Eminem Made Me Do It: He Footed the Bill for My Online Therapy

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  • February 4, 2025

I got into my hip-hop era late last year, at the totally appropriate age of 48. Hah! It all started with Snoop Dogg. He seems to be everywhere, reaching audiences of all ages – from toddlers with his Doggyland project to octogenarians through his collaborations with Martha Stewart. I couldn’t help but want to know more about him. My Google spree led me down a rabbit hole to Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Pharrell, and Eminem.

I was completely taken by Eminem, the bad-boy-with-a-good-heart mix never fails to get me. I found his life journey inspiring and the vulnerability in his music so moving. While scrolling through his Instagram account, I saw a post about BetterHelp. It read: “If you need help, you are not alone. Go to betterhelp.com/eminem for free support.” I later found that same message at the end of his “Somebody Save Me” video.

BetterHelp started in 2013 and has since become the world’s largest online therapy service, with over 30,000 licensed therapists on the platform. I had been hearing about BetterHelp from channels I follow, like Yes Theory, Bialik Breakdown, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, and The Ed Mylett Show, so I’ve been curious. With Eminem’s offer, I was encouraged to give it a shot.

His promo code covers a month-long subscription. That includes weekly individual sessions with a therapist, weekly group therapy sessions, and unlimited access to classes. If I were to pay, the cost would have been USD260 per month, with the option of being divided into weekly billings.

BetterHelp does everything through their website and app. The process starts with a questionnaire about why you’re seeking therapy, your background, expectations, and therapist preferences. You can select a therapist based on factors like language spoken, religion, age, and specific areas of expertise or training. Because they have therapists across different time zones, scheduling is flexible, you’re not confined to local office/clinic hours.

Matching with a therapist can take anywhere from a few hours to a week. Keep in mind that your subscription activates as soon as you’re matched, so it’s best to book a session immediately. I made the mistake of dilly-dallying, so I wasted a week and got fewer individual sessions.

Once matched, you’re sent information about your therapist: photo, credentials, specialties, clinical approaches, and client reviews. But of course, I didn’t just settle for what I was provided, I Googled her too. I found other organizations she was connected with (she’s based in the UK), which gave me more assurance that she’s legit.

Individual sessions last 45 minutes max. One feature of BetterHelp that I appreciate is being able to send messages to your therapist 24/7, you’re allowed to reach out in between sessions. Therapists generally respond within 24 hours, except on weekends and holidays. My therapist’s responses were always thorough, warm, and thoughtful.

The BetterHelp platform includes a journal section where you can choose to have your entries automatically sent to your therapist. It’s a great way for them to track your progress and can also serve as a starting point for future discussions. But I found out early on that once the subscription ends, you lose access to the journal, so I chose not to use it.

In my three individual sessions, I didn’t experience any major breakthroughs. My therapist was pleasant, kind-hearted, and a compassionate listener, but she didn’t lead me to any aha moments. Honestly, from the get-go, I felt we were not a good fit. I could’ve switched to another therapist, as BetterHelp allows this at no additional charge but I didn’t want to go through the whole introduction process again. Since I knew I had only two sessions left, it was not worth the effort. I also didn’t want her to feel bad. Hehe. I know I’m setting a terrible example here. Let me be clear, this isn’t the way to go. It’s vital to have a therapist you feel aligned with, and I would have handled this very differently if Eminem weren’t footing the bill.

To be fair, I have to credit my therapist for helping me incorporate breathing exercises into my daily routine. She provided a worksheet with detailed instructions, diagrams, and explanations of its benefits. She also gave me a clear plan on when to do it, for how long, and how often. That structure was exactly what I needed. I had attended several breathwork events before, but nothing ever stuck until I worked with her.

As mentioned, a BetterHelp subscription includes unlimited access to 60-minute classes covering a wide range of topics that fall under the categories of wellness, grief, employment, relationships, skill-building, substance abuse, trauma, and anger management. I signed up for everything that caught my interest! All classes are recorded, and links to the recordings are sent to all registrants, so it’s fine if you can’t attend live. You can watch (and rewatch) the recordings for seven days. The quality of the class content, however, depends entirely on the therapist leading the lecture. Some make full use of the hour, presenting well-explained concepts, real-life examples, practical tools, and actionable steps. Others, uh, not so much. During classes, only the therapist appears on audio and video, while attendees interact solely through live chat. Everyone remains anonymous, names are not shown.

For me, the best part of the BetterHelp subscription was the group therapy sessions. I believe they were where I gained the most. While they are facilitated by licensed therapists, the focus is more on the attendees connecting with each other. This was my first experience with group therapy, and I couldn’t get enough of the 90-minute sessions. I felt truly seen and validated, the environment was both encouraging and empowering. It was so comforting not to have to explain, justify, or filter myself.

The group therapy sessions don’t have a live chat function, they are strictly audio and video, which is great because it helps everyone stay focused on one conversation. There are tons of options in the group therapy menu, typically held at the same day and time each week. The monthly subscription includes one free group therapy session per week, but you can attend additional sessions for USD25 each. I asked if I could opt out of the full subscription and just pay for the group therapy sessions, but I was told that wasn’t possible. Too bad.

So I’ve enumerated the inclusions, now I’d like to also emphasize what you will not get. Even though BetterHelp therapists are licensed professionals, they do not provide formal diagnoses. “It’s not something BetterHelp wants us to do on their platform,” said Dr. Stephanie Garcia during a presentation dubbed “It’s Called BetterHelp for a Reason.”

I found this a bit worrisome, what if it turns out that you have a disorder that needs to be addressed? How will you know? “Therapists might not necessarily say you need to go see a psychiatrist, but they might say something like, ‘Hey, have you ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia?’ Just because we are not able to diagnose on this platform doesn’t mean that we can’t pick up on things. We’ll tell you when we see things, but not necessarily we’re gonna say, ‘go get diagnosed.’ The therapist can say, ‘have you ever looked into this diagnosis or do you have this diagnosis?’”

Hmmm… so clients have to be good at reading between the lines and be sensitive to subtle messages from their therapists. “We are not here to diagnose, we’re here to provide therapy,” Dr. Garcia reiterated. This limitation can be a plus for others. “Sometimes the reason why people come to BetterHelp is because they don’t want the fact that they’re seeing a therapist in their medical record.”

In a world where mental health treatment is still stigmatized, I totally get why. If the fear of what others might say is holding you back, BetterHelp is a great option. You can be discreet, access therapy from the comfort of your private space, and at any hour. And if your therapist lives on the other side of the globe, chances are you won’t have any mutual friends, and you’re unlikely to run into each other. Going to therapy can just be your own little secret. It’s sad to have to sneak around but if that’s what will allow you to get help, then so be it.

To learn more about BetterHelp, log on to www.betterhelp.com. Their customer service is excellent. Replies aren’t instant, but they’re always clear and address every concern.

By the way, if you got wind of allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that BetterHelp shared consumers’ information with other platforms for advertising purposes, despite promising confidentiality, you can find BetterHelp’s side of the story here.

Images sourced from BetterHelp’s official Facebook page and app, and Eminem’s official Instagram account

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