‘What if I told you one of the strongest choices you could make was the choice to ask for help?” says a young, twenty-something woman in a red sweater, before recommending that viewers seek out counselling. This advert, promoted on Instagram and other social media platforms, is just one of many campaigns created by the California-based company BetterHelp, which offers to connect users with online therapists.
The need for digital alternatives to face-to-face therapy has been well established in recent years. If we go by the latest data for NHS talking therapy services, 1.76 million people were referred for treatment in 2022-23, while 1.22 million actually started working with a therapist in person.
While companies like BetterHelp are hoping to address some of the
