Patients accuse BetterHelp therapists of dishing out bad advice
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Therapists using the bathroom during sessions, making degrading comments and giving out advice that made patients want to quit counseling altogether.
Experts, users and former employees of BetterHelp have described what they allege to be ‘shady' and ‘unethical' practices used by America's biggest digital therapy provider.
The company is accused of employing under-qualified staff, pushing its employees to take on overwhelming case loads and offering unprofessional guidance that could actually hurt a patient's mental health.
Even if you've never used their services, chances are you've come across their name.
For years, BetterHelp has dominated the internet with relentless advertising, rallying an army of podcasters, influencers and creators to flood your feeds with videos promoting the company and offering discount links.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for BetterHelp denied the claims that sources made to this website and said 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, a 28-year-old content creator, told DailyMail.com 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, like many others, had seen marketing for BetterHelp all over social media and as advertisements before videos by some of the biggest YouTube content creators.
Ms Hendrickson 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 that she had 11 guinea pigs and did not see patients on Fridays because she spent the day making salads for her pets.
Ms Hendrickson opened up to her therapist about her goals in life and how she felt like she was destined to do something great with her career.
The above shows the start of the signup process when seeking care through BetterHelp
Potential patients undergo a questionnaire to find the best provider for their needs
The signup process includes answering questions on motivations for wanting to attend therapy and any history of mental health issues
But the practitioner allegedly sent her a patronizing YouTube video to watch after their session that told her ‘it's natural to want to do big things even if it's never going to happen for you.'
Ms Hendrickson said she stopped seeing the therapist after that first session.
‘I would say that in extreme circumstances, if somebody didn't know what to do and this was kind of their last resort, it absolutely could be detrimental,' she told DailyMail.com.
Several TikTok videos and comments on social media have detailed similar instances.
Emeline O'Hara posted in a now-viral TikTok with more than 3million views that during her session, her provider ‘pulls down their pants and uses the toilet in front of me on camera.
‘They started to get up again, at which point I asked: "I'm sorry, hold on. Is this actually happening?" to which they responded, "Yes. Is there a problem?"'
Ms O'Hara alleged in her video that she immediately ended her session and contacted BetterHelp to report the incident.
She said in her video that the company did not do anything in response to her complaint and that she was so negatively affected by the experience, she no longer wanted to seek therapy at all.
BetterHelp later commented on her video that the behavior exhibited by the therapist was ‘against policy and warrants an internal quality assurance review.'
The company responded: 'We are sorry you had this experience. Behavior like this is against policy and warrants an internal quality assurance review at BetterHelp.
'Any therapists found to be in violation of our Terms or the ACA Code of Ethics are promptly removed from our platform.
'We can assure you that this complaint was handled in accordance with that process. Feel free to reach directly with any further questions you may have.'
Monae Hendrickson, a 28-year-old content creator, told DailyMail.com she signed up for BetterHelp in August 2023
New York City-based Jake LiBassi posted a recording of his therapy session captioned: ‘When you pay $80/hour for therapy but they can't stop talking about themselves.'
In it, his therapist can be heard talking about difficulties she is having with Facebook, laughing as the patient nods along silently.
The 31-year-old told DailyMail.com he went through four therapists in 2022 before landing on one he finally felt comfortable with.
But it wasn't long until his sessions allegedly became more about his therapist and less about him.
He told this website that over the three months he attended therapy on BetterHelp, his provider allegedly spent at least half of their 40-minute sessions talking about her life, including showing him pictures of her dogs and kids, as well as talking about the struggles she faced after her children were in a car accident.
Mr LiBassi told DailyMail.com: ‘I would ask, "Hey, how are you?" as a prompt, but it just evolved into a full update on where they lived, how many kids they had and how many dogs and she'd show pictures of her dogs and [talk about] life problems.
‘And, at the beginning, it was fine. Then a couple months in, I was like, this doesn't feel right. I'm curious if other people feel this way. Is this normal?
