Hi guys, and welcome to a new episode of Couch Talks on You Need Therapy Podcast.

Hi guys, and welcome to a new episode of Couch Talks on You Need Therapy Podcast.

My name is Kat.

My name is Kat.

I am the host, and if you are new to Couch Talks, it is the special bonus episode of You Need Therapy Podcast where I answer questions that you guys send to me and you can send those two Katherine at you Need Therapy podcast dot com. Now, before we get into today's question, quick reminder that although I am a therapist, this podcast does not serve as a replacement or substitute for any actual mental health services. It's still allowed to help, but it's not actually therapy. And each week we do one question, and that's what we're gonna do today. I always keep them anonymous, so you don't have to worry about anybody finding out. If you don't want people to know that you're giving information that is very close to you, nobody's gonna know it's you unless you actually put information in the email that would give that away. Okay, so let's get into the question, because I think this is a good one and I don't think I've talked about this on the podcast before. So here is our anonymous question. Hey, Kat, I'm curious your thoughts on online therapy programs like Better Help.

I am the host, and if you are new to Couch Talks, it is the special bonus episode of You Need Therapy Podcast where I answer questions that you guys send to me and you can send those two Katherine at you Need Therapy podcast dot com. Now, before we get into today's question, quick reminder that although I am a therapist, this podcast does not serve as a replacement or substitute for any actual mental health services. It's still allowed to help, but it's not actually therapy. And each week we do one question, and that's what we're gonna do today. I always keep them anonymous, so you don't have to worry about anybody finding out. If you don't want people to know that you're giving information that is very close to you, nobody's gonna know it's you unless you actually put information in the email that would give that away. Okay, so let's get into the question, because I think this is a good one and I don't think I've talked about this on the podcast before. So here is our anonymous question. Hey, Kat, I'm curious your thoughts on online therapy programs like Better Help.

And talk Space.

And talk Space.

I live in a small town and we don't have a lot of options nearby, so I've been thinking about trying one of them out. What would be the biggest difference between going with one of these programs versus seeing a local in person therapist. I'm curious about your thoughts and if you have any suggestions for those living in towns without access to more options. Okay, Like I said, I think this is a good question because it's one that a lot of people have probably wondered before. We see a lot of advertisements for things like Better Help and talk Space, and if you don't know what those are, they are these online therapy programs that you can sign up, and I think both of them, I'm not sure the details of this, have like monthly membership fees and you get to have a virtual therapist. You can also do phone calls, which is interesting, and you can text your therapist, and from what I understand, you have a lot of access to them based on the program that you choose. And again, these are all online programs. They are big companies, so you can access them wherever you are. So before I answered this, I will say, I don't have any actual experience working with these programs, and I don't have anybody that I know of personally that I know of that has used them that can speak to them. So all of the information I'm giving you is what I know from a distance and not what I have experienced.

I live in a small town and we don't have a lot of options nearby, so I've been thinking about trying one of them out. What would be the biggest difference between going with one of these programs versus seeing a local in person therapist. I'm curious about your thoughts and if you have any suggestions for those living in towns without access to more options. Okay, Like I said, I think this is a good question because it's one that a lot of people have probably wondered before. We see a lot of advertisements for things like Better Help and talk Space, and if you don't know what those are, they are these online therapy programs that you can sign up, and I think both of them, I'm not sure the details of this, have like monthly membership fees and you get to have a virtual therapist. You can also do phone calls, which is interesting, and you can text your therapist, and from what I understand, you have a lot of access to them based on the program that you choose. And again, these are all online programs. They are big companies, so you can access them wherever you are. So before I answered this, I will say, I don't have any actual experience working with these programs, and I don't have anybody that I know of personally that I know of that has used them that can speak to them. So all of the information I'm giving you is what I know from a distance and not what I have experienced.

Because I have not experienced the.

Because I have not experienced the.

