I kind of worked out recently that maybe if we didn't call what BetterHelp was doing necessarily psychotherapy, I might be able to be a bit more comfortable with it maybe. I still think it would be problematic, but I think it's the conflation of psychotherapy as I know it, and mental health support in a whole variety of different ways. So it could be, well, it is the fact that you have this platform that's offering something to people in the world of mental health, mental health professionals to speak to in some way or fashion. But the way that BetterHelp works is completely antithetical to how I was trained to offer a psychotherapeutic space, which was about consistency, regularity, space between those sessions. Generally very little contact between sessions, generally a commitment of more than a very short period of time...

It's hard to ignore the thematic resonance between the conversations I’m having [in session,] and then see that many of you are passing through this very same waiting room week after week. And it’s not just my clients! The people who come to Kindman & Co. are a self-selecting bunch. You all care about growing and learning, you’re curious, you hold your values deeply. I swear some of you would be great neighbors, friends, confidants, maybe even great loves...What if you thought it was possible to meet someone in the therapy waiting room who could be an important person in your life? What might you do differently? Just something to muse on while you’re waiting.

Sessions can be more affordable, but the level of savings is not proportional to the rate cut for providers. So when you pay for therapy, although you’re paying less, your money is going toward the company BetterHelp—its advertising, parent company investors, and overall profit, not toward paying your therapist. This will undoubtedly impact the therapeutic relationship, which is “at least as vital to a positive outcome as using the right treatment method” according to the American Psychological Association.

Being with those who are grieving is one of the most powerless feelings…If you haven’t experienced loss yourself (or even if you have!), it can be hard to know how to support others who are grieving their own losses. Read on for tips on how to support a loved one who’s navigating loss.

Loss is extraordinarily painful and real. There is no pain quite like that of losing someone you love. It’s a pain you cannot know until you do, and then you can’t un-know it, no matter how badly you might want to. In western culture, the depth of pain one feels in loss is also uncomfortable and unwelcome—people just don’t want to think about it. It’s unyielding weight is very quickly considered impolite, and our cultural push toward collective denial can be so painful for those in the midst of a loss who can no longer deny its existence.

Our therapist, Anna Kim, is hearing more and more these days about Bad Feelings. Maybe it’s the seasonal change, the darker evenings, or the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season. As we settle back down into routines and take stock of another summer, it’s normal to feel a pull toward reassessment, an acknowledgement of the time that has passed, toward loss. Whatever the cause, it’s coming up a lot and there’s a need to advocate for the feelings we like to push off and label negative. Read on why "good" or "bad" feelings don't exist.

When everything is a disaster, it’s easy to figure out what you should talk about in therapy. Conflict, sadness, anxiety, relationship problems, friendship problems, parent stuff, body image, identity, etc. etc. Pleeeenty of content for a 50 minute session. It's those moments when things are actually going well, when just before your session you think: “What am I going to talk about today?” Click here for 5 topics to explore when it feels like things are going well and you’ve got nothing to talk about.

Restricting or eliminating access to abortion, thus forcing someone to experience trauma and/or carry a child to term against their will is, incontestably, part of this same systems of oppression. This is about the regulation of certain bodies, and it is about how we govern, how we think of human rights, and how systems of oppression divide us. Click here to learn more and take action.