Does BetterHelp Offer Couples Counseling?
BetterHelp offers couples counseling through their sister site Regain.
What Does Regain Cost for Couples?
Regain costs $65-$100 per week, prior to any offers, discounts, or financial aid. The cost is based on your location, preferences, and therapist availability.
Pro Tip!
Regain offers income-based financial aid. If you qualify for financial aid, it can reduce your costs significantly, depending on where you live and other factors.
Note that you get the most value out of your Regain subscription if you get weekly video sessions (which is our recommended way of using Regain).
Also note that Regain does not accept insurance. Usually, insurance does not cover couples counseling anyway, but if yours does, you won’t be able to use it on Regain.
The cost of a Regain subscription can make it an affordable alternative to paying out of pocket for in-person couples counseling. We recommend comparing online and local options where you live.
How Does Regain Work?
Regain provides a mix of individual and joint couples counseling sessions through its online platform. You can sign up for individual sessions in the beginning and invite your partner to join you for joint sessions later, or you can start out having sessions together right away.
Live sessions on Regain are 30 to 45 minutes long and can be live video, phone, or chat sessions. We recommend live video sessions if you want your experience to be as close to traditional face-to-face couples counseling as possible.
Standard Regain plans include one live session per week and we recommend using all of your allotted live sessions to get the most value out of your subscription.
With Regain you and your partner can be in two different locations and still be on the same video call. This can be a huge plus when it comes to scheduling appointments.
Your monthly plan also includes the ability to message your therapist anytime. (Note that while you and your partner can send messages to your therapist anytime, they will typically only respond once a day, and they may take certain days off.)
Also note that you and your partner will share the same “therapy room” where you send and receive messages. This means you will be able to read what each other writes. However, you can have individual sessions with the therapist.
One of the perks of Regain is that it works for couples who are in long-distance relationships or traveling for work. You can log in to live video sessions from different places—even from different states.
How Do You Sign Up for Regain?
If you indicate that you want to sign up for couples counseling from the BetterHelp homepage, you’re redirected to Regain. From there, you can start the sign-up process.
First, choose whether you’re registering for individual or couples counseling sessions. If you sign up for couples counseling sessions, when you’re done, an invitation will be sent to your partner. You can start out with individual sessions and invite your partner to join later if you prefer.
Next, fill out a questionnaire about your mental health, any issues you want to address in your relationship, why you’re signing up, your therapist preferences, and what you want to get out of counseling sessions on Regain.
When your partner signs up, they’ll answer the same questions. You won’t be able to see one another’s responses.
Pro Tip: Apply for Financial Aid!
At the end of the sign-up questionnaire, you reach the payment page. From that page, you can apply for financial aid to see if you qualify for a reduced rate on Regain.
After you finish signing up, you’re matched with a therapist based on the preferences you indicated on your questionnaire. If the first therapist you’re paired with isn’t the right match, you can try working with a different one by clicking on the “Change Therapists” button in your online therapy room.
Is BetterHelp Good for Couples?
Regain provides legitimate couples therapy from licensed therapists who are trained in couples counseling. It can be good for couples who might otherwise find it difficult or impossible to access couples counseling sessions for practical or financial reasons.
One of the hardest parts of couples counseling is getting three adults in the same room at the same time every week.
The online format can be good for couples as it makes scheduling sessions easier and more convenient than scheduling them at an office that includes a commute and has limited hours. Regain even makes it possible for all three people to check in to a video session from different locations.
On the other hand, there are some aspects of couples counseling that may not translate as well to the online format. It may be more difficult for counselors to contain explosive emotion or de-escalate conflict when they are only present via video. It may also be harder for partners to engage with one another when their attention is focused on a computer screen.
Is Online Couples Counseling Effective?
Research shows that couples counseling is effective and that it helps 70 percent of couples who receive it. Research also supports the effectiveness of individual online therapy, especially for people who get video counseling sessions.
Unfortunately, there’s just not enough research on online couples counseling yet to say whether it’s effective. However, anecdotal evidence and these existing studies on the effectiveness of couples counseling and online therapy suggest that it can help the couples who receive it.
Ultimately, whether online couples counseling is a good choice for you depends on your needs and preferences and whether you can find an online couples therapist who’s a good match.
It may be a good option when:
- You can’t afford local couples counseling rates,
- There aren’t any local couples therapists close to you, or
- Your schedules make it hard to commute to a local therapy office together each week.
We recommend comparing local and online options to see which is the best fit for you.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Does BetterHelp Offer Marriage Counseling?
BetterHelp offers marriage counseling through its sister site Regain. On Regain, you and your spouse can sign up for individual and/or joint sessions with a qualified licensed therapist. The therapists that provide sessions through Regain have a background in couples counseling. The platform makes it possible to have live sessions together or from different locations. These sessions are generally conducted in the same way as traditional marriage counseling sessions.
Does BetterHelp Charge the Same for Couples and Individuals?
Yes. The rates on BetterHelp and Regain are the same, and you’ll pay the same on Regain whether you are getting individual or joint sessions (or both).
Your subscription includes the ability to message your therapist anytime (do note that while you can send an any number of messages, your therapist will typically only respond once a day) and one live session per week. If you want more than one live session per week, you may have to pay an additional fee (this is true on both BetterHelp and Regain).
Are BetterHelp and Regain the Same?
Regain and BetterHelp are separate sites run by the same parent company. Regain works the same exact way technically and financially as BetterHelp. You use a similar online platform and the monthly subscription rates are the same. You get a combination of live sessions and messaging like you do on BetterHelp.
The main difference is that Regain is designed for couples. The therapy room and your account are set up for two people to use together. (Though it is an option on Regain to have individual sessions instead of or in addition to couples sessions.)