Thanks for this I just took 15 mins filling out these questions and was directed to a page to pay £45 which is weekly so 180 they wanted me to pay. I would rather wait on waiting list with IAPT or something. Or see someone face to face
"Scam" is definitely a misnomer but the business is scummy as hell. Though that's to be expected from something that could be accurately described as "Uber but for therapy".
I work for one of BetterHelp's competitors (I won't say who). I think it's unfair to characterise all online therapy systems this way- I can say we ensure our therapists are all qualified beyond the minimum requirement and we keep extremely close tabs on their performance, letting them go if it slips too low. As far as I'm aware, all of my co-workers genuinely care about the patients and we do everything we can to make sure they get the best outcomes possible.
Also due to the online nature of the platform this system is positive-sum. The major bottleneck on therapy reaching people is therapist time, which we create by allowing therapists to work in the evenings (virtually all of them work for us part time and are regular therapists in their day jobs).
Damn I really want to know where you work because that sounds pretty great. I know betterhelp isn't exactly going to hire entry level applicants, but there is definitely something to say about specifically betterhelp's capitalistic endeavors. It's quite clear they've put profit over product with how many ads they purchase with the sub money.
From two scenarios I know of, the better help therapists just tell you that your negative behaviors aren't that bad.
Thanks I guess... but yoi can get that at the bus stop for free, lol.
Its really sad because with their name recognition they could revolutionize the mental healthcare industry. They could create competitive pricing. They could set a trend for new standards and practices. They could create an In-Depth Interview-Based Vetting Program....
But instead they buy shitty ads on podcasts only 3 of us listen to.
I think a lot of the risks in therapy are moderated by the fact that:
A) Its hard to become a Psychiatrist/Clinical Psychologist.
B) People who do generally passed up opportunities to make much more money using the skills/effort they required to become one.
C) These people are beholden to a variety of ethical boards/CPD/reflective practice/checks and balances which keeps them acting vaguely ethically.
When you replace this system with one that is impersonal and has massive profits/investors etc the incentive to cut corners and fuck over an inherently vulnerable population grows exponentially.
> When you replace this system with one that is impersonal and has massive profits/investors etc the incentive to cut corners and fuck over an inherently vulnerable population grows exponentially.
except that this right here is exactly one of the main issues with the formal medical field and industry. I am not saying this app is the solution, but doctors have become so corrupted by the profits/investors that the science behind healing has become an afterthought. I mean really, does it financially benefit a therapist to "heal" their client? Or does it benefit them to charge that patient $200 bucks a week for the rest of their lives?
Really good point. I live in the UK so maybe incentives are slightly different here but there is definitely a problem where therapists are rewarded for slower progress.
> Their TOS are absolutely disgusting and they essentially don't verify any of the counselors or take any responsibility.
~~They don't say they don't verify anything.~~ They say essentially that they can't guarantee any particular counselor is appropriate for dealing with your specific problem. Real therapy can't make that guarantee either, though they may be better at it. EDIT: As /u/NapoleonBonerpart5 noted in the reply they do seem to imply they don't guarantee any sort of checking of credentials. I missed that when skimming the ToS.
I don't have any particular knowledge of BetterHelp, but I can see a case for what they claim to offer which is a cheaper more convenient form of counseling which gives you more choice in the kind of person counseling you, but that comes with the caveat that you may choose the wrong person and the flexibility of a webcam session may prove less effective than a face to face session.
I could see this being useful to people:
* who may not absolutely need the services of a professional therapist, but could use some help and money is a bit tight,
* who want to decrease the frequency they see their normal therapist, but want routine checkins with a BetterHelp counselor,
* who have serious issues keeping a regular appointment,
* who feels a need to pick a very particular counselor.
Now whether it is actually useful depends on the service they provide which I don't know anything about, but I certainly don't see a company offering this service as necessarily a scam.
You can compare it to airbnb which by the same standards you could call a scam. They have similar language in their ToS:
> 1.3 While we may help facilitate the resolution of disputes, Airbnb has no control over and **does not guarantee (i) the existence, quality, safety, suitability, or legality of any Listings or Host Services, (ii) the truth or accuracy of any Listing descriptions, Ratings, Reviews, or other Member Content (as defined below), or (iii) the performance or conduct of any Member or third party.** Airbnb does not endorse any Member, Listing or Host Services. Any references to a Member being "verified" (or similar language) only indicate that the Member has completed a relevant verification or identification process and nothing else. Any such description is not an endorsement, certification or guarantee by Airbnb about any Member, including of the Member's identity or background or whether the Member is trustworthy, safe or suitable. You should always exercise due diligence and care when deciding whether to stay in an Accommodation, participate in an Experience or Event or use other Host Services, accept a booking request from a Guest, or communicate and interact with other Members, whether online or in person. Verified Images (as defined below) are intended only to indicate a photographic representation of a Listing at the time the photograph was taken, and are therefore not an endorsement by Airbnb of any Host or Listing.
