Strengths:

1). Intuitive, user-friendly platform.

• Betterhelp is very simple to learn and use. Easy on-boarding, easy to set your schedule, change your schedule, and schedule clients, easy to join sessions with good picture and sound quality (internet connection pending), easy to take notes while in session, easy to upload files to share with your client. Betterhelp is just so easy!

2). Simple policies and protocols.

• Almost no oversight on progress notes, treatment plans, or evidence based treatments since they are all private pay clients. No formal diagnosis, FMLA paperwork, child custody recommendations, court-mandated counseling, emotional support animal letters, etc. due to the nature of on-line therapy + Betterhelp’s policies. (I re-iterate these opt-out services in my informed consent, just so clients are clear up front about what I will NOT be doing). Payment structure is fairly simple and clear. Client billing and subscription questions are always referred to admin. to handle. This platform is so easy to work for!

3). Friendly, responsive, administrative support.

• They really support their therapists, answer questions thoroughly, and give us the benefit of the doubt when clients complain. They even sent gifts to my house on special occasions!
  

4). Accept or reject clients based on your schedule/goodness of fit.

• For the most part you get to choose which clients you want to work with. Betterhelp does a good job matching for goodness of fit, but if you don’t think it would be a good match, you usually have the chance to refuse them, with a note to Betterhelp regarding the reason. In some instances Betterhelp matches you to a client without your consent, but you always retain the right to not work with someone, and can refer them back to Betterhelp if needed.
  

5). Opportunities to teach classes or lead groups.

• For those of us who need a little variety in our practice, groups and classes are a great way to practice a different skillset.
  

5). Benefits: Free CEUs, referral bonus, health benefit stipend (if you qualify), and license fee reimbursement (if you apply for a license in a high-demand state), and free counseling for yourself on Betterhelp.

• Nationally accredited computer-based learning courses that are FREE to Betterhelp therapists.
  
• Generous referral bonus if therapists sign up for Betterhelp using your referral link (bonus money if they sign up in a high-demand state).
• Health benefit stipend (given as a bonus payment) if you work enough hours within a certain timeframe.
• Free client accounts are giving to therapists to see their own Betterhelp therapist, upon request.

Opportunities for growth:

1). Low pay.

• It is very difficult to make a living on Betterhelp without some burn out (at least for me). The “health benefit stipend” (which is really a bonus for hours worked) is hard to achieve due to the number of work hours required, and only 30-45 minute sessions alotted. (I did a LOT of messaging to try to glean a few more hours of work time, but that wasn’t really sustainable for me, either).
  

2). Very little oversight.

• Yes, I also mentioned this in the “strengths” section, because for me (a high-achieving, free-spirit personality) having very little oversight is wonderful. However, I tend to get a fair amount of clients who have had a bad experience with therapists on the platform--one recounted a therapist making breakfast as she did her session. (Seriously!? That can’t be true, can it?) If you struggle staying on task, getting your notes done, or doing your due diligence, there is no one to keep you accountable except your client ratings and potential suspension from receiving new clients. It’s up to you to do a good job here.
  

3). Forums are not always a “safe” place.

• I’ve had some really great interactions on the forums, but there are a few people who can get real nasty if you share ideas they don’t like. The forums can be helpful if you get stuck with a client and need some advice, or are having trouble with a platform feature, or managing your caseload or whatever! Peer support can be a really good thing... when it’s supportive.
  

4). Wait list to lead classes or groups.

• Though classes and groups can add a nice variety to your week, there are often waitlists to teach/lead classes. Unfortunately, the people who signed up first basically have a monopoly and lead multiple groups/classes per week with very little opportunity for new teachers/facilitators to move in. :(
  

Strengths:

1). Decent pay.

• If you are looking for a private practice experience with virtually no overhead and client matching, then Talkspace is a great option. Hourly pay is a bit low, but bonuses are given monthly based on hours worked, which can really boost the paycheck.
  

2). Thorough on-boarding & safety protocols.

• Talkspace requires several computer-based training modules be completed before taking clients. Talkspace does a great job of outlining safety policies and procedures, and providing resources for crisis (suicide risk assessments, safety plan, emergency numbers, etc. I highly recommend bookmarking those pages so you can access everything you need with just a click!) These protocols really equip the therapist to handle risky situations.
  

3). Free credentialing and client matching.

• Talkspace gets you credentialed with select insurances, at no cost to you! You are then matched with clients that are a good fit according to your therapist profile. This is great for therapists who don’t want to deal with marketing or generating client leads!
  

