Why Is Betterhelp Bad? (5 Reasons Why)
By
OptimistMinds
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This article will look at the reasons why people may be unhappy with Betterhelp and explain each reason in detail. The article will also introduce Betterhelp as a company that provides online mental health services in order to help the audience develop a complete understanding of the true picture.
Why Is Betterhelp Bad?
Betterhelp may be considered bad for the following reasons:
- Clinical Diagnosis Not Available
- No Physical Office
- Don’t Entertain Serious Issues – Suicidal Tendencies?
- Only A Platform – No Relation To Service Providers
- You Are Responsible For Your Own Safety
We will look at each reason in detail but let’s first look at what Betterhelp basically is!
What Is Betterhelp?
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. What is great about this service is that it is online hence it is available anywhere and every time. You do not have to go to the doctor’s office to get an appointment or wait in line for your turn. This is great if you feel pretty down and getting out of bed is a challenge for you!
With approximately 1700 licensed therapists available online at the click of a button, Betterhelp ensures that its clients receive the best help they can get by connecting them to professional therapists and counselors who know what they need to do This is apparent by the total number of sessions which Betterhelp has already conducted from their platform; a whopping 70 million sessions already completed! This is possible because the company understands the needs of clients well and hence provides therapy related services to them online and not just at physical location. In a world where things are changing constantly and the unknown is always around the corner, it is becoming more of a need rather than a desire to get services online and at your doorstep – we simply don’t have time nowadays!
Betterhelp recognizes everyone – they don’t discriminate. Whether you are a child who needs counseling or someone from a minority group or marginalized community, Betterhelp believes that no one should be kept away from getting the help they need! Also, Betterhelp recognizes the important diversity should be given; even though the differences don’t mean justify discrimination or leaving someone out, they do necessitate the special services we require. This includes people from all types of backgrounds.
When you visit their site, you will see that the company realizes the various situations you may be stuck in; you could be a child who needs help, a person in a relationship who feels they need to opt for couple therapy or an individual who is having a tough time facing their problems. The website also recognizes people who experience different feelings, thoughts and experiences compared to the vast majority of people; it does not judge a person based on how others are but how the person is themself! So don’t worry! You are in good hands at Betterhelp.
Why Is Betterhelp Bad?
Clinical Diagnosis Not Available
The online company does not allow its service providers to diagnose your mental health state and if they do, the company strongly advises clients to disregard that advice or diagnosis. This is one of the reasons why people may not be satisfied with Betterhelp’s services because they are oftentimes trying to figure out what is basically wrong with them.
The online platform only allows service providers to interact with individuals to provide assistance in solving their problems or making sense of the situation. They are there to help improve their mental health by assigning activities and counseling them as well.
There are a number of reasons as to why Betterhelp does not allow counselors to diagnose the mental health problems clients may be facing. For example, one reason is that they do not have sufficient information to make a diagnosis. If the sessions are occurring through chat or live phone calls then the counselor lacks information such as body language and overall state of the person.
It is too risky to give a diagnosis – that too for a disorder that is a bit serious – without actually meeting the person. Why? A wrong diagnosis may have way more negative effects than not being diagnosed at all.
For more information, read our article about whether Betterhelp can diagnose you to fully understand the reasons behind a no diagnosis policy.
No Physical Office
One of the issues with Betterhelp is that they do not have an office. They do not have any sort of system that allows counselors and clients to meet if they are located within the same area; that would be counter productive though to their services because then clients and counselors would become direct with each other.
There are some issues associated with the lack of this particular service because of which the impact of Betterhelp’s services is reduced. In case a client is suffering from serious mental health issues such as becoming suicidal or engaging in self harm, the platform directs the client to other sources of help instead of assigning them with a counselor that may be available in their area.
Not only do they apparently ‘abandon’ the client because yes they want them to get better help but they do not want someone being involved in a critical incident while availing their services.
It can be said that Betterhelp targets those individuals who are dealing with less severe cases; if they increase their outreach services by improving their on ground facilities they can not only retain more clients but also increase their target market.
Don’t Entertain Serious Issues – Suicidal Tendencies?
Betterhelp is very clear about not being able to entertain serious conditions that may require in person examination or treatment. They cannot deal with people who are suicidal, engaged in self harm, overdosing on drugs consistently and possibly deranged.
It is necessary that they identify if the client is in a position where online therapy will be sufficient. However, if they deem the patient to be in a state which is beyond their control they will ask the client to obtain help elsewhere.
Hence, clients who are suffering greatly due to their mental health will not find much use when it comes to Betterhelp – the company simply does not entertain such cases because they are not able to!
Only A Platform – No Relation To Service Providers
It may seem surprising but this is a platform only. Betterhelp does not claim to provide you with guaranteed mental help – what they claim is to provide access to professional mental health service providers from across the world. Furthermore, they are a platform that provides different modes of interaction based on a clients needs and comfort levels.
They, at the same time, state in their terms and conditions that the service providers that sit on their panel are in no way their employees or representatives and hence they are not responsible for them or their behavior. They go as far as to say that if a client considers a service provider as unsuitable they should go on to change them without any hesitation.
Due to this reason, people may lose confidence in the services of Betterhelp because they may not feel very secure. After all! The company seems to have let go of all responsibilities in the terms and conditions section – but isn’t that what everyone does? I guess it is!
You Are Responsible For Your Own Safety
At Betterhelp you have to be careful about your own safety. If your chats or recordings are hacked or shared by an unknown party, the company will not be responsible and this again is stated in the terms and conditions.
This is something that appears as distasteful to people because they want to rely on the company to provide them security and safety when they conduct sessions with their service providers. However, although the company employs good security softwares, they are unable to guarantee security and privacy nor do they engage in any sort of court cases.
Conclusion
The article looked at the reasons as to why people may consider Betterhelp as a bad option when it comes to availing mental health services online. Also, the article introduced the company to the audience by describing how they operate and their services.
References
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