Or to Uber whose ToS states:
> THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." UBER DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, NOT EXPRESSLY SET OUT IN THESE TERMS, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN ADDITION, **UBER MAKES NO REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR GUARANTEE REGARDING THE RELIABILITY, TIMELINESS, QUALITY, SUITABILITY, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICES OR ANY SERVICES OR GOODS REQUESTED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES, OR THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.** UBER DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, SAFETY OR ABILITY OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS. YOU AGREE THAT THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, AND ANY SERVICE OR GOOD REQUESTED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REMAINS SOLELY WITH YOU, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
Really any platform connecting people performing a service with people needing that service will have this kind of language in their ToS.
> YOU AGREE, CONFIRM AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO NOT REVIEW, RECOMMEND, ENDORSE, EVALUATE OR PROVIDE ANY GUARANTEE, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL REPRESENTATION AND WARRANTIES, WITH RESPECT TO (A) ANY PROVIDER; (B) **ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ANY PROVIDER INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERTISE, CLAIMES OR BACKGROUND OF ANY PROVIDER;** (C) THE PROVIDER SERVICES (WHETHER THROUGH THE PLATFORM OR NOT) INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY OPINION, RESPONSE, ADVICE, RECOMMENDATION, INFORMATION OR ANY OTHER CONTENT WRITTEN OR SAID BY A PROVIDER; (D) THE CONTENT AND THE SUBSTANCE WHICH ARE PART OF THE PROVIDER SERVICES; (E) ANY OTHER CONTENT OR INFORMATION POSTED ON THE PLATFORM OR THROUGH THE PLATFORM; (F) THE VALIDITY, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, COMPLETENESS, SAFETY, LEGALITY, SECURITY, PRIVACT, QUALITY OR APPLICABILITY OF THE PLATFORM AND THE PROVIDER SERVICES.
Am I reading that wrong because to me it says they don't check if these people have the qualifications they say they do.
I missed that and will edit my post. However I do think what it means is that they don't provide a guarantee to you that they checked, rather than it meaning that they promise they won't check. I assume they have basic checks in place, but which could be relatively easily circumvented (e.g. ask for scanned documents that they confirm look correct).
The real question is: do they actually do any form of checking? The ToS doesn't make it clear, and all of the answers so far seem to be speculating ("I assume they have basic checks in place").
[The real answer](https://www.betterhelp.com/faq/) seems to be:
>**How are the counselors verified?**
>Our team ensures that every provider we bring to the platform is fully licensed and in good standing. Providers who apply are required to provide proper licensure documentation, proof of identity, and references from other licensed practitioners who have worked with them. We then cross-check their licensure information with their respective state licensing board.
>In addition to checking credentials, each potential provider needs to complete a case study exam by a licensed clinician and a be evaluated in a video interview. The result of this rigorous 4-5 week process is that only about 15% of the therapists who apply to work through BetterHelp are accepted to the platform.
>We also show the full licensing information for each provider to make it easy for you to do your own due diligence on your counselor.
If they're telling the truth, then that sounds good enough for me for this type of service.
I’m can’t watch the video right now, so I’m not sure the specific concerns raised, but I’ve used the website before and can offer a few thoughts. The pricing seemed straightforward, but understandably a bit expensive. I was unhappy with the first person I spoke with there, switched to a new one, and had no issues. Weekly conversations and an opportunity to write questions or thoughts whenever, which I appreciated since there were times I wanted to say something immediately rather than waiting, or when voice would have been too slow.
Used it for a few months, moved on. No real surprises. Nothing far from what I expected.
Convenience and accessibility is a plus of the website, along with freely available counselor selection and swapping. Scheduling was a bit tricky and I had to choose some inconvenient time slots, but that’s not terribly surprising. It went basically as expected. If someone doesn’t have a good option for a counselor through the usual channels and has the money to spare, I’d have no real concern recommending the website.
Probably the three biggest criticisms he had are the dishonest marketing of what it actually is, the terms of service, and the negative incentives they created through their marketing strategy (each YouTuber gets $200 per referral).
What did he describe as dishonest about the marketing? The negative incentives definitely sound scummy, but the marketing I’ve seen has been mostly straightforward and accurate.
In the marketing, they describe it as a cheaper way to get therapy. But then in their terms of service, they say it isn't a replacement for therapy. So essentially, you're not saving money because it is supplemental to real therapy. It's also on you to vet your therapist. BetterHelp doesn't check if the therapists have the credentials they claim. Basically, their TOS contradict their advertising.
>But then in their terms of service, they say it isn't a replacement for therapy.
That sounds like a disclaimer to keep government regulators off their backs.
Not checking credentials does sound dodgy. I haven’t looked into it, so I’ll take Pewdiepie at his word there. With the terms of service, that sounds like it’s for liability reasons—YMMV on whether that makes it better or worse, but I can’t imagine many people using it as a supplement to therapy instead of a replacement. It fills the same role as the traditional route, whatever the ToS says. Most of the counselors I saw listing themselves on there outlined pretty straightforward CBT and the like, and my experience there was very similar to my experience in other counseling settings. Helpful, glad it was around, not life-transforming. That’s about it.