Programs, I can tell you my thoughts based off of the consumptions of what I know. I also put a question box up on my Instagram today to get feedback from those who have used the programs, and I'm going to share some of that to give you guys just some insight on what some other people have said, because a lot of what I got was interesting and it wasn't all one sided. Now, my initial thought when hearing this question is this does come up a lot with people in my life or people that I know or that I'm working with, when they're talking about getting Maybe a friend or a spouse or a family member wants to get into therapy and they have asked about that. My initial thought is, if you have the ability, and that means like there's the availability of the therapist, and you have the financial means and all of that I would start with attempting to experience in person therapy. I think that virtual therapy is such a valuable reads source that we have access to now. However, I do think it will always be different than in person therapy.

Programs, I can tell you my thoughts based off of the consumptions of what I know. I also put a question box up on my Instagram today to get feedback from those who have used the programs, and I'm going to share some of that to give you guys just some insight on what some other people have said, because a lot of what I got was interesting and it wasn't all one sided. Now, my initial thought when hearing this question is this does come up a lot with people in my life or people that I know or that I'm working with, when they're talking about getting Maybe a friend or a spouse or a family member wants to get into therapy and they have asked about that. My initial thought is, if you have the ability, and that means like there's the availability of the therapist, and you have the financial means and all of that I would start with attempting to experience in person therapy. I think that virtual therapy is such a valuable reads source that we have access to now. However, I do think it will always be different than in person therapy.

It's just it's different.

It's just it's different.

I can't fully explain it. It's something that you experience differently. And I will also give credit to those who only do virtual therapy. They might have developed different skills and they can do it better than I can. But it feels different as a client for me, and it very much feels different as a therapist. You have more limitations, so if it's possible, I would always suggest doing that first. The other thing I would say, and that's not possible, then you can disregard that, and then we're gonna move on to the next part, which is many local therapists also offer virtual therapy. So if your reason for using one of these programs is just because you want virtual therapy, many local therapists offer virtual therapy. I can see my clients virtually if they sleep in and are running late, or if something happens and they have to be home because they're going to delivery, or any reason can come up.

I can't fully explain it. It's something that you experience differently. And I will also give credit to those who only do virtual therapy. They might have developed different skills and they can do it better than I can. But it feels different as a client for me, and it very much feels different as a therapist. You have more limitations, so if it's possible, I would always suggest doing that first. The other thing I would say, and that's not possible, then you can disregard that, and then we're gonna move on to the next part, which is many local therapists also offer virtual therapy. So if your reason for using one of these programs is just because you want virtual therapy, many local therapists offer virtual therapy. I can see my clients virtually if they sleep in and are running late, or if something happens and they have to be home because they're going to delivery, or any reason can come up.

But I can switch to virtual therapy very easily.

But I can switch to virtual therapy very easily.

Like I said, I always prefer in person, but for some people that just doesn't always work, and that's okay. So if the only reason you're looking at one of these programs is because you want virtual therapy, know that there are people in your area that aren't part of those programs that can also do virtual therapy. And they don't even have to be local. So a therapist can see a client anywhere in.

Like I said, I always prefer in person, but for some people that just doesn't always work, and that's okay. So if the only reason you're looking at one of these programs is because you want virtual therapy, know that there are people in your area that aren't part of those programs that can also do virtual therapy. And they don't even have to be local. So a therapist can see a client anywhere in.

The states that they are licensed in.

The states that they are licensed in.

