There is recently a rapid growth in people’s inclination to online mental therapy platforms such as BetterHelp, Talkspace, Cerebral, etc. Thanks to a stressful lifestyle worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic years.
But the popularity of such virtual mental healthcare platforms directly results from their many advantages over conventional therapy and treatment.
There are plenty of myths and misconceptions about online counseling or therapy. However, the best reviews and comparisons can help you make the right decision because your mental health cannot and should not be taken for granted.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is as important as physical health since a healthy mind is essential to a healthy body.
So, whether you are having trouble with stress, anxiety, depression, and more mental concerns for the first time or have been struggling with them for years, online therapy and psychiatric treatment can help greatly.
If you are considering Cerebral and BetterHelp for your mental health problems, this guide will help you choose the right platform. I have tried out the platforms to help you understand their key differences.
Let’s dive right into it!
Cerebral vs. BetterHelp – Compared
This section of the article is all about Cerebral and BetterHelp, two of the best medical therapy options available online and how they compare against each other.
1. How Does it Work?
Before we get down to the details of the two online therapies and what it has to offer by way of treatment, let’s understand how it works.
Cerebral
To get started with treatment on Cerebral, I was asked to fill out the initial assessment based on which my care team was assigned to me. The care team comprised a counselor as well as a certified psychiatrist. Since Cerebral also provides medication management, they tend to pair a psychiatrist with a licensed therapist if a prescription is needed.
Once my care team was allotted, I could contact them via live audio/phone, video calls, and text messages.
The good part about Cerebral that I liked was its personalized treatment plan and the option to switch the care team for better results.
However, switching therapists and psychiatrists is not an automated process. So, according to the information on the website, I had to contact the Cerebral support team for modifications to my care team.
BetterHelp
The initial examination of your mental health remains similar to that of Cerebral. Based on my responses submitted, I was matched with a certified therapist within 24 hours.
The assessment is quick and hassle-free, and the evaluation is fairly quick. However, the therapist-matching process is not 100% automatic.
If conflicting timezones and tight schedules are why your therapist is not responding, which is normal, you could opt for another therapist. There are plenty of them in the network! You must message them to confirm their availability and willingness to counsel you.
My therapist responded because she had the resources to help me with the mental issues mentioned in the questionnaire. So, if a therapist does not reply to your messages, you can request a switch to get another therapist.
The modes of communication are unlimited messaging, live chat, audio/phone calls, or video calls. Pick the option that works for you in terms of ease, location, convenience, and connectivity.
2. Pricing/Affordability
Cerebral
Since Cerebral offers more than basic counseling and talk therapy, the pricing is structured differently. There are two primary membership or subscription plans, one catering to only therapy, and the other includes diagnosis and medication management.
So, at Cerebral, there is scope for treating severe illnesses, unlike BetterHelp.
The prescriptions emailed and the medicines delivered to you for free make Cerebral a pocket-friendly and super-convenient psychiatric treatment platform.
The platform does not provide a free trial, but it does offer a good 50% discount on the first month for its extra price-sensitive customers. It’s a great idea to help people on a budget get started on the right foot and encourage them to opt for systematic psychiatric assistance.
Moreover, the Refer a Friend referral program can get your friends an even higher discount of 70%.
| Mental health therapy only | Therapy and medication management |
| This plan originally costs $295 per month, but since there is a 50% discount offer going on currently, you can get the plan for $145 per month (cost eligible only for the first month). | This plan originally costs $365 per month, but since there is a 50% discount offer going on currently, you can get the plan for $175 per month (cost eligible only for the first month). |
| You will be charged monthly. | You will be charged monthly. |
| Cerebral picks the right therapist for you based on your needs. | Cerebral picks the right therapist for you based on your needs, as well as a medical prescriber for effective mental illness diagnosis and long-term prescription-based treatment. |
| Comprehensive talk therapy weekly sessions via phone or video calls. | Comprehensive talk therapy weekly sessions via phone or video calls, including appropriate medication management handled by the experts at Cerebral. |
| Continuous personalized care plan provided by the assigned care team. | Continuous personalized care plan provided by the assigned care team. |
| Not applicable as this plan does not include the services of a medical prescriber. | You can schedule follow-up appointments with your medical prescriber via phone or video calls. |
| In-app convenient & easy appointment booking, progress tracking, messaging, and mental wellness resources are available. | In-app convenient & easy appointment booking, progress tracking, messaging, and mental wellness resources are available. |
| FSA/HSA cards are accepted for payment. | FSA/HSA cards are accepted for payment. |
BetterHelp
Considering in-person consultations for mental therapy fall in the pricier category, BetterHelp offers affordable virtual counseling in the price range of $60 to $90.