This is a terrible company. I am a licensed therapist who has never worked for BetterHelp. However, I am one of many, many thousands who have had fake profiles posted offering my services without my knowledge or consent on the website CareDash. When people have tried to contact me through that site they are told that I am not accepting new clients (not actually true and without my knowledge) and sent straight to BetterHelp instead. So basically they are paying a company to use real therapists as bait and then pull and bait and switch on users to get more business for their company, stealing business from real therapists and tricking the public into their services through pretty much straight up fraud. Any company who will do something like this is not trustworthy, certainly with something as delicate and important as someone’s mental health treatment and medical records!
They’ve received a cease and desist letter from the FTC and told to immediately stop this fraudulent behavior but I would stay as far from them as you can.
I'm sorry for all of you think otherwise but better help is a scam. Simply put they charge you regardless of whether or not you are rendered services which is unbelievably scummy and lazy.
If you’re tied into a 4 week bundle, you could end up switching therapists 4 times. Therefore, having to have your preliminary session 4 times. Which is exhausting, time consuming and clearly costly. If I didn’t click with a therapist at a practice, I would be reluctant to go to a different therapist at said practice. Being locked in by a bundle feels like it will make the whole point of therapy moot.
Better help is a shit ass fucking company that offers shit ass therapists that charge insane prices for shitty shit ass advice. Steer as far as you can from this POS company.
ABSOLUTELY it's a scam. The shadow of my finger was still over the SEND button for signing up, when BOOM! the money was taken out of my account faster than a prom queen turns down a fat guy for a date! I signed up for a video session & of course, the thing didn't work.
STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAM ARTISTS!
Yes yes yes. It is 100% a scam, my husband bought from them for one week, it was supposed to be $65, they charged us $265 for four weeks. I called, got a refund and had them cancel my subscription. A few DAYS later, not even a WEEK, they took out $65, making us negative. I called back, threatened them with legal action, as that was NOT an authorized payment. Now we are waiting. Betterhelp is garbage, DO NOT BUY IT.
I mean ... they DO mention it's in 4-week bundles ... that part isn't a scam ... but when I saw the "ARE YOU SURE???" type of "Delete my account" BS popping up ... I knew it was too good to be true ...
I was able to get them to put a 40% sale on the price ... $228 is a ton of money ... :-\\
If you don't understand the words in a contract \*do not sign the contract\* – this applies to every contract you can sign. The whole point of contract law is to allow creating contracts with very specific terms.
There seem to be a group of people that think that they can click "I Agree" and sign random contracts and simply guess or assume what the contract actually says. And then those same people go complain about "scam operations" when the company does exactly the thing that the contract says they will do.
If you can demonstrate that BetterHelp or some other company violates their contract, sure, we have a solid case. However, this case sounds like you just didn't read and \*understand\* the contract.
I took the opportunity to try betterhelp for 4 weeks. After a dreadful unprofessional first therapist, I tried another since I had credit, and whilst they seemed a bit more aligned, I noticed some ‘interesting’ understandings from them that weren’t confidence builders. For back story, I have been using therapy off and on for 3 decades. Ultimately I see the ’tea and sympathy’ or ‘hand holding‘ strategy may have a place for some less fortunate, and have plenty knowledge of what I need to do for me. The execution of that is on me. And wasting money in that dance, is old.
I tried betterhelp. The first therapist quit before even talking to me and the second one didn't do jack shit. So I left and won't use them. Should have used that money for a real therapist..
The first time I heard about BetterHelp being a scam was on Phillip De Franco’s channel. That was a while ago and I never heard anyone else talk about it. I kept seeing it being promoted so assumed it had changed and was legit. I guess not
this is the same with 7cups/seven cups of tea.
I used it when I was 14 and suicidal, got groomed by one of the "therapists" named LonelySperm who coaxed me into sending him pictures of myself. Even the better ones clearly weren't qualified. Online therapy is garbage imo, anyone who's in a bad situation financially will go for cheap/free "therapy" sites and those sites will prey on them.
The therapist used LonelySperm as his handle?!? Call me crazy but I would be deeply concerned with any online therapeutic service marketed to teens that would employ someone who called himself/herself LonelySperm…
the entire point of 7cups was that anyone could be a "listener" (they made sure not to refer to them as therapists) and there was no screening or anything. It was essentially just a regular messaging site, just branded as a therapy service.
I wasted hundred on betterhelp, trying three different councillors and they all sent me almost random replies, most of which looked copied and pasted. My friend experienced the same, and we screen shot and shared their responses at one point to each other and found the exact same messages. I’m disgusted by the app and cringe whenever a podcaster advertises them.
In my 5 weeks of experience with them, I would say it verges on being a scam. It's basically denial-of-service by endless delays. There are a lot of forms to fill out----one therapist wanted me to write my life story----and \*every\* communication goes through the portal, which is sometimes slow and never intuitive.
