Does Betterhelp Have Psychiatrists? (An Introduction)

This article will answer the question of whether Betterhelp have psychiatrists or not on their platform. Furthermore, the article will explore who a psychiatrist is and what approaches they adopt. Also, readers will be apprised of what types of services they can avail and how much they cost. The article will also look at the issue of whether psychiatrists can prescribe medication or not at Betterhelp.

Does Betterhelp Have Psychiatrists?

Yes Betterhelp does have psychiatrists on it’s panel. The following types of service providers are available to provide services to clients at Betterhelp online:

• Psychiatrists & Psychologists
• Therapists
• Marriage and Family Counselors
• Clinical Social Workers

The psychiatrist who has been assigned to you has to have the following:

• Qualification: The service provider needs to have a Master’s degree or Doctorate in their profession

• State Recognition: As a service provider operating from a certain area, you must have completed certain training and exams and hence be certified by your state.

• Experience: Every service provider must possess at least 3 years of experience and 1000 hours of hands on experience.

If they do not reach these requirements they are not allowed to work on the platform of Betterhelp as service providers.

Before we look at what services these psychiatrists must provide to their clients, the article will introduce the readers to Betterhelp and who a psychiatrist is as well and highlight the differences between a psychologist and psychiatrist.

Betterhelp – Mental Health Services Online

Betterhelp is one of the largest online platforms that provides multiple services for all types of people who are suffering from mental health problems and require counseling. 

Members and clients do not have to go anywhere but can sit at home and avail a multitude of services that are affiliated with this online platform. Hence they avoid traveling, save time and can avail services keeping in mind their limitations caused by their mental health problems; sometimes people are not in the condition to go outside the house for therapy or counseling, they need services at home!

With around 1700 licensed professionals onboard, more than 900,000 clients and having conducted at least 70 million sessions online, it would be insufficient to say it is just one of those online platforms that provide mental health services! The best thing about Betterhelp is that it is available to all people regardless of their background and ensures people can choose the medium of communication that is most appropriate for them such as chatting, calls or video sessions with their counselors.

Betterhelp is a platform that connects clients and service providers such as clinical and social workers, marriage and family counselors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists so that those who are in need of mental health services can get them! 

The Psychiatrist – The Doctor Who Mends Your Brain

A psychiatrist is a doctor who helps treat people with mental health issues and they consult the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD). These doctors do not only treat mental health disorders but diseases that affect the brain as well. 

This is a branch of medicine that deals with problems associated with human behavior hence the doctor needs to be well versed in social and biological sciences.

The Difference Between A Psychiatrist & Psychologist

A psychiatrist is someone who is qualified to treat individuals with controlled medication and therapy. They treat children, adolescents and adults who are suffering from a psychiatric condition and like other physicians they have attended medical school to earn a doctoral degree. These doctors typically help people manage their medicines and how they should monitor their progress.

Psychologists, on the other hand, focus on treating children, adolescents, adults and elderly people using psychotherapy. They diagnose patients using medical tests, psychological and emotional assessments and even observation. They also use medication to an extent to treat clients but unlike psychiatrists, they are trained to employ psycho and behavioral therapy. Most fields of psychology require a doctorate (Ph.D. or PsyD); all psychologists must fulfill state requirements for providing psychiatric care and services before being granted a license

Hence the differences between a psychologist and psychiatrist rests in their educational background, approaches to treatment and focus on treatment as well.

The Approaches Of A Psychiatrist – 3 Types

Biomedical Approach

This approach takes into consideration the biological or physical nature of illnesses and hence focuses on providing relief to patients. It tries to locate the center of the issue in terms of the body and often uses medicine to solve the problem. Although this model does not take into account emotional and social factors, it looks at the pathology, biochemistry and physiology of a disease that affects the body or brain.

Biopsychosocial

This model is way more holistic than the previous one and hence takes into account many factors; these factors look at the physical, psychological and social elements in a problem. Thus, this model looks at how a person is affected not only by the present but their past too. It observes and studies how a physical illness has developed over time and also looks at the psychological health of a person and if that contributes to the disease. Genetics play a big role in helping this model explain various diseases. Lastly, this model takes into account social factors such as culture, norms and values to see if they help or damage the mental and physical health of a person.

Hence, this model takes into account all factors from the physical, social and psychological domains.

Biocognitive

This model argues that medicines are not the only answer for a person who is suffering from mental health issues. People who have mental health problems need to be taken seriously and studied properly instead of just giving them medicines to treat the symptoms. Hence this model is not very much in favor of only treating people with medicines but a holistic approach must be taken to understand the issue itself.

This approach states that it is necessary to understand the root of the mental health issue just as we study the root cause of physical pain or injuries. It also advocates for mental health in that it says the same importance should be applied here as it is applied to other areas of health.

Can Psychiatrists Prescribe Medicines At Betterhelp?

This is an interesting question that seems to get different answers. If you look up Betterhelp’s terms and conditions they do not advise clients to accept a diagnosis online nor medicinal advice from their service providers. However, keeping in mind the client’s needs or the medicines they are already taking, the psychiatrist may advise better medicinal management or changing their medicine.

After all, they are psychiatrists who have the license to prescribe medicines right?

How Can You Engage With Your Psychiatrist At Betterhelp?

• Chatrooms: These are open 24/7 and you can drop a message any time you feel like doing so. However, your counselor will only get back to you once they have the time or chance to. Usually people like dropping questions they want opinions on from their counselor and don’t mind waiting a bit.

• Live Chatting Sessions: here you can chat with your counselor in real time and there really is no limit on the number of messages exchanged or time spent talking here. It depends on the needs of the client and the nature of the problem.

• Live Phone Calls: Kind of like Skype this platform has their own system set up where you can have audio sessions with your service provider. It does not show your contact details to the counselor for reasons of privacy and in case the counselor and counselee become direct. 

• Video Sessions: clients who are more comfortable or want a more personalized experience can also opt for video sessions. Like other mediums of interaction, there is no limit on these although people mostly hold the opinion that 1 or 2 sessions per week are sufficient.

Conclusion

This article looked at whether or not Betterhelp has psychiatrists providing services to their clients and how they can engage with clients. Furthermore, the article highlighted the differences between a psychiatrist and psychologist and discussed in detail the approaches adopted by the psychiatrist. To help the audience develop a better understanding of the topic, the article also introduced the online giant Betterhelp.

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