Frequently asked questions
Faithful Counseling is a professional mental health service that allows users to connect with licensed therapists that share a Christian background. By combining Biblical wisdom with clinical expertise in mental health, our counselors do their best to invite God into the conversation and formulate actionable plans that best address the unique challenges their clients face. Our goal is to holistically improve clients’ well-being, so that they may feel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.
In order to provide the best experience possible, our unique online platform holds several benefits over traditional face-to-face therapy. On Faithful Counseling, you have access to communicate with your counselor through scheduled video sessions and phone calls, plus unlimited messaging with your counselor at any time. Users may connect via a computer, tablet or smartphone, depending on their preference.
We operate as a monthly subscription service, providing access to counseling at drastically more affordable rates than traditional, session-based pricing.
In order to provide the best experience possible, our unique online platform holds several benefits over traditional face-to-face therapy. On Faithful Counseling, you have access to communicate with your counselor through scheduled video sessions and phone calls, plus unlimited messaging with your counselor at any time. Users may connect via a computer, tablet or smartphone, depending on their preference.
We operate as a monthly subscription service, providing access to counseling at drastically more affordable rates than traditional, session-based pricing.
The cost of counseling through Faithful Counseling ranges from $40 to $70 per week (billed every 4 weeks). You can cancel your membership at any time for any reason.
The counselors of Faithful Counseling are a group of practicing Christians that are part of a larger network of licensed counselors operating on the Betterhelp platform, sharing the same high standards of clinical experience.
All counselors are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC). All of them have a Masters Degree or a Doctorate Degree in their field. They have been qualified and certified by their state's professional board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training and practice. While their experience, expertise and background vary, they all possess at least 3 years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience.
Additionally, every counselor has self-identified as a practicing Christian, shared their testimony with us prior to joining the platform, and has verified that their beliefs align with our Statement of Faith.
All counselors are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC). All of them have a Masters Degree or a Doctorate Degree in their field. They have been qualified and certified by their state's professional board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training and practice. While their experience, expertise and background vary, they all possess at least 3 years and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience.
Additionally, every counselor has self-identified as a practicing Christian, shared their testimony with us prior to joining the platform, and has verified that their beliefs align with our Statement of Faith.
After you sign up, we will match you to an available counselor who fits your objectives, preferences, and the type of issues you are dealing with. Different counselors have different approaches and areas of focus, so it's important to find the right person who can achieve the best results for you. We have found that we are able to provide a successful match most of the time; however, if you start the process and you feel your counselor isn't a good fit for you, you may elect to be matched to a different counselor.
Faithful Counseling may be right for you if you're looking to improve the quality of your life and are seeking a Christian perspective. Whenever there is anything that interferes with your happiness or prevents you from achieving your goals, we may be able to help. We also have counselors who are specialized in specific issues, such as stress, anxiety, relationships, parenting, depression, addictions, eating, sleeping, trauma, anger, family conflicts, LGBT matters, grief, religion, self esteem and more.
Faithful Counseling is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:
Faithful Counseling is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:
- You have thoughts of hurting yourself or others
- You are a minor or you are under the care of a legal guardian
- You are in an urgent crisis or an emergency situation
- You have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness, or if you have been advised to be in psychological supervision or psychiatric care
- You were required to undergo therapy or counseling either by a court order or by any other authority
- You do not have a device that can connect to the Internet or you do not have a reliable Internet connection.
The professionals who work through Faithful Counseling are licensed and credentialed therapists who were certified by their state's board to provide therapy and counseling. However, while the service may have similar benefits, it's not capable of substituting for traditional face-to-face therapy in every case. Please note that your provider won't be able to make any official diagnosis, to fulfill any court order or prescribe medication.
This process can take a few hours or a few days, depending on counselor availability. Don't worry, your subscription period starts when you are matched with a counselor.
You can get counseling in four ways:
- Exchanging messages with your counselor
- Chatting live with your counselor
- Speaking over the phone with your counselor
- Video conferencing with your counselor
Once you are matched to a counselor, you and your counselor will get a dedicated "room", which will be your private and secure place to communicate. In this room, you will write about yourself, the things going on in your life, ask questions and discuss the issues that trouble you. Your counselor will then read your messages, and respond with questions, feedback, insights, and guidance.
You can exchange messages with your counselor at any time, from anywhere, using any Internet-connected device. The room is open 24/7 and since messaging is not in real-time it doesn't require scheduling. Instead, you can choose whenever you want to write or respond to your counselor. You will get a notification by email when the counselor has sent you a message.
You can exchange messages with your counselor at any time, from anywhere, using any Internet-connected device. The room is open 24/7 and since messaging is not in real-time it doesn't require scheduling. Instead, you can choose whenever you want to write or respond to your counselor. You will get a notification by email when the counselor has sent you a message.
You will sometimes want to have a text conversation with your counselor in real-time. This way you can still enjoy the convenience and privacy of messaging but also enjoy a "live" interaction that allows instant response and feedback from your counselor.
To have a live chat session, you will first need to schedule a time with your counselor. At the scheduled time, log in to your account to start typing and chatting with your counselor.
To have a live chat session, you will first need to schedule a time with your counselor. At the scheduled time, log in to your account to start typing and chatting with your counselor.
Phone sessions are a great way to conveniently speak with your counselor by simply using your landline or cell phone, no matter where you are.