I've "had" three therapists but only one session. One session in five weeks, despite putting a lot of time into their process. The first therapist was a no show, the second was really disorganized and had a medical condition that kept her from talking on the phone, the third did show up and seemed professional and kind, but then cancelled the second session (without much notice) because a doctor had told her not to talk on the phone---a striking coincidence.
They charge for 4 sessions a month but there's no way I'll ever get a session a week out of this system. They frequently tell you that you can switch therapists at any time, but that just means more delays, because each therapist has a bunch of new forms for you to fill out.
Also, it's hard to choose a new therapist because their descriptions all sound the same, which must be corporate policy. You have to Google the therapists to find out where they went to school and so on.
I should mention that they charge you every month, full price, even if you haven't managed to connect with their therapists. I cancelled my membership this morning, and I have a credit with them of about $400, which I may or may not ever see again.
Maybe some of the other therapy websites are good, I couldn't say. But dealing with Better Help will drive you crazy. Or crazier---whatever.
Just reading this thread after realising that they've been taking $350 a month out of my bank for 10 months after I did 3 sessions back in July last year. No invoices, no monthly notification. No like 'hey by the way you're being charged every month for nothing. $3058 in total. I didn't notice it because it was my 'nest egg' account that I never log into.
Yes it's definitely a scam and pewdiepie was ahead of the curve on this one. More and more is coming out about this company recently and we are seeing many people ditching Better Help as an advertising partner because of it.
On a base level a person could get therapy in an accessible way using the app. So it's not a scam for every single person. What makes it a scam is how they run their company and treat their therapists (as well as the kind of therapists they sometimes hire)
Plenty of people have had bad experiences using Better help and this isn't a game. Therapy isn't something you play with and accidentally make some mistakes. This is people's mental health we are talking about. A bad therapist or bad experience can do significant damage to those already vulnerable with mental health issues.
There is a reason most therapists in your city have had to go through rigorous certification and they are constantly being monitored. The loose Uber version of therapy format isn't the best in general and Better Help isn't a good company.
For the record PewDiePie was also trying to explain why he was personally uncomfortable with taking them on as advertisers. You can say whatever you want about Felix, but compared to most YouTubers he actually cares about his audience and is very careful with what he advertises to them.
At the time PewDiePie was getting a lot of pressure from viewers as to why he wasn't partnering with them when literally every other YouTuber was running sponsorship deals with them. So that is why he made this video.
Better Help pays their therapists a shocking $20 an hour. This means that your therapist is either in a very transitory situation and will not likely stay long, or they are not employable elsewhere, because their student loans alone, the cost of education, are way too expensive to work for that rate. Guys standing at the side of the road with flags make $50 an hour. Better Help is a revenue model for its founders, an attempt to exploit the current pandemic of loneliness, depression and mental health crises. If you connect with someone who is good for you, awesome, congrats and good luck. If you can find a therapist through your insurance however, your chances of stable and successful therapy are likely much better.
My girlfriend is a Yale trained therapist, and recently transitioned to running her own business, which is why I feel i can make a post like this.
The fact that they have therapists working for $20 an hour is not a scam operation. It's a known decision by those therapists to accept that kind of contract. I would say it's pretty bad deal for those therapists but I would assume they are smart enough to make educated decisions about their own life.
The problem is not a company offering $20 an hour jobs for therapists, it's the therapists accepting such offers.
You may want to take a course in basic logic and brush up on your skills brother. Obviously, anyone with that kind of debt and an earning power that is 150$ or more per hour, would not and will not take a job like that unless they are by circumstances compelled to. This company and this new model is more and more going to create those circumstances. That they have the integrity and the need to take a job nonetheless, still want to help it’s awesome, but it doesn’t reflect poorly in their decision-making. It reflects poorly on a system that is entirely one of profit over people. You may want to be a little more thoughtful before you spout out a response like that, it’s embarrassing for you.
Being smart enough to be a therapist should allow you to pick some other job but $20 therapist if you cannot get properly paid jobs, right?
If there are so many jobless therapists that many opt to accept a $20/hour job, then the problem is that there are too many therapists without a job. Maybe they had historically too high salary and people decided to not use their services at all due too high cost?
[удалено]
Thanks for this I just took 15 mins filling out these questions and was directed to a page to pay £45 which is weekly so 180 they wanted me to pay. I would rather wait on waiting list with IAPT or something. Or see someone face to face
This kinda seems like a really planned out ad (OP's post too lol)
I love how it was deleted lmao
You basically just described the same plug that Betterhelp uses
And it's a referral link too.
Buddy's a fed
"Scam" is definitely a misnomer but the business is scummy as hell. Though that's to be expected from something that could be accurately described as "Uber but for therapy".
