place via text messaging, videos, audio messages, live sessions and instant messaging as well. 

An additional plus point that is exclusively available only on Regain is that since its a couples counselling website, it allows both individuals in an intimate relationship to partake in the messaging conversation with the therapist. 

This makes communication and therapy much more effective than compared to both individuals speaking to the therapist separately. It saves time, energy, effort and expenses and also allows for the therapy to take place more transparently. 

Moreover, it also allows those in the relationship to work through their problems together. This produces a sense of harmony and teamwork and hence helps boost the therapeutic process. 

Therapists at Regain are especially well equipped in dealing with couple counselling. They usually begin the therapy process by asking the couple about their individual introductions and move on to hearing them tell them about their problem. 

This initial process allows for a way in which the couple can vent out and it is how the therapist gets to know them, their challenges and get the process underway. 

Although Regain does not yet allow the feature of a three-way video call, it might soon be added to their list of communicative ways. Moreover, based on a clients’ preference, some even prefer this way when it comes to video call, as thye might not feel comfortable sharing everything in front of their partner. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Conclusion

This review discussed both BetterHelp and Regain, two online therapy providing services. 

It began by acknowledging the similarities but also foresaw the differences in terms of the nature of the services provided by both platforms. This is reflective from the fact that BetterHelp provides a wide scope of mental health treatment whereas Regain is specially suited to couple counselling. 

The review progressed to discussing major aspects of both platforms such as their background and how they came about, costs, insurance coverage, therapist interaction, range of illnesses they treat and some exclusive features.

Based on their differing nature of treatment, it was concluded that Regain is the better platform for couple counselling whereas any other mental health issue should preferably be sought help for, from BetterHelp.