'I've never had therapy before. It feels like we're kind of [not] focused, or the attention is elsewhere. And I didn't feel like I was really getting any benefits from it.
‘I felt for this person but then I realized that this is therapy and now I'm feeling more for [her] than for myself. And I'm paying [her].'
The Brooklyn-based music producer took a break from therapy altogether, wsodownloads saying he was ‘discouraged' from seeking additional help.
He added: ‘I think it's tough for someone that is using BetterHelp as an entryway into therapy and not knowing better. It's a tough bar to start on and to grasp the understanding of what therapy is supposed to be.'
BetterHelp therapists are available via video chat, phone or text message
The above is an example of the messaging feature on BetterHelp between providers and patients
A spokesperson for BetterHelp told DailyMail.com it was 'false' to say its therapists provide no or bad advice during their sessions.
'Nearly all of BetterHelp clients who do their first session continue to have more sessions, far exceeding the industry standard,' the spokesperson said.
Still, this apparent crossing of boundaries and lack of professionalism has mental health providers extremely concerned.
Shahem McLaurin, a licensed social worker, told DailyMail.com the ‘use of self' or practice of self disclosure should be invoked very sparingly and only when it would directly benefit the patient.
McLaurin told DailyMail.com negative experiences like this in therapy can be very traumatizing: ‘[This] is something that can take someone who has already navigated and lived through trauma and bring that trauma back to the surface and trigger them again and worsen the trauma.
'The therapeutic relationship is supposed to be one that is safe and to be put in a position where that relationship is unsafe, it also discourages people from considering mental health help in the future.'
Dr Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist who produces therapy-related content for his quarter of a million followers, echoed this sentiment.
He said there are a myriad of reasons people put off therapy - stigma, money, anxiety.
He told DailyMail.com: ‘If someone is able to overcome all of those things and get help, and the first experience you have is a bad one, one where you feel like the person wasn't listening to you, where you feel like it was crossing a boundary, it didn't seem professional or it seemed very casual... you're probably not going to seek someone else for therapy.'
Dr Mattu added: 'It doesn't seem like [BetterHelp] really made it easy for users of this platform to communicate problems with their therapist and to get in touch with licensing boards who regulate these individuals.
‘So all of these things make me want to stay very much far away from this company.'
Ramsay Dean, a licensed social worker, posted on TikTok that he has concerns about the quality of the providers on BetterHelp
BetterHelp was founded in 2013 by Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier in Mountain View, California.
It was acquired by Teladoc, a virtual healthcare company, in 2015 for $4.5million and is now available across 200 countries in 44 languages.
The company states more than 4million people have received therapy through its platform.
In April 2024, Teladoc acting CEO Mala Murthy said BetterHelp brings in $1.1billion in annual revenue.
But in financial earnings released earlier this year, Teladoc said BetterHelp revenue fell in the first quarter of 2024 (January through March) by $269million - or four percent.
The company said this could be the result of a ‘loss of a significant number of members of BetterHelp paying users,' as well as ‘results of litigation.'
In 2022, a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission claimed BetterHelp revealed 5.6million people's emails, IP addresses and health questionnaire answers to Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest for advertising purposes, despite the company repeatedly telling consumers it would not disclose their personal information.
The complaint claimed BetterHelp used patients' emails and the knowledge they had previously been in therapy to instruct Facebook to identify similar potential customers and target them with advertising for the platform.
In 2023, the FTC banned BetterHelp from sharing patient data for advertising purposes and ordered the company to pay $7.8million to users ‘for deceiving consumers after promising to keep sensitive personal data private.'
BetterHelp told DailyMail.com that customers have to 'opt-in' for their data to be shared and used in this way.
BetterHelp advertises that users can get an appointment in as little as 48 hours
It isn't just patients who are having a negative experience, some providers on the platform have complained of being overworked and underpaid, quickly leading to burnout.
According to BetterHelp, it has more than 40,000 clinicians working on its platform, including clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, professional counselors and psychologists.
Psychologist Dr Mattu told this website that BetterHelp listed him as a clinician participating on the platform, despite having never signed up to offer his services, though DailyMail.com could not verify those claims.
