After the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in the demand and popularity of online mental healthcare platforms was enormous. Given this backdrop, I started considering reviewing and comparing the top ones for our reader and follower community on Therapy Journal.
Lately, I have been exploring several virtual mental healthcare options, and two popular platforms, BetterHelp and Thriveworks, have particularly been chosen for today’s comparison article.
Let us dive into the details to help you decide which platform is better for you.
About Thriveworks
Thriveworks is one of the leading and oldest mental healthcare platforms, founded by AJ Centore in 2008. It is headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has grown into an extensive unit nationwide, with over 350 office locations.
The services of Thriveworks are available in 49 states in the US, and they focus on building an encouraging environment for mental health patients to openly discuss their conditions.
The platform aims to increase the accessibility as well as the success rate of mental health treatments supported by insurance payments.
About BetterHelp
BetterHelp, founded by Alon Matas and Danny Bragonier in 2013, offers a great way for patients struggling with mental health issues to connect with licensed, highly experienced, and empathetic mental healthcare providers virtually from any part of the world.
The platform provides a network of 30,000 plus certified practitioners/therapists that you can reach out to for systematic, flexible, and low-cost counseling via multiple modes of communication, including real-time video or phone calls.
Thriveworks vs. BetterHelp: Details Compared
In this section, I will compare both platforms based on their features, affordability, insurance coverage, etc. So, let’s dive in, shall we?
1. How Does it Work?
Thriveworks
Thriveworks provides access to a community of licensed mental healthcare professionals specializing in both online as well as offline mental therapy and psychiatry.
I had the option of opting either for in-person visits or remote/virtual consultations, which specifically piqued my interest. This system of mental healthcare platforms honestly takes flexibility to the next level.
Next, I was paired with my therapist based on my needs from an extensive network of providers. My sessions lasted for a good 45 to 50 minutes, and some went on for about 60 to 65 minutes, which is a decent enough duration for a detailed chat about my condition with my counselor.
The platform offers video, phone, and in-person sessions, which I could pick and choose flexibly as per my convenience and schedule.
Thriveworks comes with detailed profiles for every provider outlining their work experience, training information, treatment approaches, and area of expertise. These descriptions helped me know what I was getting into and who my mental issues were going to be exposed to, which put me at a lot of ease.
The platform is well-known for recruiting highly competent providers specializing in different domains, such as:
- Professionals who have a master’s degree or Ph.D. in mental health counseling and have a state license to provide therapy for mental disorders (LPC, LCPC, LMHC, LPCC)
- LMFT or Licensed Social Workers
- Licensed psychologists
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LICSW or LCSW)
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is designed specifically for online mental therapy or counseling, also known as psychotherapy or talk therapy.
To get started, I signed up by filling out a 5-minute questionnaire with questions about my actual identity, my sexual orientation, details about my mental health condition, and general treatment preferences.
This provides a framework or a fixed grid of my requirements to the BetterHelp team and a semi-automated algorithm that helps me choose the right therapist. The idea of connecting with a mental health counselor online itself was very comforting to me. And I could even switch my therapists multiple times if I needed someone who would better understand my needs.
So, there is always scope for improvement through experimentation, which I approve of because effectively addressing mental disorders or understanding which approach works the best for you has always been a grey area. And I am happy that BetterHelp allows this kind of experimentation in the healing process.
Every therapist will follow their interrogation, evaluation, and treatment techniques, so I would suggest you keep switching until you find the one that best fits your vibe, schedule, and requirements.
2. Pricing/Affordability
Thriveworks
Thriveworks and BetterHelp both follow a dynamic pricing structure. On Thriveworks, the session cost depends on factors such as my health insurance plan, the type of treatment being provided, my state or location, etc.
I always had the option to clarify my payment-related doubts by raising concerns with the platform’s scheduling specialists, who have all the information I need to make progress in my treatment.
Without insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket, and the self-pay rates are slightly higher. The packages start at $200 per consultation.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp charges between $60 to $90 per week, billed monthly. However, this is determined by factors like where I live, my treatment needs, my schedule/available time slots, the availability and experience of my counselor, and so on.
I would advise not to get swayed by this as some patients have also got a quote of $30 to $35 on weekly sessions.
I had the option of unlimited messaging to my therapist during this duration. Mine was a basic plan that included one session per week, but the platform has not set any upper limits on the number of live sessions, in particular.
The best way to go about this is to chat with your therapist and schedule live consultations as and when required, depending on the severity of your symptoms.
3. Insurance Coverage
Thriveworks
Thriveworks accepts insurance plans from multiple providers, such as Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Anthem, Blue Cross, Optum, United, and more. Medicaid is generally not accepted, but certain centers do process payments via Medicaid, which you can know about by getting in touch with customer service.
Thriveworks has also stopped accepting Magellan since March 2023 in most states across the US. However, if you stay in Delaware, New Jersey, California, and Pennsylvania, your Magellan insurance plan may be processed.
You need to pay the self-pay rates if you own Magellan insurance, or you may use any out-of-network coverage in case you have it.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp does not accept any insurance plans. The platform has lower self-pay rates and, therefore, does not provide any insurance coverage at all.
