Faithful Counseling Online Therapy Review

Many Christians believe that those who lack trust in Jesus or have sinned are more likely to become victims of mental health disorders. This creates a visible rift between faith and mental healthcare. So, some of them are of the opinion that mental health problems cannot be resolved by God.

There are several verses in the holy bible that talk about mental and emotional health healing.

Many believe that God only heals on a very rare occasion, but there is no upfront mention of this in the bible. It is reasonable to assume that the gifts of healing mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are still widely used even today.

Also, Jesus made a clear distinction between disease and possession by evil spirits according to Luke 13:32. Therefore, in the same manner, there is not necessarily a connection between sin and illness.

According to 1 John 5:14-15, God will listen to your prayers if they are made in accordance with his desire. And if you have enough conviction that God will hear you, it will not matter what you ask for, you will always receive it.

This can be further supported by Mark 11:24, which says whatever you sincerely request in your prayers will be given to you if you already strongly believe that you have got it.

So, as per the bible, healing is possible if your prayers align with God’s will as it is his desire. And your prayers do not undermine God’s authority but rather make it easier for him to take action.

Why it May Seem that Your Prayers are not Heard Sometimes?

According to James 5:13-16, it is the honest prayer of a truthful person or a good man that results in the actual healing or improvement of one’s physical and mental well-being.

Sometimes the sickness is sent by Jesus Christ himself for a personal sin that he might have committed. So, the suffering becomes a part of the divine judgment sent to him by God.

So, according to faith-based counseling experts, increasing your faith in God, your trust in his promises, and moving away from sins can help you heal better.

However, mental healthcare studies suggest that healing is not just possible through prayers. Mental and emotional illnesses are far more pervasive.

Faithful Counseling: About & Online Counseling Therapy Review

Faithful Counseling is an online mental therapy platform that uses biblical wisdom to heal true believers of Christianity. The platform also provides therapy through conventional clinical approaches. Let’s review Faithful Counseling in this article.

1. How Does it Work?

As soon as you land on the platform, you will be asked to take a short assessment that does a preliminary level evaluation of your mental disorder.

Although Faithful Counseling specializes in online therapy based on the teachings from the Bible, you can also opt for regular mental therapy without biblical undertones to it.

What to expect after you sign up for online therapy?

Once you complete your questionnaire, you will be paired with a mental health therapist in a few hours or a few days. He or she will be assigned if they meet your state requirements for licensure. Your subscription will start only after you are matched with your counselor.

The assigned therapist or counselor closely examines the details of your mental condition or stated problem areas to suggest appropriate solutions.

The treatment finally begins when you and your therapist start corresponding online.

How do you Communicate with your Therapist?

There are multiple modes of communication you can opt for based on your schedule and convenience. In the messaging room, you have the option of sending voice, video, or text messages to your therapist at any moment.

You can even talk to your counselor over the phone, via Skype, or in a chat room for 30 to 45 minutes every week.

In the case of text message-based therapy, you get a therapy room where you can mention your challenges in detail, ask questions and discuss pressing issues in your life. Your therapist responds to your questions asynchronously and guides you through the solution.

Therapy via messages is available 24×7 since it does not take place in real-time. So, none of the sessions are required to be scheduled. You will receive an email notification when your counselor messages you back.

Both live chat and video sessions involve therapy in real-time. So, you are expected to schedule these interactions with your counselor beforehand.

Phone-based counseling also happens in real-time and requires proper planning of schedule at your end. You can use your landline or mobile phone to receive therapy through this communication medium.

The live conversations via phone, live chat, or video call will be conducted in a protected therapy room as per the appointment date and time. Once you log into your account and enter your dedicated counseling room, the therapist will request you to start the session if you are ready.

The live phone session requires you to input your phone number to establish the connection. And the rest of the interaction can then be continued like a regular phone call.

Can I Switch to Another Therapist?

Yes, you have the option to easily request a change in counselors if you do not like the services of the existing therapist.

Faithful Counseling has a network of more than 9000 licensed mental health professionals with a wide range of backgrounds or specialties. And the platform also employs a set of highly-qualified devout Christian therapists for faith-based or spiritual counseling.

Faithful Counseling’s therapists are all committed Christians who are also members of the extensive Betterhelp network of licensed mental health professionals. So, they adhere to the same stringent standards of clinical skills.

Also, each therapist consciously accepts Christianity, shares their testimony before becoming a part of the network, and agrees to the Statement of Faith by Faithful Counseling.