So I'm only licensed in one state, so I can see a client any client in Tennessee. They can live anywhere. They don't have to live in Nashville, they don't have to live in my city. If they're in Tennessee, then I can see them. And a lot of therapists now are getting license in other states so they can offer more virtual options to and widen their ability to see clients outside of their own state. But just because they're not in your city doesn't mean you can't see them. There's a therapist that you found that you really really like and you really want to try out, but they live four hours away. You can email them and ask if they do virtual therapy, and you can see that therapist. Now, when it comes to these online programs, they do have some benefits that smaller practices can't always offer. I think the cost can probably be one of the biggest differences. A lot of private practice therapists do not take insurance for a lot of reasons, and therapy can be quite expensive, especially if you live in a bigger city. I know there's some therapists around here that charge over two hundred dollars two hundred and fifty dollars per session, and that's not doable and reasonable for a lot of people, which I very much understand. What these online programs do is you buy from what I know, do some research on this, but you buy more of a package and you pay per month, and then you get certain things based on what package you buy, so you can get probably more for your money, more access to your therapist. Now, those packages might be different based on where you are. I know Better help in the past has used flex pricing, which means the price is change based on availability and based on your area, so it's not a one size fits all. You might have the same package as somebody else, but if you sign up at a different time or live in a different area, it might cost a different amount, so keep that in mind, but for the most part, it's probably going to be less expensive to see somebody through one of these programs. You also, in these programs can request to switch therapists if you don't like your therapist, which we know the first person you go to isn't always the best fit. The thing that I don't know that you can do in these programs is actually request a specific therapist. So usually when you're going to see somebody in a regular practice outside in the world, you know who you're going to go see, and you have picked them out. You've probably looked at their website, you might have gotten a referral from somebody. In these programs, they set you up with somebody, so they do an intake, they see what your needs are, what you're looking for, and they're going to set you up with somebody who specializes. Hopefully in one of those programs. You can switch as much as you want, but you don't get to say, hey, I want to see Jessica. I mean, you might switch enough time so that you're gonna end up seeing her, but that's not exactly how it works. And then the other thing that I would say. Is a pro for this is the access anywhere. You can be anywhere and get access to this if you have a phone and you have internet, and so people who are in super rural places can easily log onto this website, sign up, and go. You don't have to do a lot of digging. You don't have to do a lot of work, because it can be hard, and it can be stressful, and it can be overwhelming to just go out and look for a therapist on the internet. This you just go on the website and they kind of do the work for you. So that is a benefit. Now, like I said before, I don't have my own experience with these programs, so I can't say too much about the quality of them. I have heard things about therapists being underpaid, which I don't know what the quality of care.

So I'm only licensed in one state, so I can see a client any client in Tennessee. They can live anywhere. They don't have to live in Nashville, they don't have to live in my city. If they're in Tennessee, then I can see them. And a lot of therapists now are getting license in other states so they can offer more virtual options to and widen their ability to see clients outside of their own state. But just because they're not in your city doesn't mean you can't see them. There's a therapist that you found that you really really like and you really want to try out, but they live four hours away. You can email them and ask if they do virtual therapy, and you can see that therapist. Now, when it comes to these online programs, they do have some benefits that smaller practices can't always offer. I think the cost can probably be one of the biggest differences. A lot of private practice therapists do not take insurance for a lot of reasons, and therapy can be quite expensive, especially if you live in a bigger city. I know there's some therapists around here that charge over two hundred dollars two hundred and fifty dollars per session, and that's not doable and reasonable for a lot of people, which I very much understand. What these online programs do is you buy from what I know, do some research on this, but you buy more of a package and you pay per month, and then you get certain things based on what package you buy, so you can get probably more for your money, more access to your therapist. Now, those packages might be different based on where you are. I know Better help in the past has used flex pricing, which means the price is change based on availability and based on your area, so it's not a one size fits all. You might have the same package as somebody else, but if you sign up at a different time or live in a different area, it might cost a different amount, so keep that in mind, but for the most part, it's probably going to be less expensive to see somebody through one of these programs. You also, in these programs can request to switch therapists if you don't like your therapist, which we know the first person you go to isn't always the best fit. The thing that I don't know that you can do in these programs is actually request a specific therapist. So usually when you're going to see somebody in a regular practice outside in the world, you know who you're going to go see, and you have picked them out. You've probably looked at their website, you might have gotten a referral from somebody. In these programs, they set you up with somebody, so they do an intake, they see what your needs are, what you're looking for, and they're going to set you up with somebody who specializes. Hopefully in one of those programs. You can switch as much as you want, but you don't get to say, hey, I want to see Jessica. I mean, you might switch enough time so that you're gonna end up seeing her, but that's not exactly how it works. And then the other thing that I would say. Is a pro for this is the access anywhere. You can be anywhere and get access to this if you have a phone and you have internet, and so people who are in super rural places can easily log onto this website, sign up, and go. You don't have to do a lot of digging. You don't have to do a lot of work, because it can be hard, and it can be stressful, and it can be overwhelming to just go out and look for a therapist on the internet. This you just go on the website and they kind of do the work for you. So that is a benefit. Now, like I said before, I don't have my own experience with these programs, so I can't say too much about the quality of them. I have heard things about therapists being underpaid, which I don't know what the quality of care.

