Therapists using the bathroom during sessions, making degrading comments, and giving out advice so bad that patients quit therapy altogether are just some of the complaints lodged against employees of BetterHelp, an online counseling company. Experts have described what they allege to be “shady” and “unethical” practices used by America’s biggest digital therapy provider. The company is assused of employing under-qualified therapists, pushing it’s therapists to take on overwhelming case loads, and offering unprofessional guidance that could potentially hurt a patient’s mental health. A spokesperson for BetterHelp denied the claims, saying the company does not hire unqualified practitioners, that its therapists do not give out detrimental advice, and that the company does not release private data. Monae Hendrickson said she signed up for BetterHelp in August 2023 because she was undergoing a major career change and struggling with the drastic shift in her life. She said the lack of professionalism from her therapist was noticeable within the first few minutes of her first session. The provider began revealing personal details, including the fact that she had 11 guinea pigs and didn’t see patients on Fridays because she spent the day making salads for them. Hendrickson called the provider patronizing and said she was told that “it’s natural to want to do big things, even if it’s never going to happen for you.” After that comment, Hendrickson stopped seeing the therapist. Jake LiBiassi is another patient who took to social media to complain about BetterHelp. “When you pay $80 an hour for therapy and they can’t stop talking about themselves, it’s time to stop therapy." Social media is rife with negative comments about the counseling service. Clinical psychologist Ali Mattu chimed in saying, “There are a myriad of reasons people put off therapy: stigma, money, anxiety. If someone is able to overcome all of those things and get help, and the first experience they have is a bad one, one where they feel like the person wasn’t listening to them, where they feel like it was crossing a boundary and didn’t seem professional, they’re probably not going to seek someone else for therapy.” That’s why he says he advises people to stay very far away from BetterHelp.
