Online therapy platform BetterHelp is rapidly losing its paid subscriber base, according to financial filings from its parent company. The company reports a drop in average monthly paid BetterHelp subscribers, from 476,000 in the second quarter of 2023 to 425,000 in the fourth quarter. That’s a loss of more than 10% of its paid user base, despite significant marketing expenses aimed at growing the platform.
online therapy
The risks of online psychotherapy
In the past three weeks, weāve discussed what we know and donāt know about online psychotherapy, and four reasons to move your practice online. As youāve read, online psychotherapy has a great deal of potential, and may be a good fit for your practice. It does, however, come with some risks to both you and your clients. Here, Iāll address some of those risks and how you can minimize them.
Four reasons to move your practice online
As Iāve outlined in the past two weeks, there is a lot we know and a lot we donāt know about online therapy. If youāre considering moving part or all of your practice online, there are a lot of things to consider. Do you have the appropriate technology, and are you comfortable using it? Do you have policies and practices ready for online work? Have you ensured that your online work will be fully legally and ethically compliant, and consistent with best practices like those outlined in the new AAMFT Online Therapy Best Practices guide? Are your clients appropriate for online therapy?
Many therapists wrestle with the choice of whether to practice online. While these are not determining factors — in other words, Iām not saying your final decision should be to practice online, as thereās more to consider than whatās below — here are four good reasons to consider making the move.
What we don’t know about online therapy
Last week, I offered a snapshot of what we know about online therapy. That data shows a great deal of potential for online work. However, there is also a lot that we donāt know about online therapy. In todayās post, Iāll address three of those unanswered questions.
As I mentioned last week, the research base for online psychotherapy is growing quickly. It may be that answers to these questions will be more readily available just weeks or months from now. In addition, the fact that we do not yet have answers to these questions should not stop therapists interested in working online from doing so. But for the time being, these are issues where we as a field are still seeking important information.
What we know about online therapy
The world of online therapy continues to develop rapidly. There are now dozens ofĀ videoconference platforms designed or marketed specifically to therapists. The research base is steadily growing. States and provinces are working feverishly to provide clarity in law for therapists working online.
In such a rapidly-changing environment, it can be difficult for therapists to reasonably assess the current state of online psychotherapy. Hereās what we can safely say we know as of April 2017. Unless otherwise noted, āonline therapyā here refers to interactive, video-based work. Other forms of technology, including phone, text, and chat, are often used in therapy, but less is known about them.