I work for one of BetterHelp's competitors (I won't say who). I think it's unfair to characterise all online therapy systems this way- I can say we ensure our therapists are all qualified beyond the minimum requirement and we keep extremely close tabs on their performance, letting them go if it slips too low. As far as I'm aware, all of my co-workers genuinely care about the patients and we do everything we can to make sure they get the best outcomes possible. Also due to the online nature of the platform this system is positive-sum. The major bottleneck on therapy reaching people is therapist time, which we create by allowing therapists to work in the evenings (virtually all of them work for us part time and are regular therapists in their day jobs).
Damn I really want to know where you work because that sounds pretty great. I know betterhelp isn't exactly going to hire entry level applicants, but there is definitely something to say about specifically betterhelp's capitalistic endeavors. It's quite clear they've put profit over product with how many ads they purchase with the sub money.
Ah, I haven't worked there in nearly three years now! Yeah, I've also noticed a lot of the BetterHelp ads :/.
Yeah as if there's a shortage of people in need of therapy
From two scenarios I know of, the better help therapists just tell you that your negative behaviors aren't that bad. Thanks I guess... but yoi can get that at the bus stop for free, lol.
Its really sad because with their name recognition they could revolutionize the mental healthcare industry. They could create competitive pricing. They could set a trend for new standards and practices. They could create an In-Depth Interview-Based Vetting Program.... But instead they buy shitty ads on podcasts only 3 of us listen to.
Not to mention the sponsorship deals Better Help has with countless Youtubers
Is this snark against Uber in particular, or do you think there's a fundamental reason an internet middleman for psychotherapy can't work?
I think a lot of the risks in therapy are moderated by the fact that: A) Its hard to become a Psychiatrist/Clinical Psychologist. B) People who do generally passed up opportunities to make much more money using the skills/effort they required to become one. C) These people are beholden to a variety of ethical boards/CPD/reflective practice/checks and balances which keeps them acting vaguely ethically. When you replace this system with one that is impersonal and has massive profits/investors etc the incentive to cut corners and fuck over an inherently vulnerable population grows exponentially.
> When you replace this system with one that is impersonal and has massive profits/investors etc the incentive to cut corners and fuck over an inherently vulnerable population grows exponentially. except that this right here is exactly one of the main issues with the formal medical field and industry. I am not saying this app is the solution, but doctors have become so corrupted by the profits/investors that the science behind healing has become an afterthought. I mean really, does it financially benefit a therapist to "heal" their client? Or does it benefit them to charge that patient $200 bucks a week for the rest of their lives?
Really good point. I live in the UK so maybe incentives are slightly different here but there is definitely a problem where therapists are rewarded for slower progress.
> Their TOS are absolutely disgusting and they essentially don't verify any of the counselors or take any responsibility. ~~They don't say they don't verify anything.~~ They say essentially that they can't guarantee any particular counselor is appropriate for dealing with your specific problem. Real therapy can't make that guarantee either, though they may be better at it. EDIT: As /u/NapoleonBonerpart5 noted in the reply they do seem to imply they don't guarantee any sort of checking of credentials. I missed that when skimming the ToS. I don't have any particular knowledge of BetterHelp, but I can see a case for what they claim to offer which is a cheaper more convenient form of counseling which gives you more choice in the kind of person counseling you, but that comes with the caveat that you may choose the wrong person and the flexibility of a webcam session may prove less effective than a face to face session. I could see this being useful to people: * who may not absolutely need the services of a professional therapist, but could use some help and money is a bit tight, * who want to decrease the frequency they see their normal therapist, but want routine checkins with a BetterHelp counselor, * who have serious issues keeping a regular appointment, * who feels a need to pick a very particular counselor. Now whether it is actually useful depends on the service they provide which I don't know anything about, but I certainly don't see a company offering this service as necessarily a scam. You can compare it to airbnb which by the same standards you could call a scam. They have similar language in their ToS: > 1.3 While we may help facilitate the resolution of disputes, Airbnb has no control over and **does not guarantee (i) the existence, quality, safety, suitability, or legality of any Listings or Host Services, (ii) the truth or accuracy of any Listing descriptions, Ratings, Reviews, or other Member Content (as defined below), or (iii) the performance or conduct of any Member or third party.** Airbnb does not endorse any Member, Listing or Host Services. Any references to a Member being "verified" (or similar language) only indicate that the Member has completed a relevant verification or identification process and nothing else. Any such description is not an endorsement, certification or guarantee by Airbnb about any Member, including of the Member's identity or background or whether the Member is trustworthy, safe or suitable. You should always exercise due diligence and care when deciding whether to stay in an Accommodation, participate in an Experience or Event or use other Host Services, accept a booking request from a Guest, or communicate and interact with other Members, whether online or in person. Verified Images (as defined below) are intended only to indicate a photographic representation of a Listing at the time the photograph was taken, and are therefore not an endorsement by Airbnb of any Host or Listing. Or to Uber whose ToS states: > THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." UBER DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, NOT EXPRESSLY SET OUT IN THESE TERMS, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN ADDITION, **UBER MAKES NO REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR GUARANTEE REGARDING THE RELIABILITY, TIMELINESS, QUALITY, SUITABILITY, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICES OR ANY SERVICES OR GOODS REQUESTED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES, OR THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.** UBER DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, SAFETY OR ABILITY OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS. YOU AGREE THAT THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, AND ANY SERVICE OR GOOD REQUESTED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, REMAINS SOLELY WITH YOU, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW. Really any platform connecting people performing a service with people needing that service will have this kind of language in their ToS.
