“We repeat what we don’t repair.”
I offer a hybrid practice, meaning that psychotherapy sessions can be held in person in my office in Santa Cruz, California, or virtually through a HIPAA-compliant video platform for anyone located in the state of California. You may be considering whether you’d rather attend therapy in person or by video. This page highlights the benefits for virtual therapy, while this page highlights the benefits for in-person therapy.
So, you’re considering trying therapy online. This may be something you’ve already tried, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and you may be thinking that it was so convenient to just log in for your sessions in your pjs. But maybe you’re wondering if it felt right, or maybe you’re worried that it wasn’t as effective.
In the non-stop world we live in, making time to visit a therapist’s office often falls to the bottom of the self-care priority list. A therapy session may only be an hour long, but once you’ve factored in traffic, parking, childcare, time off work…the overall investment may feel impossible. What if you could make the time for a therapy session without leaving your home, your office, or even your car?
If you could stay at home, not have to worry about traffic or travel time, or didn’t have to cancel a meeting or find a babysitter – would it be easier to make your mental health and well-being a priority?
How Does This Work?
Virtual counseling and psychotherapy works much like having a FaceTime or Skype conversation with another person – but with a few different considerations and boundaries.
Virtual therapy sessions are conducted using Google Meet, a confidential, HIPAA compliant program that protects our in-session privacy and therapeutic confidentiality. You can attend your therapy session from anywhere in California!
What you will need:
A secure, reliable internet connection
A smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer
A private, comfortable space where you feel reasonably safe having open, honest conversations
Headphones with a microphone are optional, but often preferred for additional privacy and sound quality
Benefits of online counseling sessions:
Appointment convenience: attending a session online means you can avoid traffic, commuting, rushing, or fighting for a parking spot. Avoid coordinating all the schedules of everyone around you so that you can get across town to an office appointment. Avoid rushing to therapy, and avoid rushing to the next thing on your calendar.
This also means that if you are sick, injured, without transportation (or any other circumstance where you might otherwise have to cancel an office session), you may still be able to keep (or easily reschedule) your therapy appointment.
Comfort: You can have a therapy session sitting on your own couch, rather than mine! This may be a good option if you live outside of Santa Cruz County, or in a rural area where you have limited options for a therapist. This may also be a beneficial option if emotional or physical symptoms, chronic pain, disability or injury prevents you from committing to regular office appointments.
Transparency: For some, online therapy just feels safer, more relaxed, and less stressful. Being open and honest may come to you more naturally through being in the comfort of your own home, which may mean achieving goals and success more rapidly.
Weather: Even if you prefer to attend therapy sessions in-person, sometimes the weather may affect the motivation to make that errand to the therapy office. In cases of inclement weather, telehealth means you have the option to stay home, stay off the roads, and stay cozy, without having to miss out on a session.
Accessibility: Think about what has stopped you from attending therapy in the past - are those obstacles or barriers the same, if online counseling is an option?
Additional considerations:
There are some instances for which online psychotherapy is not appropriate, not a good fit, or contra-indicated for ethical therapeutic treatment.
Due to the possibility of geographical distance and access to local services, if you are experiencing severe symptoms, crisis, or are actively suicidal, do not seek online counseling services. You have the right to local mental healthcare with clinical professionals who can provide immediate crisis care. Please note that immediate crisis management may be compromised when working with a distance counselor.
If you do not have a secure and reliable internet connection, online counseling may not be a great fit. A poor internet connection creates a therapy session that is inconsistent, stressful, and disruptive for both you and your therapist. In the event of technical difficulty, we can speak by phone – but I would not recommend long-term online sessions if you do not have reliable internet.
The possibility of miscommunication increases somewhat when using virtual counseling technology, since therapist and client are not sharing the same physical space. Your therapist may make regular efforts to clarify tone, meaning, body language, and other nonverbal communication as needed.