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BetterHelp: Is It a Scam? Signing Up Live On Air
from 165 - Please Come Kill Us · #165
9 min
SponsorBetterHelp
Tim addresses criticism that BetterHelp is a scam, reads their disputed terms of service, then actually signs up for the service live on air, mocking its intrusive intake questionnaire about orientation, religion, and finances.
- Tim questions whether BetterHelp therapists are actually telling people to kill themselves.
- His defense: nothing ventured, nothing gained—if you don't like a therapist, request a new one.
- Tim suggests criticism of BetterHelp might be coming from the psychiatry industrial complex.
- BetterHelp's terms of service admit they don't control counselor quality or verify qualifications.
- Tim remains divided: you're calling a stranger expecting help, but that's essentially how life works.
- Tim decides to call BetterHelp live on air to test it out and see what happens.
- BetterHelp doesn't have a phone number online, which Tim notes is not great.
- The signup form asks about gender, age, and sexual orientation before anything else.
- When Tim selects gay, the app immediately offers to transfer him to Pride Counseling.
- The questionnaire asks for financial status, sleeping habits, and which podcast referred him.
- Tim imagines a dad in the garage finding his kid on BetterHelp wearing some kind of stress device.
- The signup requires a PIN number, leading Tim to suspect they're trying to get access to bank information.