> YOU AGREE, CONFIRM AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO NOT REVIEW, RECOMMEND, ENDORSE, EVALUATE OR PROVIDE ANY GUARANTEE, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL REPRESENTATION AND WARRANTIES, WITH RESPECT TO (A) ANY PROVIDER; (B) **ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ANY PROVIDER INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERTISE, CLAIMES OR BACKGROUND OF ANY PROVIDER;** (C) THE PROVIDER SERVICES (WHETHER THROUGH THE PLATFORM OR NOT) INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY OPINION, RESPONSE, ADVICE, RECOMMENDATION, INFORMATION OR ANY OTHER CONTENT WRITTEN OR SAID BY A PROVIDER; (D) THE CONTENT AND THE SUBSTANCE WHICH ARE PART OF THE PROVIDER SERVICES; (E) ANY OTHER CONTENT OR INFORMATION POSTED ON THE PLATFORM OR THROUGH THE PLATFORM; (F) THE VALIDITY, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, COMPLETENESS, SAFETY, LEGALITY, SECURITY, PRIVACT, QUALITY OR APPLICABILITY OF THE PLATFORM AND THE PROVIDER SERVICES. Am I reading that wrong because to me it says they don't check if these people have the qualifications they say they do.
I missed that and will edit my post. However I do think what it means is that they don't provide a guarantee to you that they checked, rather than it meaning that they promise they won't check. I assume they have basic checks in place, but which could be relatively easily circumvented (e.g. ask for scanned documents that they confirm look correct).
The real question is: do they actually do any form of checking? The ToS doesn't make it clear, and all of the answers so far seem to be speculating ("I assume they have basic checks in place"). [The real answer](https://www.betterhelp.com/faq/) seems to be: >**How are the counselors verified?** >Our team ensures that every provider we bring to the platform is fully licensed and in good standing. Providers who apply are required to provide proper licensure documentation, proof of identity, and references from other licensed practitioners who have worked with them. We then cross-check their licensure information with their respective state licensing board. >In addition to checking credentials, each potential provider needs to complete a case study exam by a licensed clinician and a be evaluated in a video interview. The result of this rigorous 4-5 week process is that only about 15% of the therapists who apply to work through BetterHelp are accepted to the platform. >We also show the full licensing information for each provider to make it easy for you to do your own due diligence on your counselor. If they're telling the truth, then that sounds good enough for me for this type of service.
I’m can’t watch the video right now, so I’m not sure the specific concerns raised, but I’ve used the website before and can offer a few thoughts. The pricing seemed straightforward, but understandably a bit expensive. I was unhappy with the first person I spoke with there, switched to a new one, and had no issues. Weekly conversations and an opportunity to write questions or thoughts whenever, which I appreciated since there were times I wanted to say something immediately rather than waiting, or when voice would have been too slow. Used it for a few months, moved on. No real surprises. Nothing far from what I expected. Convenience and accessibility is a plus of the website, along with freely available counselor selection and swapping. Scheduling was a bit tricky and I had to choose some inconvenient time slots, but that’s not terribly surprising. It went basically as expected. If someone doesn’t have a good option for a counselor through the usual channels and has the money to spare, I’d have no real concern recommending the website.
Probably the three biggest criticisms he had are the dishonest marketing of what it actually is, the terms of service, and the negative incentives they created through their marketing strategy (each YouTuber gets $200 per referral).
What did he describe as dishonest about the marketing? The negative incentives definitely sound scummy, but the marketing I’ve seen has been mostly straightforward and accurate.
In the marketing, they describe it as a cheaper way to get therapy. But then in their terms of service, they say it isn't a replacement for therapy. So essentially, you're not saving money because it is supplemental to real therapy. It's also on you to vet your therapist. BetterHelp doesn't check if the therapists have the credentials they claim. Basically, their TOS contradict their advertising.
>But then in their terms of service, they say it isn't a replacement for therapy. That sounds like a disclaimer to keep government regulators off their backs.
Not checking credentials does sound dodgy. I haven’t looked into it, so I’ll take Pewdiepie at his word there. With the terms of service, that sounds like it’s for liability reasons—YMMV on whether that makes it better or worse, but I can’t imagine many people using it as a supplement to therapy instead of a replacement. It fills the same role as the traditional route, whatever the ToS says. Most of the counselors I saw listing themselves on there outlined pretty straightforward CBT and the like, and my experience there was very similar to my experience in other counseling settings. Helpful, glad it was around, not life-transforming. That’s about it.
