The Ultimate Guide to BetterHelp in Europe 

If you’re moving to a new country or even just a new city, one of the most challenging things can be to find a new therapist that you can trust and depend on. That’s why a lot of expats in Europe turn to online solutions, like BetterHelp, that move with them, no matter where in the world they end up.

So, what is BetterHelp and how does it work overseas? Well, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with the ultimate guide to BetterHelp in Europe. 

Let’s dive in and find out more.

What is BetterHelp?

First things first, let’s get into what BetterHelp actually is and how it works. BetterHelp is an online therapy provider where you’re paired up with a therapist depending on your needs, preferences, and therapy style. It’s not a one-size-fits-all service and uses a whole range of questions to help you find your ideal fit.

The reason that BetterHelp has grown so quickly is the fact that you can take it anywhere and specify therapists from your home country. The portability and connection to culture are a huge win for both accessibility and understanding – two things that are huge when trying to pick a therapist.

You can speak to therapists via video chat, over the phone, or through direct messaging in the app. It gives you ultimate flexibility and allows you to set up virtual sessions or short check-ins with an actual human being, rather than using prerecorded content or generic guidance. 

How Much is BetterHelp Versus In-Person Therapy?

So, a lot of the time digital therapeutic interventions and apps are a lot cheaper than in-person therapy, which is part of the appeal, but with subsidized healthcare across Europe, this is always the case.

Of course, it’s worth mentioning that the cost of therapy in Europe varies massively across the continent. It all depends on the individual country and whether you’re joining waitlists for state-provided therapy or you’re opting for private therapy which has shorter waitlists but a bigger price tag.

As such, the average in-person therapy session in Europe can range from 50 euros to 150 euros ($55 to $165) pretty easily. On the other hand, BetterHelp costs $60 to $90 per week. This might sound like a lot, but if you’re not only having sessions every week but also accessing the database of features and on-call text and messaging features, it can work out cheaper in some European nations.

However, if you’re only interested in fortnightly therapy sessions or monthly sessions, in-person therapy is likely to be cheaper in Europe.

How Does Therapy Work in Europe?

Depending on the country, therapy in Europe is going to work a bit differently. For instance, some countries, like the UK, offer free CBT therapy on the NHS as standard. The issue is the wait lists.

At the moment there’s a minimum of six-month waitlist in the UK for your first therapy appointment and a further three-to-six-month wait for your second. It’s a lot to deal with when you realize you need help and support.

Other European countries heavily subsidize state therapy options or have them covered by their mandatory health insurance. When this happens, you will have to pay for your therapy sessions but it’s often a lot lower than it would be if you went to private therapy.

Again, there is an issue with waitlists, so a lot of the time, you’ll have to wait a few months for a referral from your local doctor. 

You can also often access therapy sessions through your job. Whether that’s through your workplace health insurance or through employee perks, many larger or newer firms across Europe offer a few free sessions of in-person therapy or a subscription to a digital therapy provider. 

So, as you can see it really does vary depending on the country that you’re in. Of course, there are still plenty of private therapists available so if you don’t want to wait on the state-run therapy and have some disposable income, this is a great option.  

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The Effectiveness of BetterHelp Versus In-Person Therapy

Well, as a lot of people will tell you, in-person therapy is often the best kind of therapy you can get, especially one-on-one counseling or therapy that’s tailored to your specific needs and circumstances. 

The issue is, especially in Europe, the long wait times, and the fact that you have to travel to see your therapist. Depending on where you live, you might need to drive to the next city, or you might have to wait months to be treated which is not great for anyone.

On the other hand, BetterHelp is so accessible. It’s literally in the palm of your hand, so you can use it on the go and you don’t have to even leave the house if you don’t feel up to it. It’s this instant access that’s made it so great for so many people, especially remote workers or digital nomads living overseas. 

