How to Become a Therapist On the BetterHelp Remote Therapy Platform
Licensedclinical psychologists, professional counselors, and social workers arecurrently in high demand.
The last five months have placed even morepressure on the world population as the uncertainty and devastation of COVID--19 is taking a steep toll on the hearts and minds of people worldwide. As aresult, the demand for licensed mental health professionals is in even higherdemand than before.
Distance Therapy -- Closing The Gap
With social distancing and quarantine rules inplace, getting to a traditional therapy appointment isn’t an available optionfor millions of mental health sufferers worldwide. Online therapy platforms areproviding realistic solutions for therapists and mental health clients to helpbridge the gap. BetterHelp, the world’s leading online therapy platform boaststhousands of registered users including over two-thousand licensed therapists.
The BetterHelp platform provides therapistsand clients with access to a secure platform where they can connect forreal-time therapy sessions. Therapists who work on the platform gain access toan affordable option for operating an independent therapy practice. Clients onthe platform find relief when they learn they can access the services andsupport from licensed professional counselors and therapists any time of day ornight.
How to Become a Therapist at BetterHelp
Brick-and-mortar therapy practices operatedprivately and in public health settings like hospitals, clinics, schools, andsimilar public health environments require that therapists meet stringentrequirements including holding a minimum of a master’s degree from anaccredited institution and holding a state-issued therapy license issued bytheir local state licensing board. BetterHelp adheres to the same standards astheir offline counterparts. Therapists must meet the minimum requirements toprovide services on the platform. Contact your state licensing authority tolearn more about what licensing credentials are required in your state.
Visit BetterHelp online to complete theapplication process. Be prepared to provide your state therapy license numberand verifiable work history. New therapists will be asked a series of questionsincluding those about minimum state licensing requirements, previous therapyexperience, and questions about administrative therapy tasks. When you completethe application, you’ll be asked to provide information about where you arelicensed to practice and provide contact information including the best emailto reach you, your home address, and a phone number for follow up on yourapplication.
Upon completion of the applicationquestionnaire and providing verification of your practice history, including aresume and verification of licensing credentials, your application will beaccepted for review. A member of the BetterHelp team will contact you if yourapplication meets the criteria for practicing on the platform.
Important things to remember, when you becomea member of the BetterHelp online therapy platform as a practitioner, you gainaccess to a wide variety of therapy tools and technical support that makes iteasy to manage your online practice independently. The BetterHelp platform hasbuilt-in features for session management, client management, billing, answersto frequently asked therapy-related questions, and technical support.
When you become a licensed therapy provider onthe BetterHelp platform, you are eligible to provide online therapy servicesvia SMS messaging, video chat, and audio chat. All sessions are conducted via asecure and encrypted platform. The BetterHelp therapy matching service willhelp to connect qualified therapists with clients who are seeking services.While the platform takes care of most of the heavy lifting for you, it’simportant to understand that you are still responsible for adhering to staterules, regulations, and guidelines for practicing therapy and managing yourclients, appointments, notes, treatment methodologies, and follow-up.
Technical support is available for therapistswho have questions, concerns, or those in need of troubleshooting support. Ifyou need help managing your independent therapy practice on the BetterHelpplatform, reach out to customer support, and explain your issue. Using theplatform is as easy as downloading the free BetterHelp app from the App Storeor Google Play. When you download the app, therapists and clients can log in totheir account and meet for virtual therapy sessions wherever they are. The onlyrequirements for using the platform are using an internet-connected device thatis able to download and run the BetterHelp app.
Desktop and laptop users can log in to theonline therapy platform by visiting the website online and choosing the “login”option to access your account. When you log in to the provider side of theplatform you’ll have access to your personal therapy dashboard that helps youkeep track of important client data including upcoming appointments, newmessages, and therapy notes.
The platform is securely encrypted to protectpersonal user information and data. All interactions between clients andtherapists are subject to the rules of confidentiality. Unless otherwiserequested, the information shared between therapists and clients in therapysessions will be kept confidential. This means that no one will share yours oryour client’s information outside of the platform.