Is like there. I don't know what the training is like there.

Is like there. I don't know what the training is like there.

I do know that these people are licensed and they are real therapists, which is a plus, and you get to switched. If you don't like your therapists, you can go to somebody else. I will say I would always encourage somebody to find somebody in person that they can develop an in person relationship first. However, if that is not an option, this can be a good second or third option. I like, I said, ask people online if they had ever used these programs and if so, what their experience was like. And I just want to read some of them because they weren't all the same. And I thought that was really surprising. I thought it was going to get either all good or all bad, but they are really mixed. And I don't know if that's helpful, but to me, I hear it just depends and for a lot of people it might be worth a shot.

I do know that these people are licensed and they are real therapists, which is a plus, and you get to switched. If you don't like your therapists, you can go to somebody else. I will say I would always encourage somebody to find somebody in person that they can develop an in person relationship first. However, if that is not an option, this can be a good second or third option. I like, I said, ask people online if they had ever used these programs and if so, what their experience was like. And I just want to read some of them because they weren't all the same. And I thought that was really surprising. I thought it was going to get either all good or all bad, but they are really mixed. And I don't know if that's helpful, but to me, I hear it just depends and for a lot of people it might be worth a shot.

The worst thing that can happen is you stop doing it.

The worst thing that can happen is you stop doing it.

So here's what some people said some One person said it was awful exclamation point. Another person said I received worksheet after worksheet for self help slash therapy purposes.

So here's what some people said some One person said it was awful exclamation point. Another person said I received worksheet after worksheet for self help slash therapy purposes.

It was not my cup of tea.

It was not my cup of tea.

Another person said I used tak a treat for psychiatry. Visit if you want that info. It was kind of strange. Another person said I used Subrebel for a while. It'll do in a pinch, but not the best standard of care. Another person not great but better than nothing. Somebody else betterhelp for five months. Love being able to use it from home took four or five tries to find a good match. So that's some good information. You might have to try over and over before you really give up. Another person said more like talking to a friend than someone really diving in and challenging me. Another person said, from a provider perspective, I'm at elc W been with Better Help for two years and I love it, which is very interesting. So the people that work there actually love working there. Another person said terrible. Tried five different therapists and they seem stretched too thin to care, which actually was one of my worries of I don't know if these therapists that are working are overworked and underpaid. We have information from one person they really liked it, and then that might not be the same for everybody. Another person said very impersonal, but easy to navigate. Another person said my sister uses it and really likes it. Another person, I use Better Help and loved it changed my life. Another I enjoyed it. My therapist wasn't the best, but it opened the door for me and it was affordable. Another it has been life changing, so many more options. Since I live in a relatively small town, it's very convenient. Another person said, I did it for four weeks. It was expensive if I felt weird, and I like my regular therapists via telehealth. Another not a fan, would rather just be in person, but can't afford it right now. Another I had a good experience, but then my therapist left the platform. It was nice to be at home. And then I had another therapist say I was a provider on it an LCSW and I wanted a side gig, so it was helpful for them to get more clients easier that way. So actually, after reading those all, I didn't read all of them, but I read a majority of them. It does seem like there's more negative than positive. But I also think we should take that with a grain of salt because I have a skewed, biased sample of people that are my followers. What I'm getting from that is it's worked for some people and it hasn't worked from others. And also, if it's helping a little bit, that's better than it helping not at all and not getting any therapy at all. So if it feels like it's the only option for you, then I'd rather you do that, even if it isn't the top level of care than nothing at all. And I think that would apply to anything. If you look at the therapists that we could see in person, there are some that have been working for thirty years and they might be one of the top therapists in their area. But just because you can't see them doesn't mean you shouldn't go see somebody who's been doing it for five or ten years, who might be more in the middle range. It's still care and it's still help, and different people need different things, so we can't apply one opinion to everybody's experience. So this is a long winded way for me to say, there are pros and there are cons, but it's better to try something like this. If you want to get into therapy, then do nothing at all. If I find more information on that, then I'll let you know. If you guys have any information, if you've worked there or have had really polarizing experiences, or even not even polarizing experience, it's just an experience with that, I'd love to hear it and share that with people to help give you guys more information in order to make the decisions you need to make in your life easier and in a more informed way.

