How E-Counseling Platform BetterHelp is Reaching the LGBTQ Community

When times are tough, we like to believe that our lives are terminally unique. Nobody could understand our pain, anxiety, sorrow or depression. But our desire for human connection often transcends these heavy feelings. BetterHelp, the world's largest e-counseling service, has leveraged groundbreaking technology with a roster of nearly 16,000 licensed therapists ready to help.

Co-founders Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier conceived of BetterHelp to address their own wellness needs. The serial entrepreneurs saw a widening gap in access to mental health services. Relying on personal financial resources (and a lot of maxed-out credit cards), the pair assembled a team to build the platform using complex – and more importantly – objective algorithms to ensure success for both users and therapists. Their commitment and forward-thinking eventually paid off when global leader Teledoc Health acquired the company in its expanding mission to offer best-in-class virtual care services through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The LGBTQ population, in particular, has been hard-hit by the pandemic. Recent reports indicate the disparity facing the queer community, particularly with lack of access to community centers, group programs and our families of choice. BetterHelp, and its LGBTQ platform, PrideCounseling.com, support equality and acceptance by providing a safe space for every identity.

New users know they've found an inclusive space from the very first question: "What is your gender?" With eight options ranging from binary to gender-fluid, this immediate sense of inclusivity is a welcome change from the continued discrimination and obstacles faced as reported by the Center for American Progress.

How It Works

BetterHelp's proprietary algorithm – calculated through a detailed questionnaire for new users as well as evaluation and specialty determinations for its therapists – ensures that those seeking help will be matched with an appropriately qualified counselor.

Accepting only the best of the best, Better Help's therapists have been certified by their state's professional board with a minimum of three years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience. The four- to five-week vetting process yields only about a 15% acceptance rate to the platform, ensuring that BetterHelp users will receive the online support available.

As quickly as hours and no longer than a few days, BetterHelp will connect an appropriate counselor with a new user. Four communication options offer different ways, based on need, availability and convenience to engage.

Exchanged messages, live chat, video conferencing and a good old-fashioned phone call each offers unique benefits based on the user's comfort level and availability. And depending on the day or situation, they can be used interchangeably to create a useful toolbox for identifying, exploring and resolving many of the issues we face in our daily lives.

Anyone who has pursued counseling will likely identify with the soul-crushing costs and complexities in navigating health insurance billing or the astronomical out-of-pocket expense. With annual deductibles often soaring into the thousands, counseling can seem inaccessible. BetterHelp's dynamic billing structure is based on a flat weekly rate (billed monthly) and averages between $60 and $90 – far less than the hundreds of dollars it costs in metropolitan centers like New York City. But affordability must go hand in hand with effectiveness.

A study by JMIR Publications and conducted by researchers from the University of California - Berkeley, University of California - San Francisco, and the San Francisco General Hospital concluded that "Users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform. Study findings suggest that this intervention is equally effective across gender, self-reported financial status, and self-reported physical health status and particularly effective for individuals without a history of psychotherapy."

"I was nervous to start this process, but Andrew's style has been a good match for me–or he perceived what I needed to open up and has adapted well! He did not rush me into things and also talks and engages instead of having all the pressure on me for long monologues."
Written by BetterHelp user J.E. after counseling with Andrew Kohlhepp for two weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.

"Shannon is the best therapist I've ever had, which is strange to say as we are geographically nowhere near each other. She offers different perspectives and challenges me to look at things differently."
Written by BetterHelp user K.E. after counseling with Shannon Hilliker for two months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, and anger management.

"Dr. Porter listens to my concerns and helps me analyze them. Speaking with her feels like speaking with a wise friend that I have known for many years, although we have not known each other long."
Written by BetterHelp user K.A. after counseling with Dr. Athena Porter for five months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and anger management.

If you are in a crisis or any other person may be in danger, these resources can provide you with immediate help.