Experts, users and former employees of BetterHelp have described what they allege to be ‘shady' and ‘unethical' practices used by America's biggest digital therapy provider.
The company is accused of employing under-qualified staff, pushing its employees to take on overwhelming case loads and offering unprofessional guidance that could actually hurt a patient's mental health.Even if you've never used their services, chances are you've come across their name.
For years, BetterHelp has dominated the internet with relentless advertising, rallying an army of podcasters, influencers and creators to flood your feeds with videos promoting the company and offering discount links.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for BetterHelp denied the claims that sources made to this website and said 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, a 28-year-old content creator, told DailyMail.com 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, like many others, had seen marketing for BetterHelp all over social media and as advertisements before videos by some of the biggest YouTube content creators.
Ms Hendrickson 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 that she had 11 guinea pigs and did not see patients on Fridays because she spent the day making salads for her pets.
Ms Hendrickson opened up to her therapist about her goals in life and how she felt like she was destined to do something great with her career.
The above shows the start of the signup process when seeking care through BetterHelp
Potential patients undergo a questionnaire to find the best provider for their needs
The signup process includes answering questions on motivations for wanting to attend therapy and any history of mental health issues
But the practitioner allegedly sent her a patronizing YouTube video to watch after their session that told her ‘it's natural to want to do big things even if it's never going to happen for you.'
Ms Hendrickson said she stopped seeing the therapist after that first session.
‘I would say that in extreme circumstances, if somebody didn't know what to do and this was kind of their last resort, it absolutely could be detrimental,' she told DailyMail.com.
Several TikTok videos and comments on social media have detailed similar instances.
Emeline O'Hara posted in a now-viral TikTok with more than 3million views that during her session, her provider ‘pulls down their pants and uses the toilet in front of me on camera.
‘They started to get up again, at which point I asked: "I'm sorry, hold on. Is this actually happening?" to which they responded, "Yes. Is there a problem?"'
Ms O'Hara alleged in her video that she immediately ended her session and contacted BetterHelp to report the incident.
She said in her video that the company did not do anything in response to her complaint and that she was so negatively affected by the experience, she no longer wanted to seek therapy at all.
BetterHelp later commented on her video that the behavior exhibited by the therapist was ‘against policy and warrants an internal quality assurance review.'
The company responded: 'We are sorry you had this experience. Behavior like this is against policy and warrants an internal quality assurance review at BetterHelp.
'Any therapists found to be in violation of our Terms or the ACA Code of Ethics are promptly removed from our platform.
'We can assure you that this complaint was handled in accordance with that process. Feel free to reach directly with any further questions you may have.'
Monae Hendrickson, a 28-year-old content creator, told DailyMail.com she signed up for BetterHelp in August 2023
New York City-based Jake LiBassi posted a recording of his therapy session captioned: ‘When you pay $80/hour for therapy but they can't stop talking about themselves.'
In it, his therapist can be heard talking about difficulties she is having with Facebook, laughing as the patient nods along silently.
The 31-year-old told DailyMail.com he went through four therapists in 2022 before landing on one he finally felt comfortable with.
But it wasn't long until his sessions allegedly became more about his therapist and less about him.
He told this website that over the three months he attended therapy on BetterHelp, his provider allegedly spent at least half of their 40-minute sessions talking about her life, including showing him pictures of her dogs and kids, as well as talking about the struggles she faced after her children were in a car accident.
Mr LiBassi told DailyMail.com: ‘I would ask, "Hey, how are you?" as a prompt, but it just evolved into a full update on where they lived, how many kids they had and how many dogs and she'd show pictures of her dogs and [talk about] life problems.
‘And, at the beginning, it was fine. Then a couple months in, I was like, this doesn't feel right. I'm curious if other people feel this way. Is this normal?
'I've never had therapy before. It feels like we're kind of [not] focused, or the attention is elsewhere. And I didn't feel like I was really getting any benefits from it.
