Ariana Grande to provide $1 million worth of free therapy: ‘You are worth the effort and time’
The Grammy-winning singer teamed up with e-counseling and therapy platform Better Help to give away $1 million worth of therapy to those who can’t afford it.
Ariana Grande announced on Instagram the partnership, urging her fans to seek professional help and let them know that it is all right to do so.
“While acknowledging that therapy should not be for a privileged few but something everyone has access to, and acknowledging that this doesn’t fix that issue in the long run, I really wanted to dip a toe in, to feel okay asking for help, and to hopefully rid your minds of any sort of self-judgement in doing so!” wrote Ariana.
The partnership, with the belief that everyone deserves to get the help that they need, is making therapy more accessible.
For those who would like get help, visit betterhelp.com/ariana to fill out a short questionnaire, which has some general and personal questions to help you get matched with the right counselor.
The questions range from “Do you consider yourself to be religious,” “Are you currently experiencing overwhelming sadness, grief or depression,” to “How would you rate your current sleeping habits.”
There are also options which counselors you prefer—male, female, Christian-based, LGBTQ+, non-religious, etc. And you will be asked to choose areas you prefer to focus on in the counseling.
You will be given an option on how you want to communicate with your counselor, mostly via messaging, via phone or video sessions, or others.
The service is available to those living in different countries, including the Philippines.
When you sign up, you get a free month and 15-percent off on the second month.
According to Better Help, it may take up to seven days to be matched with a licensed therapist. Ari is not being compensated for the initiative.
Ariana has been open about her mental health struggles, including the post-traumatic stress disorder she experienced after the tragic bombing at her concert in Manchester, England in 2017 that wounded hundreds and left 23 casualties.
“My anxiety has anxiety… I've always had anxiety. I've never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it's ever been,” Ariana told Vogue in 2018.
She also confirmed on Twitter that her 2018 song Breathin was about her anxiety, when asked about the meaning behind the song title. Ariana has said that she intends to use the song to share to her fans her mental struggles.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Ariana also posted on Instagram a series of slides that provide information on mental health and substance abuse resources.
“I so hope that this will be a helpful starting point and that you’ll be able to build space for this in your lives and continue,” the 28-year-old singer, who recently tied the knot with husband Dalton Gomez, wrote in her announcement.
“Healing is not linear or easy but you are worth the effort and time, I promise,” she signed off her post.
Banner and thumbnail photo from @arianagrande on Instagram