I really think that I need therapy and my family also think so and tells me this in regular intervals.
But there are two main blockers with getting therapy:
- Extreme long waiting list’s, estimated waiting times of 1-3 years
- I am so bad at doing stuff on time / arriving at appointment’s, that this will fail any therapy where I have to arrive physically
I am thinking about getting online therapy, on a platform like for example BetterHelp, but I always hear bad things about these platforms.
Do anyone here as experience with such platforms? Do they keep the conversations private or sell them?
I am so bad at doing stuff on time / arriving at appointment’s, that this will fail any therapy where I have to arrive physically
Weirdly enough I end up at the opposite end. Before I have a rapport with someone I will worry way too much about being late, so I’ll set an alarm earlier than needed and feel internal pressure to be out the door at a time that can account for absurdly bad traffic and I’ll usually end up awkwardly sitting in the waiting room for half an hour. Once I know someone will cut me some slack I will be more relaxed until I actually am late for one, at which point I worry about if I do it again soon after it might look like a habit and I’m temporarily back to super-careful. The most helpful thing a counselor ever did for me was forget to show up for one in our first couple weeks, from there out it felt like I get a mulligan if something goes wrong.
If all I have to do is sit in front of my computer then my brain won’t let me feel pressed until a few minutes before, and then sometimes distractions happen.
I feel the same way. I wonder if it’s a trauma response - overcompensating so as to not disappoint the person infront of me.
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Just find a therapist you can video call with, don’t waste your time on an app
You can find someone in less time than that generally.
It don’t have to be an app, I ask for online therapy in general
BetterHelp is demonstrably a scam, as they make damn sure to remind you it’s not actually therapy and the people there are not necessarily qualified to do therapy.
Don’t get better help or any app like that. They are all scams and do not keep your identity or what you say safe and secure.
Best thing to do is someone in or around you that does online seasons.
That’s what I do, I have a therapist that is from a place around here I trust and is hipa compliant so they won’t give your info and whatever you say to anyone
There should be organizations around you that can help you with therapy if your low income for instance I heard volunteers of America have sliding scale based on income including zero Income.
Here’s the most recent Privacy Not Included assessment of online therapy options from Mozilla, best of luck!
It looks like most of these are not therapy services
I’ve heard bad things about BetterHelp but haven’t tried it myself. However, I looked into Open Path Collective (another online therapy option) after seeing other people say good things about it. I gave it a try and have been happy with it so far. Just make sure you find a therapist that specializes in ADHD or has ADHD themselves. Them having that experience has made a big difference in them understanding me. Also, wait times depend on the therapist that you choose, but I’ve been able to get appointments pretty soon with no wait times.
Regarding online therapy specifically, I find that it helps a lot with me being on time. I’m much more likely to be on time for online sessions than in-person sessions due to fewer “barriers” I have to go through to attend the session.
+1 on this from a therapist. BetterHelp often sucks, but that doesn’t mean virtual therapy itself sucks
In addition to Open Path, if you need affordable private pay therapy, i made a firefox add on that lets you sort Psychology Today by price:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/psychology-today-price-sort/Just set filters for:
- your country/state
- virtual availability
- ADHD
- whatever else you want
- <$90
Issue I have with better help. They require camera. At least mine did. I cannot talk to someone about issues if I can see them. I need voice only or just chat or theres no way I’m gonna talk about real issues.
Therapists need visual on you to be able to read your body language and reactions so they can adjust their approach and be better able to help to you.
But you could cover your screen so you don’t have to see them if that’s the main issue.
Eventually I suggest working with your therapist towards being able to talk while perceiving another person, but the above is a good first step at least.
Betterhelp was garbage. Tried it for a bit. Waste of time. They have a pool of not-therapists doing back to back not-therapy sessions with lots of people. It’s a sweat shop for social workers or something.
MAYBE it’s better than literally nothing. But not by much.
Lifestance should be able to set you up with a local provider in a reasonable amount of time.
Which country are you in?
Germany
I know a therapist who practices privately, but it’s on the other side of the world to you so I’m not sure about video call
Amy therapy is OK if it helps you, IMHO. I think it depends more on if the therapist has experience with ADHD and you’re able to form a trust relationship. If you don’t need physical proximity for that, then it can work.
That said, the type of providers who are hired for those platforms are generally not as good due to low budgets. And most large corporations tend not to treat providers as well as small practices. But sometimes you might find someone just starting out who is actually really good or something like that.
Not sure what your insurance situation is, but I’ve had a really good experience though Rula. My therapist is great, and we have a biweekly session set up. I generally do it from my work truck.
I’ve had good luck with Growtherapy and Headway.
First off, get on the waiting lists today if you aren’t already, before anything else. Therapist churn is a thing, especially at more affordable clinics, and it’s better to have options than not once you get started. Even when established at a clinic and you have to move to someone new, they won’t necessarily get you to another provider quickly.
As for video calls, I’ve been in therapy for 10 years. I’ve done in-person, telephone, and video calls. The best work I’ve done in therapy has been in the past six months, and it’s all been over video call. The mode matters less than the fit, and telehealth gives you access to a lot more providers.
I’ve never been with a service that records conversations, but I’d avoid the big therapy mills like BetterHelp. Even setting aside the well-documented sketchy behavior aside, I can’t imagine they hold onto people for long.