‘I felt for this person but then I realized that this is therapy and now I'm feeling more for [her] than for myself. And I'm paying [her].'
The Brooklyn-based music producer took a break from therapy altogether, wsodownloads saying he was ‘discouraged' from seeking additional help.
He added: ‘I think it's tough for someone that is using BetterHelp as an entryway into therapy and not knowing better. It's a tough bar to start on and to grasp the understanding of what therapy is supposed to be.'
BetterHelp therapists are available via video chat, phone or text message
The above is an example of the messaging feature on BetterHelp between providers and patients
A spokesperson for BetterHelp told DailyMail.com it was 'false' to say its therapists provide no or bad advice during their sessions.
'Nearly all of BetterHelp clients who do their first session continue to have more sessions, far exceeding the industry standard,' the spokesperson said.
Still, this apparent crossing of boundaries and lack of professionalism has mental health providers extremely concerned.
Shahem McLaurin, a licensed social worker, told DailyMail.com the ‘use of self' or practice of self disclosure should be invoked very sparingly and only when it would directly benefit the patient.
McLaurin told DailyMail.com negative experiences like this in therapy can be very traumatizing: ‘[This] is something that can take someone who has already navigated and lived through trauma and bring that trauma back to the surface and trigger them again and worsen the trauma.
'The therapeutic relationship is supposed to be one that is safe and to be put in a position where that relationship is unsafe, it also discourages people from considering mental health help in the future.'
Dr Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist who produces therapy-related content for his quarter of a million followers, echoed this sentiment.
He said there are a myriad of reasons people put off therapy - stigma, money, anxiety.
He told DailyMail.com: ‘If someone is able to overcome all of those things and get help, and the first experience you have is a bad one, one where you feel like the person wasn't listening to you, where you feel like it was crossing a boundary, it didn't seem professional or it seemed very casual... you're probably not going to seek someone else for therapy.'
Dr Mattu added: 'It doesn't seem like [BetterHelp] really made it easy for users of this platform to communicate problems with their therapist and to get in touch with licensing boards who regulate these individuals.
‘So all of these things make me want to stay very much far away from this company.'
Ramsay Dean, a licensed social worker, posted on TikTok that he has concerns about the quality of the providers on BetterHelp
BetterHelp was founded in 2013 by Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier in Mountain View, California.
It was acquired by Teladoc, a virtual healthcare company, in 2015 for $4.5million and is now available across 200 countries in 44 languages.
The company states more than 4million people have received therapy through its platform.
In April 2024, Teladoc acting CEO Mala Murthy said BetterHelp brings in $1.1billion in annual revenue.
But in financial earnings released earlier this year, Teladoc said BetterHelp revenue fell in the first quarter of 2024 (January through March) by $269million - or four percent.
The company said this could be the result of a ‘loss of a significant number of members of BetterHelp paying users,' as well as ‘results of litigation.'
In 2022, a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission claimed BetterHelp revealed 5.6million people's emails, IP addresses and health questionnaire answers to Facebook, Snapchat, Criteo and Pinterest for advertising purposes, despite the company repeatedly telling consumers it would not disclose their personal information.
The complaint claimed BetterHelp used patients' emails and the knowledge they had previously been in therapy to instruct Facebook to identify similar potential customers and target them with advertising for the platform.
In 2023, the FTC banned BetterHelp from sharing patient data for advertising purposes and ordered the company to pay $7.8million to users ‘for deceiving consumers after promising to keep sensitive personal data private.'
BetterHelp told DailyMail.com that customers have to 'opt-in' for their data to be shared and used in this way.
BetterHelp advertises that users can get an appointment in as little as 48 hours
It isn't just patients who are having a negative experience, some providers on the platform have complained of being overworked and underpaid, quickly leading to burnout.
According to BetterHelp, it has more than 40,000 clinicians working on its platform, including clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, professional counselors and psychologists.
Psychologist Dr Mattu told this website that BetterHelp listed him as a clinician participating on the platform, despite having never signed up to offer his services, though DailyMail.com could not verify those claims.
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