Reviewed by Kathryn Vercillo, MA Psychology | Last Updated: November 2025
You have seen the ads. They are everywhere: podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, even your favorite true crime shows. BetterHelp promises convenient, affordable therapy at your fingertips. Just fill out a questionnaire and get matched with a licensed therapist within days.
It sounds perfect. Maybe too perfect.
If you have been considering signing up, or if you already have and something feels off, you are not alone. Millions of people have turned to platforms like BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Cerebral hoping for accessible mental health care. But there is a lot those ads do not tell you, and a better option might be closer than you think.
Here is why a therapy collective like Center for Mindful Therapy offers something these platforms simply cannot match.
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1. You are not the customer; you are the product
This is the part the podcast ads skip over. Platforms like BetterHelp operate on a venture capital model. They need to show growth, user numbers, and engagement metrics to satisfy investors. That changes everything about how they operate.
In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission required BetterHelp to pay $7.8 million to settle charges that the company shared users’ sensitive health data with companies like Facebook and Snapchat for advertising purposes. Data you thought was protected by therapeutic confidentiality was being used to target you with ads.
When you work with a therapy collective, your therapist’s only obligation is to you. There are no investors demanding growth metrics, no advertising algorithms analyzing your intake form, no corporate pressure to maximize “user engagement.” The relationship is simple: you are a person seeking help, and your therapist is a professional providing it.
2. Your therapist actually gets paid fairly
Here is something uncomfortable: the therapists working for major platforms are often paid shockingly little. Reports have shown that BetterHelp therapists may earn as little as $30 per hour, sometimes less, while the platform charges clients significantly more. The company profits from the gap.
This is not just an ethical issue; it directly affects your care. Therapists who are underpaid and overworked experience burnout. They may take on too many clients to make ends meet. They have less capacity for the kind of presence and attention that good therapy requires.
At a therapy collective, the fee structure is transparent and designed to support both clients and therapists. Our Associate MFTs are building their careers in a sustainable way, with supervision and support, not grinding through endless sessions for a corporation that treats them as interchangeable.
When your therapist is treated well, you receive better care. It really is that simple.
3. You get matched by humans who actually know the therapists
BetterHelp’s matching algorithm is a questionnaire. You answer some questions, the system processes your responses, and you get assigned to whoever is available and fits certain parameters. If the match does not work, you can switch, but you are essentially starting the lottery over again.
At Center for Mindful Therapy, matching happens differently. Our intake team knows our therapists personally. They understand each clinician’s strengths, specialties, personality, and approach. When you reach out, a real person considers who might be the best fit for your specific situation, not just who has openings.
This matters because the therapeutic relationship is the single biggest predictor of successful outcomes. A good match from the start saves you the exhausting process of cycling through therapist after therapist hoping one finally clicks. We get it right more often because we actually know the people we are recommending.
4. Your therapist is part of a real community, not isolated behind a screen
One of the hidden problems with platform based therapy is isolation. Therapists working for BetterHelp or Talkspace are often independent contractors working from home, disconnected from colleagues, supervision, and professional community. They may have no one to consult when a case gets complicated.
Therapy collectives are built on the opposite model. Our therapists work within a community of over 140 clinicians. They have regular supervision, peer consultation, and ongoing training. When your therapist encounters something challenging in your work together, they have experienced colleagues to consult with.
This structure exists specifically because our therapists are Associate MFTs working toward licensure. But rather than being a limitation, this is actually an advantage. You get a therapist who is closely supervised, continuously learning, and supported by a network of experienced professionals. The oversight means higher quality care, not less.
5. You are building a relationship with a practice, not renting access to a platform
When you sign up for BetterHelp, you are essentially renting access to a therapist through a middleman. If your therapist leaves the platform, you may have no way to follow them. If the company changes its policies, raises prices, or gets acquired, you have no control. Your therapeutic relationship exists at the pleasure of a corporation.
When you work with a therapy collective, you are building a relationship with an actual practice rooted in your community. If your therapist completes their hours and moves on, we help you transition to another clinician who knows your history. If your needs change, we can recommend someone within our collective with different specializations.
Center for Mindful Therapy has been serving the San Francisco Bay Area for years. We are not going anywhere, and we are not going to sell your data to advertisers or pivot our business model because investors demand higher returns. We are here to provide therapy, period.
The affordability question
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Part of BetterHelp’s appeal is the perception of affordability. But when you look closely, the math gets complicated.
BetterHelp subscriptions typically run $65 to $100 per week, which adds up to $260 to $400 per month for what often amounts to one live session per week plus messaging. That is not dramatically cheaper than working with an Associate MFT at a collective, where session fees are already lower than those of fully licensed therapists.
Many therapists, including some of ours, also offer sliding scale options for clients who need them. When you factor in the quality of care, the strength of the match, and the absence of corporate data harvesting, the value equation shifts significantly.
What the ads will never tell you
BetterHelp spends enormous amounts on advertising. They have sponsored seemingly every podcast and influencer with an audience. That marketing budget has to come from somewhere, and it comes from the gap between what you pay and what your therapist receives.
Those ads are designed to make therapy feel as frictionless as ordering takeout. But therapy is not takeout. It is a deeply human process that requires trust, attunement, and genuine relationship. The convenience that platforms sell often comes at the cost of the very things that make therapy work.
You deserve better than being a data point in someone’s growth metrics. You deserve a therapist who is supported, fairly compensated, and part of a real professional community. And you deserve care that is not mediated by algorithms and advertising.
Finding your therapist the right way
If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area or anywhere in California, Center for Mindful Therapy offers a genuine alternative to platform based therapy. Our collective includes over 140 Associate MFTs trained in a wide range of approaches, from somatic therapies and EMDR to mindfulness based work and depth psychology.
We offer both in person sessions throughout the Bay Area and telehealth for anyone in California. Browse our therapist directory to find someone whose background resonates with you, and many of our therapists offer brief consultation calls so you can get a sense of the fit before committing.
Skip the algorithm. Find a real therapist who is ready to do real work with you.
Browse our Therapist Directory