What are the BetterUp Care Guides?
Our Care Guides are mental well-being professionals trained in de-escalation and crisis management. They are a member’s personal support system as members navigate the BetterUp Care platform looking for the best tools and resources to fit their well-being journey. Care Guides are only available for those with a BetterUp Care membership.
Care Guides direct members to BetterUp resources and tools in the Care platform that address topics such as resilience, mindfulness, personal development and more. They also help members navigate external resources as members register with their EAPs, search for clinical service providers, discuss therapist fit, and/or understand their private insurance options.
Our Care Guides are not coaches, therapists, bots, or technical support. They are able to support a member in crisis by working with them as they navigate access to proper care, not by providing clinical services in any capacity.
A Care Guide IS
A personal navigator, helping members find and access the best tools and resources
A supportive and caring professional
A bridge between internal and external resources at BetterUp
A compassionate and patient partner in times of distress, conflict, or crisis
An active, resourceful, responsive companion who drives member engagement on our platform.
A Care Guide IS NOT
A coach (our coaches are independent contractors and provide longer term support)
A therapist (we do not offer clinical services in house)
A technical support representative (we have a customer service team for these requests)
A passive and script based question and answer bot
What Qualifications Do Care Guides have?
Care Guides are passionate about preventative mental health and join us from a variety of disciplines, from higher education to clinical care. All of our employed Guides have training and experience in crisis management and conflict de-escalation. The team is led by a Care Guide Team Manager who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
How Do Care Guides Work with Members?
Supporting members with BetterUp Care Platform Services: Care Guides provide a compassionate human touch to all members navigating the BetterUp Care platform. From deciding on which self-guided journey to embark on to which kinds of coaching would be the best fit, Care Guides are always ready to answer questions and provide guidance to ensure that every member gets the most out of their BetterUp experience.
Connecting members to External Services: For members who need to connect to clinical care, Care Guides are the bridge between the member and the external support. The Care Guide will assist a member in navigating their company’s EAP or BetterUp’s external therapy partners in order to secure clinical services that meet a member’s needs and expectations. This can be an interaction between the member and Care Guide that happens in one day, or over the course of a few weeks, depending on the support needed. Care Guides may in some circumstances respond to members in crisis by guiding them to the appropriate resources such as crisis support hotlines in their location.
What is an EAP?
EAP stands for employee assistance program. Your company may offer an EAP program that can include access to therapy sessions at no cost to you as well as other benefits such as legal help, financial help, access to gym memberships, access to wellness/learning stipends, child care/elder care, pet care and more. Learn more about connecting to your EAP.
What kinds of questions can I ask my Care Guide?
Whenever you’re needing some extra support, message a Care Guide—even if you don’t know what your needs are yet! Care Guides are trained to help you craft a well-being plan and support you as you navigate to the resources needed. Here are some common questions we get from members:
- How do I know what type of coaching is right for me?
- Is therapy, coaching, or both the right fit for me?
- What else can I do on the BetterUp Care platform besides coaching?
- I don’t feel great, but I don’t know what’s wrong. Can you help me figure out what type of coaching or other support might be a good fit for me?
- Can I tell you my well-being goals so you can help me find the right type of Coach or Coaching
What is the difference between a Care Guide and a Coach?
Care Guides help members make the most of their BetterUp Care experience by guiding them to the resources members need and want, both within the platform and with external services. Care Guides have deep knowledge of our internal resources and stay up to date on external clinical offerings each partner offers. They walk with a member in need of assistance until the member has successfully obtained the resource they are seeking. Members are likely to speak with one Care Guide during their time with BetterUp Care but may occasionally interact with another depending on the time of day. Care Guides have crisis management training, but may or may not have a clinical or coaching background. Care Guides do not, in any instance, work from a clinical or coaching capacity while supporting a member on BetterUp Care, regardless of their background. The majority of Care Guide discussions happen over in-app messaging, although Care Guides can schedule video or call sessions with members on Zoom when appropriate or requested.
Coaches are trained professionals with a mental health background and/or advanced coach training and experience. Coaches are paired with members during onboarding, and a coach and member meet at a regular cadence, usually over video sessions, and touch base between sessions by messaging in the app. Coaches may not have crisis management experience, and are not familiar with the specific clinical resources available to each member. If a Coach feels a member is in need of these resources, the Coach can recommend their member connect with their Care Guide. In this way, Coaches and Care Guides may work collaboratively. Coaches work with members on present and future oriented personal and professional development goals and help members to improve their overall health and mental well-being.
How do members connect with Care Guides?
When logged into their BetterUp Care account, members can click on “Message” on the top menu bar. Once in Message, members will see a “Care Guide” conversation already present ready for them to message (pictured below).
The majority of Care Guide discussions happen over in-app messaging, although Care Guides may schedule Zoom video or call sessions with members when appropriate or requested after a member has connected with a Care Guide over in-app messaging.
Care Guides are not enabled for technical support
*Need technical support? Contact our Customer Support Team.
How? Go to the Message Tab and then scroll down to the Customer Support Widget on the left.