Pros and cons
Pros
- A "Black therapist" box you can check in the sign-up questionnaire's therapist preferences.
- Insurance or self-pay: an average $23 copay for eligible members, or $70-$100 a week without insurance.
- Message your therapist anytime, and talk by chat, phone, or video.
- Switching therapists is a button in your account, not a new sign-up.
- More than 30,000 licensed therapists in its network, by BetterHelp's count.
Cons
- Checking "Black therapist" is a request. BetterHelp matches you to an available therapist, so a Black therapist isn't guaranteed.
- Its therapists don't prescribe medication, so medication needs a separate prescriber.
- Its providers don't directly accept Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE.
- With insurance, chat-based sessions, groups and some self-help tools may be limited or unavailable, BetterHelp says.
- In 2023 the FTC ordered BetterHelp to pay $7.8 million over charges it shared health data with advertisers such as Facebook and Snapchat.
Pricing and coverage
- Pricing
- Average copay $23 per session for eligible insured members; $70-$100 per week without insurance.
- Insurance
- Accepts commercial insurance
- Notes
- In network with select Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CareFirst, Cigna, Highmark and UnitedHealthcare plans, varying by state. Its providers don't directly accept Medicaid, Medicare or TRICARE.
Who BetterHelp is right for
BetterHelp is online talk therapy. You fill out a questionnaire, BetterHelp matches you with a licensed therapist, and you talk by text, chat, phone, or video. It fits if you want a therapist you can reach between sessions and you don't need medication.
Asking for a Black therapist
The sign-up questionnaire asks "Are there any specific preferences for your therapist?" and "Black therapist" is one of the boxes you can check.
Checking it is a request. BetterHelp says it will match you "to an available therapist who fits your objectives, preferences, and the type of issues you are dealing with." If the match isn't right, it says you can "click a button and get matched to another provider."
If you'd rather choose a Black therapist yourself, start with our directory of Black therapists, where every listing rests on the clinician's own word that they are Black.
What it costs
BetterHelp lists an average copay of $23 per session for members whose insurance it accepts, and $70 to $100 per week without insurance.
It says it is in network with more than 125 health plans, including select Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CareFirst, Cigna, Highmark and UnitedHealthcare plans. Which plans count varies by state. With insurance, you get one covered live session per week.
Its providers don't directly accept Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE. If you have Medicaid, read how to find therapy that takes Medicaid.
What it doesn't do
BetterHelp therapists "will not prescribe medication," and BetterHelp says they may not be able to make an official diagnosis or fulfill a court order. If you need medication, you'll need a separate prescriber. Talkspace and Brightside offer therapy and psychiatry on one platform.
The privacy record
In July 2023 the FTC finalized an order requiring BetterHelp to pay $7.8 million, resolving allegations that it shared consumers' health data with third parties such as Facebook and Snapchat for advertising after promising to keep it private. The order bans BetterHelp from sharing consumers' health data for advertising. Read the FTC's announcement.
How to use it
Check "Black therapist" at the preferences step. Enter your insurance at sign-up to see whether you're covered. If the first match isn't right, switch early rather than waiting it out.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Our methodology
We read BetterHelp's own homepage, FAQ, insurance page and sign-up questionnaire on September 28, 2026, plus the FTC's 2023 order, and every fact here comes from them. We did not sign up or attend sessions. The rating is our editorial judgment of those published facts.
Was this helpful?
Your feedback shapes what we cover next.
Thanks for letting us know.
If you found this useful, sign up for our newsletter to get more like this.
Thanks. What was missing?
Optional. We read every response.
Thanks.
We use this to prioritize the next round of edits.