7 Reasons Why Online Therapy May Be Right For You

In this post, I will discuss why online therapy may be right for you as well as some things to be cautious about. I moved with my family from New York to Austin three years ago. I had an office in New York where I saw 75% of my patients. For varying reasons, I worked with the other 25% online or via telephone.

Why online therapy is right for me

When we relocated to Austin, I took my practice 100% online and I have never looked back. Online therapy suits me because I can work from home. There's no office rent, which allows me to have a sliding scale for people that cannot afford my full fee. There's no commute. I get to spend more time with my kids. I can have more flexible hours.

Why online therapy may be right for you

Pretty compelling, right? Here are some of the reasons why it also suits the people I work with:

1. Most of the people I work with are busy professionals. Online sessions mean they don't have to lose a couple of hours in their days commuting to and from my office.
2. My flexible hours benefits them.
3. My sliding scale benefits them.
4. About 1/4 of my patients are people with disabilities. Online sessions mean they do not have to figure out how to get to and from my office and can see me from the comfort of their homes.
5. I also work a lot with couples. It's hard enough to navigate one person's busy schedule let alone two. Throw childcare into the mix and it becomes even harder. I worked with a couple right here in Austin online. They have a little girl who watched videos in the living room while they talked with me in another room. They wouldn't have been able to come in person.
6. The fact that people can be comfortable and relaxed in their homes facilitates an ease of expression and exploration.
7. I see people in different parts of the U.S. and in different parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and South America. Many people have contacted me because they don't have a lot of good options to meet with in person where they live.

Possible downsides

Some of the downsides of working online are that the insurance companies have not quite caught up with the online therapy boom and reimbursement can be tricky. There are also situations where online therapy would be contraindicated like for people with acute symptoms that require more intensive treatment. Some people just prefer face to face and feel that online therapy is not right for them. It's not for everyone. All I can say is that I have never even met a lot of my patients in person, but we have developed strong bonds and working relationships just as I have developed with the people I have met in person.

Here's an article from the American Psychological Association on online therapy if you're interested in learning more.

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David B. Younger, Ph.D. is the creator of Love After Kids, for couples that have grown apart since having children. He is a clinical psychologist and couples therapist with a web-based private practice and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, 13-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old toy poodle.