2. Cost/Affordability

Faithful Counseling’s therapy pricing varies from $60 to $90 per session and is billed every four weeks. This is dependent on various factors, such as your location, the availability of counselors, and your therapy requirements.

The pricing is, therefore, relatively more affordable than in-person physical consultations for mental therapy, generally costing around $150 to $180 per session. Also, it is quite flexible, as you can cancel your subscription at any time, and there will be no questions asked.

Once you fill out the initial assessment form, you will also see a detailed breakdown of the cost.

Professional online therapy costs $80 USD per week, charged every 4 weeks. So, you will be charged $320 USD if you decide to buy the membership.

3. Insurance Coverage

If you cannot afford therapy at Faithful Counseling, you have the option to apply for financial aid.

However, Faithful Counseling and its therapists do not accept payments covered by Medicare and Medicaid or other health insurance plans.

Your insurance provider will most probably determine which services are covered but they usually just cover a small percentage of your medical costs.

To check if you would be reimbursed, your therapist would send your diagnosis, your medical records, and additional information, if needed to the concerned insurance company.

The company may also request a detailed treatment plan to accurately analyze the overall cost of therapy.

Your insurance plan may cover therapy at Faithful Counseling in full. But the co-pay that you would be required to pay might still be more than the total cost of service.

4. Accessibility

The platform’s service is 100% online. So, the accessibility of mental therapy in your state depends on the availability of a licensed therapist in your state that ticks all the boxes according to your needs.

There are no geographical barriers whatsoever, and you can be an adult from any region or country around the world to consult therapists at Faithful Counseling. The platform will pick the right counselor for you based on your preferences.

Also, Faithful Counseling empathizes with its differently-abled community of users. Therefore, it aims to provide a seamless online therapy experience that complies with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

There are separate accessibility features built into mobile devices for iPhone and Android. On the desktop browser, accessibility options can be easily activated from the browser’s accessibility page.

5. Privacy

Faithful Counseling has a transparent privacy policy, and it does mention that it gathers personal patient information to support marketing.

Regarding the confidentiality of the patients’ sensitive or medical data, your therapist will adhere to the reporting and confidentiality standards of their respective regulating boards and state legislations.

Unless you wish to harm yourself or others, all counselors are mandated to respect your right to privacy. You can also use the “Remove Message” feature to unsend or delete already sent messages to your therapist.

Additionally,banking-grade 256-bit encryption is used to protect all of your private conversations between you and your therapist. The platform does not allow the processing of payments via insurance, so there is no need to submit any information to them.

The browser SSL encryption used complies with current industry standards. So, in case the databases are compromised, they would be indecipherable.

Also, to provide the highest level of safety, the platform has distributed its servers among many Tier-4 certified Amazon AWS data centers. And finally, you can stay completely anonymous while you take treatment.

7. Pros and Cons of Faithful Counseling

Who Should Seek Help at Faithful Counseling?

If you are looking for conventional psychotherapy or online counseling/talk therapy. But if you would rather discuss your mental illness solutions with a Christian therapist, Faithful Counseling could be your go-to platform.

It is a good choice for online therapy if you want a mental health practitioner who is also a practicing Christian.

However, irrespective of your religion, Faithful counseling can help you mitigate a wide range of mental disorders. Some of them are listed down below:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• ADHD
• LGBT issues
• Family conflicts
• Coping with grief
• Relationship issues
• Addiction management
• Anger management
• Eating and sleeping problems and more

There are several additional focus areas that Faithful Counseling provides support for, along with therapy for your primary mental condition. Here is the list of issues covered by the platform:

• PTSD
• Communication issues
• Guilt and shame
• Self-love
• Isolation and loneliness
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Forgiveness and control issues
• Life purpose
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Divorce and separation
• Caregiver issues and associated stress
• Panic attacks, other panic disorders, and more

Conclusion

Faithful Counseling could be a decent online therapy provider if you are into spiritual healing. It is a great option for the followers of Christianity who wish to take therapy based on biblical perspectives and maintain privacy without involving the church in this process.

Please note you are not eligible for therapy at Faithful Counseling if:

• You are a minor below 18 years of age
• You show suicidal tendencies or are in a crisis/emergency situation – dial 911 or mental health hotlines in this case
• You do not have a stable internet connection
• You are looking for in-person counseling
• You are mandated to take mental therapy by a court or other authority