4. Accessibility
Thriveworks
Thriveworks is currently operational in about 49 states as stated below:
- New York
- Indiana
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Delaware
- Alaska
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
- Virginia
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- Utah
- Washington D.C
- Washington
- Maine
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Iowa
- Massachusetts
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Oregon
- Wyoming
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Florida
- Arizona
- Connecticut
- California and more
BetterHelp
BetterHelp has better accessibility than Thriveworks as it is equipped with providers who can serve you worldwide.
5. Privacy
Thriveworks
When it comes to protecting your privacy and the sensitive information of patients, Thriveworks does a better job. It adheres to international customer data privacy shielding standards and is even HIPAA-compliant.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is HIPAA-compliant as well. However, it has a bad reputation for following unethical business standards concerning client data protection and privacy.
The platform has been allegedly involved in the sale of patient records and sensitive details without their consent to social media companies such as Facebook and Snapchat. BetterHelp is under scrutiny by the FTC and has been banned by the agency from sharing customer information and preferences with advertisers.
6. Available Treatments
Thriveworks
Thriveworks specializes in both online talk therapy and fully virtual psychiatry, plus medication management. You can easily get started with psychiatric treatments online by scheduling an appointment with your nearest center in your state of residence.
For example, if you are in Texas like me, you can get in touch with psychiatry offices in respective cities such as Conroe, Arlington, Fort Worth, El Paso, Amarillo, Dallas, and more.
Personalized mental healthcare plans can also be obtained from nurse practitioners along with holistic medication management prescribing non-stimulants, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs. However, the platform does not prescribe medications such as controlled drugs and stimulants.
You will not get prescriptions for Adderall, Focalin, Concerta, Xanax, Ativan, Lunesta, Sonata, and more. The platform also does not treat substance abuse issues yet, so it is not authorized to prescribe medications such as Suboxone and Methadone.
Thriveworks can help patients with the following mental disorders:
- Depression
- PTSD
- OCD
- Personality disorders
- Anxiety
- ADHD
In a nutshell, here are the services provided by Thriveworks:
- Individual therapy
- Psychiatry/medication management
- Online therapy
- Child Therapy
- Family therapy
- Couples therapy
- Marriage counseling
Thriveworks also provides free digital resources as well as e-books with unlimited downloads on anxiety, self-care, stress, grief, relationships, and more for self-guided mental healthcare and to support paid treatments.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp can provide psychotherapy to adults aged 18 years and above around the world and help them tackle the following mental health issues with mild to moderate intensity and symptoms:
- Depression, anxiety, stress
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- ADHD
- Grief management
- Love, family issues
- Dementia
- Physical or sexual abuse and Midlife Crisis
- Huntington’s disease
- Marriage problems
- The mental health of men and boys
- PTSD, panic attacks
- Neuroticism
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Psychosis
- Impulse control disorder
- Bipolar disorder and more
7. Pros and Cons of Thriveworks
Pros
- Provides talk therapy, specialized psychiatric care, and medication management via both online and offline modes
- Offers extensive insurance coverage with some centers/providers accepting Medicaid too
- No subscription costs
- The Thriveworks app is simple to use
- You can record your sessions via the app for future reference
Cons
- Less affordable than BetterHelp
- Services are not available globally (currently active in 49 states across the US)
- Switching providers is a manual process and requires the involvement of customer support
- Patients insured by Magellan are no longer supported and will have to pay out-of-pocket
- Dynamic pricing makes budgeting difficult
- Mixed reviews on the internet
8. Pros and Cons of BetterHelp
Pros
- Provides 100% online mental health counseling worldwide without any geographical limits
- Convenient, subscription-based pricing billed every month
- Allows you to access a huge community of over 30,000 licensed providers
- Independent self-care digital resources are available for free
- You can consult your therapist in many ways via video calls, phone calls, live chat, and unlimited messaging
- In-app tools and features for better treatment outcomes
- Financial aid offered to students, veterans, and low-income groups
Cons
- Cost estimation and budgeting can be an issue due to the lack of upfront membership pricing
- No insurance coverage is available
- No psychiatric treatment, diagnosis services, or medication management offered
- You cannot use Medicare and Medicaid to reduce your treatment costs
- BetterHelp’s unethical business practices over patient privacy are being flagged and investigated
Conclusion
It is great how Thriveworks provides a variety of mental healthcare services, from individual counseling/psychiatry/medication management to treatments for children, couples, and families. It is quite an integrated mental healthcare system with experts having different areas of specialization.
However, the platform has extremely poor ratings on review websites. It scores a disappointing 1.8 on Trustpilot due to its unresponsive providers, who do not show up on time, and shoddy customer service. Billing issues have also been highlighted by some customers.
BetterHelp, on the other hand, has decent ratings on Trustpilot and other platforms, and you could opt for it if psychotherapy with ease of access is your aim.
BetterHelp is universally accessible to anyone who has an internet connection, as the mode of treatment is completely virtual. So, it is a more value-for-money option than Thriveworks. But, the final decision rests on personal criteria and individual preferences.
Unfortunately, there are no free trials offered. So, an ideal way to test both platforms is to book a one-month membership on BetterHelp and a pay-as-you-go session on Thriveworks to experience the quality of sessions yourself. This can help you determine which one is more suitable for you.
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.