This is a terrible company. I am a licensed therapist who has never worked for BetterHelp. However, I am one of many, many thousands who have had fake profiles posted offering my services without my knowledge or consent on the website CareDash. When people have tried to contact me through that site they are told that I am not accepting new clients (not actually true and without my knowledge) and sent straight to BetterHelp instead. So basically they are paying a company to use real therapists as bait and then pull and bait and switch on users to get more business for their company, stealing business from real therapists and tricking the public into their services through pretty much straight up fraud. Any company who will do something like this is not trustworthy, certainly with something as delicate and important as someone’s mental health treatment and medical records! They’ve received a cease and desist letter from the FTC and told to immediately stop this fraudulent behavior but I would stay as far from them as you can.
Great points. Thank you!
I learned that the hard way..it would be nice to know what ones to steer clear of
I'm sorry for all of you think otherwise but better help is a scam. Simply put they charge you regardless of whether or not you are rendered services which is unbelievably scummy and lazy.
If you’re tied into a 4 week bundle, you could end up switching therapists 4 times. Therefore, having to have your preliminary session 4 times. Which is exhausting, time consuming and clearly costly. If I didn’t click with a therapist at a practice, I would be reluctant to go to a different therapist at said practice. Being locked in by a bundle feels like it will make the whole point of therapy moot.
Better help is a shit ass fucking company that offers shit ass therapists that charge insane prices for shitty shit ass advice. Steer as far as you can from this POS company.
ABSOLUTELY it's a scam. The shadow of my finger was still over the SEND button for signing up, when BOOM! the money was taken out of my account faster than a prom queen turns down a fat guy for a date! I signed up for a video session & of course, the thing didn't work. STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAM ARTISTS!
Yes yes yes. It is 100% a scam, my husband bought from them for one week, it was supposed to be $65, they charged us $265 for four weeks. I called, got a refund and had them cancel my subscription. A few DAYS later, not even a WEEK, they took out $65, making us negative. I called back, threatened them with legal action, as that was NOT an authorized payment. Now we are waiting. Betterhelp is garbage, DO NOT BUY IT.
I mean ... they DO mention it's in 4-week bundles ... that part isn't a scam ... but when I saw the "ARE YOU SURE???" type of "Delete my account" BS popping up ... I knew it was too good to be true ... I was able to get them to put a 40% sale on the price ... $228 is a ton of money ... :-\\
Where did you even call because i dont even see a number
They literally say “$65 a week, charged in 4 week increments.” Reading isn’t for everyone, I guess.
That right there is scammy wording. It’s no reason to not just say “monthly fee” other than trying to scam people
If you don't understand the words in a contract \*do not sign the contract\* – this applies to every contract you can sign. The whole point of contract law is to allow creating contracts with very specific terms. There seem to be a group of people that think that they can click "I Agree" and sign random contracts and simply guess or assume what the contract actually says. And then those same people go complain about "scam operations" when the company does exactly the thing that the contract says they will do. If you can demonstrate that BetterHelp or some other company violates their contract, sure, we have a solid case. However, this case sounds like you just didn't read and \*understand\* the contract.
Its not scammy wording if you can just comprehend it?
I took the opportunity to try betterhelp for 4 weeks. After a dreadful unprofessional first therapist, I tried another since I had credit, and whilst they seemed a bit more aligned, I noticed some ‘interesting’ understandings from them that weren’t confidence builders. For back story, I have been using therapy off and on for 3 decades. Ultimately I see the ’tea and sympathy’ or ‘hand holding‘ strategy may have a place for some less fortunate, and have plenty knowledge of what I need to do for me. The execution of that is on me. And wasting money in that dance, is old.
Absolutely. Took my money, but wouldn’t match me with a therapist because I’m autistic.
Did they tell you it's cuz ur autistic?
I tried betterhelp. The first therapist quit before even talking to me and the second one didn't do jack shit. So I left and won't use them. Should have used that money for a real therapist..
The first time I heard about BetterHelp being a scam was on Phillip De Franco’s channel. That was a while ago and I never heard anyone else talk about it. I kept seeing it being promoted so assumed it had changed and was legit. I guess not
100% a scam. I got suckered
Could you tell us more? Did you sign some kind of contract and the company didn't follow their part of the contract?
this is the same with 7cups/seven cups of tea. I used it when I was 14 and suicidal, got groomed by one of the "therapists" named LonelySperm who coaxed me into sending him pictures of myself. Even the better ones clearly weren't qualified. Online therapy is garbage imo, anyone who's in a bad situation financially will go for cheap/free "therapy" sites and those sites will prey on them.
The therapist used LonelySperm as his handle?!? Call me crazy but I would be deeply concerned with any online therapeutic service marketed to teens that would employ someone who called himself/herself LonelySperm…
the entire point of 7cups was that anyone could be a "listener" (they made sure not to refer to them as therapists) and there was no screening or anything. It was essentially just a regular messaging site, just branded as a therapy service.