BetterHelp follows a concept of surge-based pricing. However, this will change depending on your requirements, location, therapist availability, etc. So, there needs to be more transparency in the upfront cost of the therapy.
After signing up, I was billed for a 4-week cycle, meaning you can expect to spend around $240 to $360 monthly.
The one-week free trial offer makes the sign-up process more frictionless before paying for the services. It helped me freeze my purchase decision because I knew what I was getting into and the company.
3. Insurance Coverage
Cerebral
Cerebral also has introduced multiple ways of incentivizing people to take mental health treatments. And the best part is that it does provide insurance coverage making mental healthcare genuinely affordable.
These are some of the insurance companies that have partnered with Cerebral:
- Anthem
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Magellan Health
To check how the insurance benefit works, I was requested to take a quick eligibility test to know if your insurance provider belongs to the list of Cerebral partners. Your final treatment cost will depend on your insurance plan, the deductible amount, and your chosen subscription plan.
Both consultation and medication management can be paid for using insurance plans. But all prescriptions will be billed separately.
I was also asked to pay a $30 universal access fee not covered by insurance.
You should quickly check with your insurance company and the benefits included in your plan to get more clarity on the overall cost of your treatment.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp does not accept insurance to cover payments for online therapy. However, they accept HSA/FSA cards for tax benefits and provide financial aid to low-income groups, students, and veterans.
The reimbursement, initial discount, promo codes on affiliate sites, and free trial are some ways to get inexpensive online mental therapy without spending a bomb or requiring an insurance plan.
4. Accessibility
Cerebral
The therapy cum psychiatry services offered on Cerebral are available in all 50 states of the United States. But as prescription takers, you should remember that the assigned mental health practitioner should be licensed from your state and authorized to prescribe according to your state’s rules.
The cerebral app runs smoothly, and I had no trouble interacting with or navigating the interface. Moreover, it’s easy for differently-abled patients on the usability front as the app is fully compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is better than Cerebral when it comes to accessibility as it not only provides mental therapy in all 50 states of the US but also across 200 countries around the world.
The platform is quite well-known for its accessibility and inclusivity. The only downside is that it neither helps diagnose mental illnesses nor has professionals to provide medication management and long-term customized psychiatric treatments.
4. Privacy
Cerebral
Cerebral almost lost its reputation when former platform employees revealed its unethical medical prescription practices to get desirable results quickly in public.
Also, there have been reports in the past that raised questions about the platform’s privacy policy despite being HIPAA-compliant. However, it claims all conversations and personal information, including medical records, are kept entirely private, except for some details shared with third parties, particularly partners and insurance companies.
BetterHelp
The BetterHelp platform is subject to HIPAA restrictions and secure 256-bit SSL encryption of patient-therapist interactions. Therefore, all sensitive information is protected at all times.
I chose to stay anonymous on the platform, which is great for people who want to mask their identity during their treatment. BetterHelp is better than Cerebral in legal compliance (state and federal laws).
BetterHelp also has a fair share of controversies. It was fined for violating privacy rights by wrongfully sharing customer data with social media giants to gain huge profits.
The therapist you are matched with and their approach to counseling for treating you the right way would matter the most.
5. Available Treatments
Cerebral
Here are the conditions effectively treated by Cerebral via evidence-based approaches:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- ADHD in a few states
- Bipolar Disorder in a few states
- Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in a few states
- Several other mental health problems, such as PTSD, Postpartum depression, menopausal depression, etc
Moreover, Cerebral can also provide therapy for customers to cope with:
- Stress, anger, loss, and grief
- Trauma and relationship problems
- Phobias and low confidence or self-esteem
- LGBTQI+ issues
BetterHelp
The credentialled professionals at BetterHelp only have the expertise to provide mental or talk therapy online for adults, teenagers, couples, and the LGBTQ community. They are qualified to treat the following mental disorders:
- Depression
- Family problems
- Anxiety and stress
- Insomnia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Eating disorder
- OCD and more
6. Pros and Cons of Cerebral
Pros
- Genuinely affordable and faster mental healthcare provision anytime, anywhere.
