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Just like you can shop around for the perfect white tee, you can also shop around to find the right therapist and even the right type of therapy. In fact, it’s kind of encouraged. Groupon Coupons partnered with Betterhelp for Mental Health Awareness Month to give you the tools you need to become a savvy shopper.
There are several things to consider, and the most important are:
- Your goals
- Your comfort
- Convenience
- Cost
Setting Goals for Therapy
Identifying a goal for therapy is a great way to get started. It can be as simple as thinking about what's going on in your life and what you would like to improve. Some examples can be negative thought patterns, imposter syndrome at work, relationship problems, or grief. Knowing up front what you would like to change or address will help your therapist determine the right kind of therapy for you. Betterhelp has a guide to different types of therapy that can help you explore the options.
Mental Health Awareness Month Deal: Get 25% Off First Month of Betterhelp
Finding the Right Therapist for You
The goal of every mental health professional is to create a safe and comfortable space to talk about and explore your emotions. That’s why it’s imperative to find a therapist that works for you and your goals. Betterhelp makes this step easy with an online quiz to match with a therapist based on your current wants and needs.
Betterhelp has more than 35,000 licensed providers on its platform, so gathering this background information helps quickly narrow down the choices for you. It takes just a few minutes to fill out and there are prompts along the way so you know how and why the information is important.
Once you’ve finished, Betterhelp will generate a therapist match that might work for you. From there, you can schedule a phone consultation to go over your goals and the types of therapy you’re interested in. The consultation is your chance to gauge your level of comfort and fit with the therapist. The end goal is for you to get the support you need, so make sure you take an active role in finding the right fit. And if you aren’t comfortable with your provider, Betterhelp makes it easy to switch with just the click of a button.
Online Therapy is Convenient
Once of the best parts of Betterhelp, and online therapy in general, is how convenient it is for everyone involved. Telehealth therapy eliminates a lot of the time commitment because you don’t have to commute for in-person sessions and you can do it from almost anywhere (that’s private and quiet with wifi).
Betterhelp offers several options to connect with your therapist:
- Text
- Chat
- Phone
- Video
Therapy is a commitment, but it can be flexible enough to fit your schedule, your needs, and your goals. Betterhelp goes one step further and gives you access to your therapist’s full work schedule so you can see what is available and find the best time slot for you.
Therapy Costs with Betterhelp
Betterhelp, along with most online therapy platforms, does not work directly with insurance to cover the costs of therapy. That alone does not mean it is more expensive than traditional therapy. Betterhelp averages $70–$100 per week for most users, which is comparable with most health insurance plans. And Betterhelp is an elgible health care expense for most HSA and FSA plans, which means you can pay for therapy using those funds. Betterhelp does not submit claims to any health insurers, including Medicare or Medicaid.
There is an upside to not using health insurance. With Betterhelp, you don’t have to worry about finding a therapist in network or deal with confusing and long-delayed billing cycles. The costs are clear upfront and you have a much larger roster of licensed providers at your disposal.
