Benefits
- Offers writing prompts to help you journal your thoughts and feelings
- Memberships include weekly therapy and support group sessions
- Offers financial assistance to those who qualify
The inconvenients
- Does not accept insurance
- The exact price depends on your location, therapist preferences and availability.
Best help is an online therapy platform that offers an app that subscribers can download from Google game or the App store. The app allows you to attend weekly therapy sessions using only live chat, video, or audio. The app’s journal feature lets you track your thoughts and goals. For therapy with a journaling option, BetterHelp is our top choice.
THE National Alliance on Mental Illness states that journaling is one of the most effective and simple coping mechanisms for managing mental illness. Of the 200 people who responded to our review team’s January 2023 BetterHelp survey, 61% said they liked the online journal and used it often.
Our evaluation team counted nearly 75 journal prompts, related to topics like depression, anxiety, and relationships, as well as general questions about the user’s health. The journal also offers the option to write on a blank page if you don’t want to use a prompt.
Each Best help The subscription includes one 30-45 minute therapy session per week, with the length of each session depending on your needs and your therapist’s schedule.
On BetterHelp, you and your therapist can incorporate journaling into therapy sessions, or you can use it as part of a self-care routine.
You can also attend one of 200 weekly 90-minute support group sessions led by BetterHelp therapists. With your subscription, you are allowed to join a group. Sessions take place at the same time each week and with the same participants, unless someone joins or leaves the group. According to our January 2023 survey of 200 BetterHelp users, group sessions are a popular addition to online therapy, with 94% of respondents saying they attend a group session at least once a month.
BetterHelp costs between $240 and $360 per month, with the exact cost depending on your location, therapist availability and preferences. It doesn’t accept insurance, but it does accept Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) dollars. One focus group participant said BetterHelp was found to be cheaper than mental health care thanks to her insurance, so it’s worth comparing costs to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
BetterHelp App Reviews
On the App store, BetterHelp gets 4.8 out of 5 stars from nearly 95,000 reviews. On Google game, it gets 4.6 stars out of 5 from over 36,000 ratings. Positive reviews mention the app’s convenience for live therapy sessions, group sessions, and journaling. Negative reviews mention that the app can sometimes be slow and crash. According to our January 2023 survey of 200 BetterHelp users, 66% of respondents said they were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their experience, 13% felt neutral about it, and 21% said they were dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with their experience. .