4). AI generated progress notes for messaging sessions.

• For me it’s a bit tricky to chart progress notes from asynchornous messaging, but the new AI feature will automatically generate the note based on your conversation. In my experience it’s been really accurate, and probably better than I can do! This has been a huge time saver, and definitely a perk!
  

5). Free CEUs & clinical support.

• Talkspace offers frree seminars for CEU credits each month.Talkspace partners with other mental health organizations to help with seamless and specialized referrals, some of which also offer free CEUs. Talkspace handles all records requests, which is also a nice perk. Plus there is also a standing invitation to reach out to the clinical support team with any questions or concerns, as well as monthly clinical support meetings that are open for all therapists to attend.
  

Opportunities for growth:

1). Very complex client plans, compensation formulas, and treatment plans.

• This is by far the most frustrating thing about Talkspace. There are direct-to-consumer accounts (private pay), direct-to-business accounts, insurance accounts, EAP accounts, etc. Compensation for messging is different based on what kind of account the client has. This can get very confusing.
  
• The treatment planner on this platform is crazy. Based on the listed presenting problem, suggested goals are populated, and you click boxes, then based on that objectives pop up and you click more boxes, and then based on that interventions pop up and you click more boxes. Some of the options available reference treatment modalities I’ve never heard of, but the evidence-based treatment modalities I do use are not options. There is an option to write in your own goals/objectives/interventions, but that feature only works sometimes. This treatment planner is a hot mess in my opinion.

2). Response times are abysmal.

• If you have a question or need help resolving an issues, just sit back and relax because response times from the administration team can take a week or longer.
  

3). Can’t decline clients who are matched to you.

• When you are open to receiving clients, clients will be placed on your caseload with very little information about their mental health status. (With Betterhelp you are typically allowed to accept or reject clients who are matched to you.) If a client really is not a good fit, there is a protocol to get them reassigned to another counselor, but you aren’t able to reject the client upfront as with other platforms.
  

4). Matched clients don’t always engage.

• I get matched with several clients who don’t engage with me at all. This happens on every platform, but it seems to happen more on Talkspace, likely because of how the payment plans are structured (EAP, direct-to-business, etc.). This makes my caseload look very large, when in fact my engaged client count is much lower. If a client doesn’t engage within a certain amount of time their “room” is closed.
  

Strengths:

1). Free credentialing, Electronic Health Record, scheduling, and billing services.

• Headway does free credentialing with some insurance panels (based on the state you are in, it could be more or less panels). They do provide an EHR, a scheduler, and take care of all billing, which means no billing hassles for you! They offer decent compensation for insurance-based clients, plus you can add your own private-pay clients and set your own rate. (Headway takes a small reasonable percentage from your private-pay rate). There is no out-of-pocket cost to you to use this platform, which is great!
  

2). Friendly, responsive, administrative support.

• When you sign up you are assigned a specialist to encourage and help you build your practice on Headway. (I really enjoyed meeting with Henry! He has a great personality and really made me feel at ease).
  

4). Free CEUs & professional growth resources.

• Headway does offer free CEUs through PESI (but just a handful of PESI’s programs are free to Headway therapists), as well as Violet (Cultural Competence CEU vendor). Headway also offers educational resources on “Headway Academy,” which provides short courses and tips to market yourself, create a strong profile, grow your practice, and much more!
  

Opportunities for growth:

1). Not credentialed with many insurance panels.

• I am licensed in 2 states and I was credentialed with 3 insurances in Wisconsin, and 8 in California, so the state you live in will impact how many insurance panels you will be credentialed with.
  

2). Have to attain your own HIPPAA compliant meeting room as well as your own private phone line for your private practice.

• Though you can find free HIPPAA compliant meeting rooms (such as doxy.com, or the meeting room associated with your Psychology Today profile, for example) it’s just an extra step and hassle as compared to other platforms that have meeting rooms built right into the platform. Also, the private phone line is an (albeit small) overhead expense.
  

3). Maintain your own EHR?

• Although Headway does provide an option for you to use their Electronic Health Record, many therapists maintain their own EHR apart from the platform. In case you should ever leave Headway, it is up to you to maintain your client records for as long as your license requires.
  

4). Marketing!

• It does take substantial time and effort to market your practice and generate client leads. But if you are able and willing to put the work in to marketing, you can do alright for yourself in private practice.