Online counseling platforms like BetterHelp and Talkspace have gained a lot of traction, especially given the added stresses of recent years caused by significant global and regional events. The benefits of online counseling are numerous. It offers a means to connect with therapists that is both easy and convenient for clients, giving them more flexibility to fit therapy in when they need it from the comfort of their own homes.
What about the individuals offering counseling via these online platforms? As their clientele grows in leaps and bounds, so does their need for quality counselors. If you’re looking to compare BetterHelp vs Talkspace in terms of service, they differ in some of their delivery methods and pricing. However, each platform offers both clients the means to connect safely, securely in a comfortable environment.
How Much Does BetterHelp Pay Counselors?
BetterHelp discloses exact compensation scales after the hiring process is complete. The rest of the compensation process is pretty transparent, however. Counselors receive pay based on their level of engagement with the platform and their client load. Each BetterHelp counselor earns pay via an engagement-based compensation model. BetterHelp does not collect any fees from their counselors, and BetterHelp counselors do not work at an hourly rate.
What’s An Engagement Based Model?
Counselors are compensated based on how regularly they engage with their clients via live video sessions, phone sessions, or even live chat. Engagement can also present worksheets, shared journaling, asynchronous messaging, audio messages, etc.
How do counselors succeed in an Engagement Based Model?
Regular earnest, high-quality interaction with existing clients and the acceptance of new clients when applicable is the absolute key to the success in the Engagement Based Model of compensation. The counselors who make the most pay are the ones who take advantage of all forms of outreach to continually connect with and care for new and existing clients. At the center of this model is the live client session, whether via video, chat, or phone.
Receiving Payment via the BetterHelp Platform
BetterHelp provides specific details about pay once you’ve successfully passed the Clinical Study Assignment and are ready to complete the rest of the BetterHelp review process. The Clinical Study Assignment happens reasonably early in the onboarding process, before your video interview with BetterHelp, before the credentialing process, and before final approval to go live on the platform. This early placement in the onboarding process will give you ample time to review the compensation schedule and determine whether or not you’d like to proceed with the process.
Once you sign up for BetterHelp as a counselor and have access to the platform, you’ll be able to see and track all of your payments via the counselor dashboard. In the meantime, BetterHelp offers an Earnings Estimator Calculator you can use to get a rough idea of counselor income based on the number of hours you wish to work. Adjust the sliding scale to see how compensation changes based on workload.
Managing your Workload at BetterHelp
The volume of new and existing clients through the BetterHelp platform is completely up to you. If you operate an in-person practice, and you’d like to supplement your income and add flexibility to your schedule with online counseling, you can do so.
You can start with a smaller client load and add as you become more comfortable with the platform. Or you can go all-in immediately and work exclusively via the BetterHelp platform off of the Engagement Based Model of compensation. The choice is entirely yours. Professional, consistent engagement with your clients via the platform will result in consistent pay no matter the caseload size you desire.