Is Betterhelp providing a better help than standard psychologists?
Betterhelp is an e-counseling platform where you get access to licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists to help you through life challenges at any time and anywhere. This platform has taken over most of the physical therapy sessions with a standard psychologist. The primary concern of a therapist is the mental health of their patient. This article will explore the effectiveness and convenience of the services offered by Betterhelp compared to a standard psychologist on patients and why most of the Betterhelp reviews are positive.
Advantages of Betterhelp.
1. Time saver
By engaging with Betterhelp, you will save time as their services can be accessed via any digital gadget at any place you are in the world. Their therapists are available twenty-four hours, making it easier for you to schedule a session with them. Visiting a therapist in an office can be time-consuming and inconvenient as traveling is involved. In case of traffic, the sessions might be delayed.
2. Economical
Opting for an online therapist can be less costly as you will not incur any extra cost for transport or gas. When engaging an office-based therapist, you have to go deeper into your pocket to pay for your transport in addition to the therapy fees making it expensive.
3. Value for Money
At the onset of the therapy sessions, you might not be sure if they can open up fully the therapist you have been matched up with on the platform. Betterhelp gives you a chance to switch your therapists until you get the one that you are comfortable with. This is not the case with visiting an office-based therapist, as you are not provided with such flexibility.
Online therapy platforms like Betterhelp give you a wide range of qualified and certified therapists with an extensive experience level as they have interacted with patients globally, giving them enough exposure to handling patients better. Standard psychiatrist sessions give you a chance for only one therapist who probably is not expensively exposed globally, and it might be hard for them to handle certain situations.
4. Flexibility
Physical location is well covered at Betterhelp as you can engage with a therapist regardless of your location at any time. This is not the case with attending therapy sessions physically as it needs you to be there physically, thus limiting you only to therapists within your location. Getting to the therapist can be a problem for physically challenged patients who often opt for online therapy. This might lead you to receive substandard services.
5. Convenience
Betterhelp will give you the freedom to communicate with your therapist in your comfort place. Whether you are in your house or your office, you can continue with your sessions. Office-based psychiatrists will make you leave your place of comfort for the sessions. This is despite the climate conditions or how you generally feel.
6. Comfort
Some instances and patients' experiences might be so damaging to the extent that they won't be comfortable expressing themselves to a therapist that they see physically as they might feel judged. This gives Betterhelp an upper hand as such patients feel safe and free to express themselves to someone online. The therapist's presence online anytime gives the patient more confidence to talk anytime, thus fastening the healing process.
Disadvantages of Betterhelp.
1. Lack of body language incorporation
Body language plays an essential role during therapy. It helps the therapist to understand the patient better. This is available only with physical visits to a psychiatrist. Betterhelp provides its services overlooking the body language; thus, the advice is given mostly is not incorporated with the physical expression of the patient. This might lead to the ineffectiveness of the sessions.
2. Not suitable for Patients with critical mental illness
Patients have different levels of mental illness. It will not be suitable for a patient with severe psychiatric illness to opt for Betterhelp as a physically available psychiatrist best provides the attention needed for them. Some patients might be breaking down during the session, and all they need to calm down is a hug, which cannot be available when using Betterhelp, thus taking more time to heal compared to when they attend physical sessions.
3. Payment mode regidity
Most office-based Psychiatrists within your locality operate with payment terms accepting insurance covers. This makes it easier for a patient who needs help and they don’t have cash at hand to pay for the sessions. Betterhelp being an online platform, does not accept your insurance cover as a mode of payment, thus inconvenient if you need help and don’t have cash at hand to pay for the sessions.
4. Not suitable for areas with connection faults
For a patient to access Betterhelp services, they need a stable internet connection and power connectivity. This might not always be the case as internet stability is not guaranteed in all locations globally; thus, one cannot attend the scheduled sessions in case of internet interruptions. On the other hand, attending physical sessions is not subject to any internet fluctuations.
5. Online distractions
During a physical session with the therapist, distractions are minimized as all you have at hand is talking to them. While conversing with a therapist on the Betterhelp platform, you are prone to many distractions online, such as adverts, Facebook or Instagram notifications, messages, etc. Achieving your set goal for the session becomes a challenge as you are not fully available.
Conclusion
The standard psychiatrists are doing a great job helping people with their mental health. A mentally healthy person can execute their responsibilities well and interact with other people calmly. Standard psychiatrists are physically available for their patients, and this is essential in the healing process. With the advancement of technology and the current pandemic situation, Betterhelp plays an essential role in people's mental health in the community.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, people are going through difficult situations and thus affecting their mental health. Because it's advised to avoid contact with many people, Betterhelp has given the solution to getting mental health medication from your comfort zone. In conclusion, Betterhelp is playing a pivotal role in promoting mental health as they are available to give mental treatment at any time. Standard psychiatrists are critical in giving mental treatment but not as reachable as Betterhelp.
References
Theraplatform (2017): Advantages of Online Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.theraplatform.com/blog/249/advantages-of-online-therapy
Kendra.C.(2020): The Pros and Cons of Online Therapy.Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-therapy-2795225
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