- The availability of flexible pricing plans allows you to choose only therapy or therapy with medication assistance.
- It’s supported and run by a wide network of certified therapists, nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants.
- The app’s interface is simple to use and easily navigable.
- Cerebral provides insurance coverage.
- Free doorstep delivery of well-packaged medication every month, along with the monthly prescription.
- Psychiatric and therapy services can be combined.
- The care team assigned proactively follows up with you to understand your progress.
- Help with progress tracking for effective goal achievement.
- Discounted service for the first month and incentives provided through a referral program.
- The onboarding process is quick and smooth.
- Operational in all 50 states of the United States.
- The platform accepts payments from HSA and FSA accounts.
Cons
- Cerebral’s privacy policy is concerning as they are known to sell or share confidential patient data such as demographics and other information with social media companies and other third-party partners for marketing and business purposes.
- The submitted information as part of the sign-up process is not properly verified.
- No financial aid is available.
- You can only send direct messages to your care coordinator, not your provider.
- Cerebral is being investigated for unethical prescription practices.
- Mental therapy and medication management for mental illnesses on Cerebral is only available for adults (18 years old and above).
- Not advisable to use Cerebral for emergencies or if you are pregnant/nursing.
- Treatment for some mental health conditions, such as Bipolar Disorder and ADHD, is not currently available in all states.
- Cerebral services can only be utilized by customers residing in the United States, and the states in the US also license everyone on the care team.
- The platform’s referral program is available only to the US residents.
- You need to have a paid, already active Cerebral account to win credits as incentives through the referral program.
7. Pros and Cons of BetterHelp
Pros
- It has an easy-to-use, user-friendly app interface with faster & simple navigation.
- Online mental therapy is available individually for adults, teenagers, couples, and LGBTQIA+ members.
- Affordable counseling and mental support are available starting at $65 per week.
- Flexible subscription-based pricing allows you to pause, renew or modify your subscription anytime.
- Anytime, anywhere e-counseling is available through 30,000+ licensed therapists specializing in providing therapy for a wide variety of mental conditions, serving from different countries worldwide.
- Highly accessible, as you can message your therapist anytime and schedule counseling sessions at your convenience from the comfort of your home or office.
- Option to switch therapists for free for better counseling.
Cons
- No insurance coverage is available.
- Surge or dynamic pricing causes the cost to fluctuate depending on your location, the counselor’s availability, your specific requirements, and many other factors.
- You can message your counselor anytime, but you cannot expect them to respond whenever you want.
- Neither medications are prescribed nor any assistance with diagnosis & psychiatric treatment offered.
- You do not get to choose your therapist. You’ll be matched with one based on your needs.
- Even if you are matched with a counselor, you must discuss the availability of the assigned therapist so that the counselor can deny your request, and you might be required to look for another therapist match.
- Every therapist offers services independently and follows their ways of consulting, so some counselors might not willingly provide video sessions. Therefore, it’s advisable to clarify these doubts with your therapist beforehand.
Conclusion
The Better Business Bureau has awarded BetterHelp with an A rating. Cerebral, on the other hand, is not accredited yet due to its poor reviews. BetterHelp is a great fit and a safe bet if talk therapy solves your mental issues.
Considering its past controversies, I would not directly recommend Cerebral for therapy or medication management.
However, their policies and prescription methods have now undergone significant changes. You can make the most of the discount available to check if paying for Cerebral psychiatry services is worth it.
Talkspace is way better than Cerebral for diagnosis and medication management, as it has everything you need from a recovery perspective.
Choosing the right online mental healthcare platform reduces symptoms and fosters healthier routines. So, which one will be your go-to mental therapy/psychiatric treatment provider?
The comment section is open to healthy discussions to eliminate the stigma around mental healthcare. Also, share this article with your friends and family members in trouble if you want to help improve their lives.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.