Just because it’s an app or website, doesn’t mean that it’s not effective. In fact, there are around 25,000 licensed therapists who work with BetterHelp to provide easy and accessible therapy to thousands of customers all around the world. 

One of the best things about BetterHelp has to be the therapist pairing system. I’ll go into this in more detail further in this guide, but it lessens the cultural and demographic barriers that you can often feel if you’re attending therapy in a foreign country or with a therapist who isn’t familiar with the background that you come from.

What Services Does BetterHelp Offer?

So, what normally happens with online or digital therapy is that the content or links are either too extreme or too entry-level for different people. If you’re diagnosed with a severe mental health condition, then meditation alone probably isn’t a great solution for you.

In the same way, if you have some low-level stress that you want help dealing with, an extensive course of in-person therapy might not be necessary.

According to BetterHelp’s website, they offer therapy services for the following scenarios and experiences.

• Addiction
• Anxiety
• Anger issues
• Coping with life changes
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Grief
• Intimacy-related issues
• Insomnia
• Problems in relationships
• LGBTQ+ issues
• Trauma
• Stress

Obviously, this covers a lot of bases for many people, but if you need more hands-on interventions, you might be better off going through your local healthcare system as you might need a mix of medication and specific therapy to manage your symptoms.

What Kind of Counseling Does BetterHelp Use?

Many healthcare providers and digital therapy companies will only offer one kind of therapy or counseling. A lot of the time, this is either low-level like meditation or it’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

That’s because CBT is used all over the world and helps a wide range of issues that can easily be personalized by the person who is in therapy.

However, BetterHelp actually has a wide range of licensed therapists on hand who specialize in different therapy styles and schools of thought including:

• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• CBT 
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
• EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy)
• Family Counseling
• Meditation treatment
• Psychodynamic counseling
• Solution-focused counseling
• Trauma therapy

If you’re someone who has tried therapy before and didn’t get along with a certain form of therapy, this gives you more freedom to try other methods that might be more suitable for you. Everyone is different and responds to different kinds of counseling!  

There is also some guidance when you sign up to BetterHelp to point you in the right direction if you’re not sure what kind of therapy might work best for you. You don’t need to be a therapy expert to use BetterHelp, that’s for sure!

How do I Get Matched with a Therapist on BetterHelp?

As I’ve mentioned, one of the things I like the best about BetterHelp is the way they pair you up with a therapist. When you sign up, they give you a very thorough sign-up journey to make sure that you’re matched with someone who’s qualified in your area and ticks all your boxes.

For instance, you can choose the age bracket of your therapist, the race, background, sexual orientation, and more. This might sound like a lot of choices, but gelling and trusting your therapist is massively important for the effectiveness of your treatment. 

So, say you don’t want an old white guy speaking to you about your generational trauma or a female-specific issue, you can add filters to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

You can also filter by country or language. This is actually super important if you’re finding a therapist in another country because there are a lot of cultural aspects that play into how we see the world, interactions, and how we ultimately react to triggers.

For example, if you grew up somewhere fairly liberal like New Zealand and you’re now in a more conservative nation, the behaviors and reactions are going to be completely different. So, the advice might not be super helpful for you, even though it’s probably great advice for people who grew up or are used to the local customs and behaviors.

Final Thoughts on BetterHelp in Europe

If you’re looking for a therapist when you’re in Europe, you might have to wait a long time to gain access to the socialized therapy that’s often free or heavily subsidized. If you’re in need of therapy quickly, your best options are either private treatment which can be expensive and difficult to find outside of major cities, or a digital option, like BetterHelp which puts accessibility at the heart of their offering.

While BetterHelp isn’t exactly cheap, you do get a lot of bang for your buck. With a wide range of therapy styles and an intensive therapist-matching service, there is a lot to like about having a therapist in the palm of your hand. 

Therapy is such a personal thing that you want to get your choice of therapist right. If you want to avoid the culture clash or language barrier of having therapy in another country, BetterHelp is a great option to consider.

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