To talk with your counselor over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your counselor and log in to your counseling room at that time. The counselor will prompt you to start the phone session and the system will ask you for your phone number. The system will then call you at that number and connect you with your counselor to start the phone session. Please note that the phone number you enter will not be shared with the counselor.
To talk with your counselor over the phone, you will need to schedule a time with your counselor and log in to your counseling room at that time. The counselor will prompt you to start the phone session and the system will ask you for your phone number. The system will then call you at that number and connect you with your counselor to start the phone session. Please note that the phone number you enter will not be shared with the counselor.
You can also have a video session with your counselor where you see each other and talk with each other in a virtual face-to-face setting (similar to Skype).
To talk with your counselor via video, you will need to schedule a time with your counselor and log in to your counseling room at that time. Your counselor will then prompt you to start the video session. After you confirm, you will immediately begin video chatting with your counselor.
To talk with your counselor via video, you will need to schedule a time with your counselor and log in to your counseling room at that time. Your counselor will then prompt you to start the video session. After you confirm, you will immediately begin video chatting with your counselor.
Yes. You can always login to your account and read all the counselor's messages to you. This may help you in reflecting and remembering some of the guidance and input that you received. This is one of the main advantages of e-counseling.
This depends on your needs and varies a lot from one person to another. Some people feel they get most of the value after just a few weeks, while others prefer to stick to the program for an extended period of time. This is completely up to you.
You are not limited in the number of messages and sessions you can have with your counselor. The frequency of your sessions would vary based on your availability and the interaction between you and your counselor. For example, some people have a few short interactions every week, while others may prefer to have one very long and thorough session. Your usage patterns are also likely to change over time. You may use the service extensively during a time of great need and then use it sparsely at other times. Your counselor would try to accommodate your changing needs in a timely manner.
Services offered using this site are generally not covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
Coverage and benefits for traditional therapy and counseling services change from one health insurance company to another and from plan to plan, but generally the following rules apply:
Coverage and benefits for traditional therapy and counseling services change from one health insurance company to another and from plan to plan, but generally the following rules apply:
- With many health insurance plans, coverage can be partial or very limited.
- Even if your plan covers all your costs, the co-pay that you would be required to contribute may be higher than the entire cost of Faithful Counseling.
- In many cases, before you can get reimbursed by your insurance company, your therapist would have to diagnose you with a mental disorder or issue. This diagnosis would be sent to the insurance company and recorded in your medical file. In some cases the therapist would also have to provide additional clinical information to the insurance company, such as treatment plans, summaries or copies of the entire record.
- Do I have mental health insurance benefits?
- What is my deductible and has it been met?
- How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?
- What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
- Is approval required from my primary care physician?
The service is provided by independent providers who work directly with you. These providers are not employees of Faithful Counseling and the site doesn't oversee them professionally. Our mission is to build, maintain, and support a platform that lets users and counselors communicate effectively, and to facilitate this channel so they can get the most out of their interaction.
We strive to deliver a web experience that is aligned with the most recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the AA level, published by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
If you are on a desktop browser, you can enable and launch the accessibility preferences by visiting the Accessibility page.
For mobile users, we recommend using your device’s native accessibility features. Instructions for iPhone can be found here , and for Android can be found here.
We are totally obsessed about securing your privacy and confidentiality. We have built and perfected state-of-the-art technology, operation, and infrastructure with one thing in mind: protecting your privacy and safeguarding the information you provide. Our privacy and confidentiality standards are by far more advanced than what is required by law or regulations, so you can feel safe and comfortable.
- You don't need to identify yourself (see more about staying anonymous here).
- Everything you tell your counselor is protected by strict federal and state laws.
- We don't cooperate or work with any insurance companies or employers, so nothing needs to be shared, reported or filed with them.
- You can always click the "Shred" button next to each message that you've sent so it will no longer show in your account.
- All the messages between you and your counselor are secured and encrypted by banking-grade 256-bit encryption.
- Our servers are hosted in an "A Grade" facility, ensuring the best-in-class security and protection.
- Our browsing encryption system (SSL) follows modern best practices, providing world class online security and encryption.
- Our databases are encrypted and scrambled so they essentially become useless in the very unlikely event that they are being stolen or inappropriately used.
When you sign up we do not ask you for your full name or contact information. You may pick any "nick name" which will identify you in the system. When you decide to start the counseling process, we will ask you for emergency contact information which is kept safe in the system so it can be used if your counselor believes that you or someone else might be in danger.
Changing your payment plan or canceling your subscription can all be easily done online. You can cancel future subscription payments online by following these steps: login to your account, click on the icon in the top right corner of the page, then choose "Billing Settings" from the drop-down menu, then click "Quit Counseling." You’ll know that your account has been closed when you see a message box stating "Your subscription will not be renewed”
Click here to get started.
In order to be considered as a counselor on Faithful Counseling, you must first be accepted as a counselor within our parent organization, BetterHelp. Please start the application process by clicking here.
As a BetterHelp Counselor, you may apply to become a Faithful Counseling counselor by first signing into your BetterHelp counselor account, and then clicking here. This link will only work after you have logged in.
As a BetterHelp Counselor, you may apply to become a Faithful Counseling counselor by first signing into your BetterHelp counselor account, and then clicking here. This link will only work after you have logged in.
You can reset your pin by first logging out of the account on the app in your account settings. Once you log back in, you will be prompted to create a new pin.