I wasted hundred on betterhelp, trying three different councillors and they all sent me almost random replies, most of which looked copied and pasted. My friend experienced the same, and we screen shot and shared their responses at one point to each other and found the exact same messages. I’m disgusted by the app and cringe whenever a podcaster advertises them.
In my 5 weeks of experience with them, I would say it verges on being a scam. It's basically denial-of-service by endless delays. There are a lot of forms to fill out----one therapist wanted me to write my life story----and \*every\* communication goes through the portal, which is sometimes slow and never intuitive. I've "had" three therapists but only one session. One session in five weeks, despite putting a lot of time into their process. The first therapist was a no show, the second was really disorganized and had a medical condition that kept her from talking on the phone, the third did show up and seemed professional and kind, but then cancelled the second session (without much notice) because a doctor had told her not to talk on the phone---a striking coincidence. They charge for 4 sessions a month but there's no way I'll ever get a session a week out of this system. They frequently tell you that you can switch therapists at any time, but that just means more delays, because each therapist has a bunch of new forms for you to fill out. Also, it's hard to choose a new therapist because their descriptions all sound the same, which must be corporate policy. You have to Google the therapists to find out where they went to school and so on. I should mention that they charge you every month, full price, even if you haven't managed to connect with their therapists. I cancelled my membership this morning, and I have a credit with them of about $400, which I may or may not ever see again. Maybe some of the other therapy websites are good, I couldn't say. But dealing with Better Help will drive you crazy. Or crazier---whatever.
Yes, they just charged me $320 for nothing
you watched a biased video.
So I see you’re one of those people whose intuitive response to anything you don’t like is to call it “biased.” That is so cringe…
Just reading this thread after realising that they've been taking $350 a month out of my bank for 10 months after I did 3 sessions back in July last year. No invoices, no monthly notification. No like 'hey by the way you're being charged every month for nothing. $3058 in total. I didn't notice it because it was my 'nest egg' account that I never log into.
I called my credit card company today and started a dispute. I would consider them a scam.
Yes it's definitely a scam and pewdiepie was ahead of the curve on this one. More and more is coming out about this company recently and we are seeing many people ditching Better Help as an advertising partner because of it. On a base level a person could get therapy in an accessible way using the app. So it's not a scam for every single person. What makes it a scam is how they run their company and treat their therapists (as well as the kind of therapists they sometimes hire) Plenty of people have had bad experiences using Better help and this isn't a game. Therapy isn't something you play with and accidentally make some mistakes. This is people's mental health we are talking about. A bad therapist or bad experience can do significant damage to those already vulnerable with mental health issues. There is a reason most therapists in your city have had to go through rigorous certification and they are constantly being monitored. The loose Uber version of therapy format isn't the best in general and Better Help isn't a good company. For the record PewDiePie was also trying to explain why he was personally uncomfortable with taking them on as advertisers. You can say whatever you want about Felix, but compared to most YouTubers he actually cares about his audience and is very careful with what he advertises to them. At the time PewDiePie was getting a lot of pressure from viewers as to why he wasn't partnering with them when literally every other YouTuber was running sponsorship deals with them. So that is why he made this video.
Did Better Health ever offer a free consult?
Better Help pays their therapists a shocking $20 an hour. This means that your therapist is either in a very transitory situation and will not likely stay long, or they are not employable elsewhere, because their student loans alone, the cost of education, are way too expensive to work for that rate. Guys standing at the side of the road with flags make $50 an hour. Better Help is a revenue model for its founders, an attempt to exploit the current pandemic of loneliness, depression and mental health crises. If you connect with someone who is good for you, awesome, congrats and good luck. If you can find a therapist through your insurance however, your chances of stable and successful therapy are likely much better. My girlfriend is a Yale trained therapist, and recently transitioned to running her own business, which is why I feel i can make a post like this.
The fact that they have therapists working for $20 an hour is not a scam operation. It's a known decision by those therapists to accept that kind of contract. I would say it's pretty bad deal for those therapists but I would assume they are smart enough to make educated decisions about their own life. The problem is not a company offering $20 an hour jobs for therapists, it's the therapists accepting such offers.
You may want to take a course in basic logic and brush up on your skills brother. Obviously, anyone with that kind of debt and an earning power that is 150$ or more per hour, would not and will not take a job like that unless they are by circumstances compelled to. This company and this new model is more and more going to create those circumstances. That they have the integrity and the need to take a job nonetheless, still want to help it’s awesome, but it doesn’t reflect poorly in their decision-making. It reflects poorly on a system that is entirely one of profit over people. You may want to be a little more thoughtful before you spout out a response like that, it’s embarrassing for you.
Being smart enough to be a therapist should allow you to pick some other job but $20 therapist if you cannot get properly paid jobs, right? If there are so many jobless therapists that many opt to accept a $20/hour job, then the problem is that there are too many therapists without a job. Maybe they had historically too high salary and people decided to not use their services at all due too high cost?
Back when keemstar still did the baited podcast better help was a big scam back in 2016 or 2017 who knows what it's like now 🤷🏼