The Therapuetic Light at the End of the Tunnel

First things first, I am not getting paid, nor have I been asked to promote Betterhelp.com in any way. This post is about my own appreciation for this website and I hope that by sharing it with you it can also help those of you looking for more guidance.

Lets face it, we all have things we wish we could improve or change. I happen to like asking a specialist that is outside of my life to be able to give me guidance. I find it valuable. I have been to various therapists throughout the years but there is one common issue I found in my previous experience.Every time I have decided to begin my search for a therapist it has begun with limitations. Who does my insurance cover (if im in the US)? Are they located close enough to my work or home that I can actively see them? Once those 2 have been defined I am usually left with a small group of 3-10 therapists to choose from. Thats a relatively small pool. This leaves me to choose the best option, which in most cases is settling for best because none of them have screamed perfection. This has been a struggle in big cities and small. Even when I think I have found a good therapist it feels like they never truly understand what I need, nor do some understand how to respond to me effectively.

Many of my friends reading this will relate to this and are completely open to admitting seeing a therapist. There are also a group of my friends out there that have never been to one and carry a negative stigma around therapy. It's a shame to have those feelings or pressure that others may judge you if you see one. You would be surprised to find out how many people actually see one and how beneficial it can be to have an outlet that isn't emotionally invested into some part of your personal life.

Enter: Betterhelp.com This is therapy when you want it, how you want it and with over 1,500 therapist options. I have NEVER been more satisfied with my therapy than I am with Betterhelp.com. This also means that you can sign up for counseling no matter in which country you reside. Once paired with a counselor you can send them private messages through the site at any time. Having a nightmare? Message your counselor. Having a work crisis? Message your counselor. Lets be clear though, they may also be sleeping, in a different time zone, or with another patient so they may not reply immediately. But they do reply. This is a great option if you want to tell them something while it is fresh in your head. In addition to the messaging you can schedule live sessions with your counselor. As often as you see fit. I meet once per week with mine.

Here is the coolest part: You can choose to meet over phone call or by a live side-by-side chat. I know most of you will immediately think the phone call is best but there are huge benefits to the chat. The chat enables to you have a more covert therapy session. Sometimes my boyfriend is home at the same time as my session so I can type with my counselor so he doesn't hear. Maybe you only have your lunch hour to book time. Chat will enable you to do this at your desk without your colleagues knowing!

The crazy thing is that the weekly fee is the same price, and in some cases cheaper, than the 1 therapy session I have previously paid for in person treatment.

Getting back to my previous struggle of finding the right therapist. When you join betterhelp you are given a quiz which helps match your needs to the best counselor available. You no longer have to do the searching yourself. Once they match you with a person they show you all of the things you have in common and give you the opportunity to accept them as your counselor or look for another one. They ask if you prefer male or female. You are asked to prioritize your issues in order of importance so they can match that with a counselors areas of expertise or specialties.

After you have filled out the survey there is a comment box where you can write anything else you feel is needed for them to help get a better idea of who you are. Here is the important part. In this comment field I made it very clear what type of counselor I am looking for. I have had previous counselors who ONLY ask questions. while questions are helpful, they aren't the only thing I need. I was very clear in stating I want someone to give me clear feedback. This is really important. You cannot hold a counselor accountable to your expectations unless you share them from the beginning. In my case, I shouldn't hold anyone accountable to my expectations but I'm working on this :)

I was paired with Kelly McBride as my counselor. She has done more for me in the few months we have been meeting than all of my previous therapists combined. Her specialties aligned with my most important needs. She lives 7 hours behind my time zone which is a benefit for me because her "traditional" office hours align with my after work hours. Kelly is cool because she calls me out on my bullshit. I doubt she does this for all of her clients but I really feel like she understands me and knows how to respond. Every time I have a bad day or interaction and share it with her she tells me things like "I picture a spoiled little girl stomping her feet because she didn't get her way." Oh boy is she right and I so totally need to hear someone put me in my place like this. She has given me some worksheets and printouts that explain some of the disorders I have which have been eye opening. She gives me exercises or tasks each week to help me work on myself and awareness. These are the types of things I was missing from my previous therapists.

I'm not afraid to talk about this because I know that everyone has issues and I'm proud of myself for taking the step to improve myself. I want to be the best Katie I can be and I truly believe that Betterhelp is what will get me there. I hope that by sharing this I have encouraged some of you to consider getting help and to try Betterhelp.com. There is no better possible pool of candidates in this world to use to pair you with the perfect counselor. Would I recommend Kelly? Hell yea! Whether you get paired with Kelly or not, you will be paired with someone that is right for you. Good luck on you!