Another person said I used tak a treat for psychiatry. Visit if you want that info. It was kind of strange. Another person said I used Subrebel for a while. It'll do in a pinch, but not the best standard of care. Another person not great but better than nothing. Somebody else betterhelp for five months. Love being able to use it from home took four or five tries to find a good match. So that's some good information. You might have to try over and over before you really give up. Another person said more like talking to a friend than someone really diving in and challenging me. Another person said, from a provider perspective, I'm at elc W been with Better Help for two years and I love it, which is very interesting. So the people that work there actually love working there. Another person said terrible. Tried five different therapists and they seem stretched too thin to care, which actually was one of my worries of I don't know if these therapists that are working are overworked and underpaid. We have information from one person they really liked it, and then that might not be the same for everybody. Another person said very impersonal, but easy to navigate. Another person said my sister uses it and really likes it. Another person, I use Better Help and loved it changed my life. Another I enjoyed it. My therapist wasn't the best, but it opened the door for me and it was affordable. Another it has been life changing, so many more options. Since I live in a relatively small town, it's very convenient. Another person said, I did it for four weeks. It was expensive if I felt weird, and I like my regular therapists via telehealth. Another not a fan, would rather just be in person, but can't afford it right now. Another I had a good experience, but then my therapist left the platform. It was nice to be at home. And then I had another therapist say I was a provider on it an LCSW and I wanted a side gig, so it was helpful for them to get more clients easier that way. So actually, after reading those all, I didn't read all of them, but I read a majority of them. It does seem like there's more negative than positive. But I also think we should take that with a grain of salt because I have a skewed, biased sample of people that are my followers. What I'm getting from that is it's worked for some people and it hasn't worked from others. And also, if it's helping a little bit, that's better than it helping not at all and not getting any therapy at all. So if it feels like it's the only option for you, then I'd rather you do that, even if it isn't the top level of care than nothing at all. And I think that would apply to anything. If you look at the therapists that we could see in person, there are some that have been working for thirty years and they might be one of the top therapists in their area. But just because you can't see them doesn't mean you shouldn't go see somebody who's been doing it for five or ten years, who might be more in the middle range. It's still care and it's still help, and different people need different things, so we can't apply one opinion to everybody's experience. So this is a long winded way for me to say, there are pros and there are cons, but it's better to try something like this. If you want to get into therapy, then do nothing at all. If I find more information on that, then I'll let you know. If you guys have any information, if you've worked there or have had really polarizing experiences, or even not even polarizing experience, it's just an experience with that, I'd love to hear it and share that with people to help give you guys more information in order to make the decisions you need to make in your life easier and in a more informed way.

I hope you guys have the day you need to.

I hope you guys have the day you need to.

Have and I will be back with you on Monday. Hey for another episode of You Need Therapy. If you want to follow us, you can do that on Instagram at you Need Therapy and at kat Van Buren

Have and I will be back with you on Monday. Hey for another episode of You Need Therapy. If you want to follow us, you can do that on Instagram at you Need Therapy and at kat Van Buren