How to Choose An Online Therapist
The good news is that as online therapy has become more popular, you as a client have more choices than ever! Now that most therapists are offering at least a portion of their counseling sessions over the internet, you have the ability to work with any therapist licensed to work in the state you are physically living in.
On one hand, this is really exciting. It's so important that you have options when it comes to starting therapy. On the other hand, it might feel overwhelming. With so many choices, how do you even begin to narrow down the options? Here are 5 things to consider when choosing an online therapist.
How to Choose an Online Therapist
The quick version is that I recommend you consider the following when choosing an online therapist:
Physical Location
The therapist's comfort with telehealth
Privacy Concerns
Your specific treatment concerns
Cost/Insurance Coverage
Your "fit" with the therapist
Consideration #1 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Physical Location
First, it is very important to know that the therapist you see must be licensed in the state you are physically located in. So, if you live in Lee's Summit, MO, it is important to know that you need to see a therapist licensed to practice in the state of Missouri. Now, it doesn't matter one bit if the therapist lives in Lee's Summit. They could live in St. Louis and you're fine. Or the therapist themselves could even live out of state. But, they must be licensed in the state of Missouri.
While I'm using an example of someone living in the KC metro area, let's look at another scenario. If you live on the Missouri side and spend most of your time in Missouri, you want a therapist licensed in Missouri. So, even though you're only a short drive from Kansas City, Kansas you can't actually see a therapist in Overland Park if they're only licensed in Kansas for online services. You can, however, make the drive to see them in person.
A lot of therapists complain about this particular rule, because it also means that if you go on vacation out of state, we may have to temporarily stop your counseling sessions. Why? Because the theory is that therapy "happens" in the state you are physically in as our client. So...the bottom line is that you do need to see a therapist licensed in the state you spend most of your time in.
Does it matter if I live close to the therapist's office?
My short answer is "maybe." Most of the time, it doesn't matter too much. So, if you live in Springfield but see a therapist in Columbia, MO it's 100% ok as long as they're licensed in the state of Missouri. The only drawback is that you truly will always be participating in online counseling.
So, you may prefer to see someone who is physically located closer to you if you think you may want to transition to in-person counseling services at some point in time. Honestly, most of our clients that have transitioned to online therapy have voiced that they want to continue with online therapy services long term. However, when you're first choosing a therapist, it is worth asking yourself, "Am I ok always participating in therapy online?"
Consideration #2 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Comfort with Telehealth
Some therapists are more comfortable with technology and with offering online counseling services than others. When you are talking to a potential online therapist, I encourage you to ask about their comfort using telehealth services. Some specific questions you may ask or may want to listen for answers to include:
Does the therapist use a video chat platform they are familiar with?
If you have technical issues, do they have a backup plan?
Have they gotten good results with clients similar to you using online services?
Can they describe the benefits of online therapy as well as the drawbacks/limitations?
Consideration #3 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Privacy Concerns
The truth is that counseling is a service where privacy is important. You want to feel really secure knowing that your information is private. So, I think it's very reasonable to ask a potential therapist about this. Do they use a HIPAA compliant video chat software? If not, make sure they go over the pros/cons with you of using a system that isn't technically compliant.
Consideration #4 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Your specific treatment concerns
Anytime you are choosing a therapist, you want to make sure you are choosing a therapist who specialize in the specific thing bringing you to therapy. However, I think this is especially important when choosing an online therapist. Are they specifically familiar with the unique challenges of treating your concerns through telehealth?
First of all, there are certain times where you should really be looking for a specialized therapist. Trauma Therapy/PTSD treatment, OCD, eating disorders, addiction, severe suicidal ideation and couples counseling are all common issues that bring people to counseling. However, these are also all issues where you trulyneed a therapist with specialized training. So, regardless of whether or not you're considering online therapy it's important to ask about your therapist's experience treating the specific issue you want to address.
That said, online counseling is it's own thing. So, you not only want your therapist to have training in the issue bringing you to counseling, but you also want them to be familiar with treating that particular concern through telehealth. So, feel free to say, "I'm coming to counseling because of __________. What are some of the challenges you'd see with treating that through telehealth?"
Some issues may not be appropriate for online sessions.
It's also worth noting that there are some situations where telehealth might not be your best option. Most therapists will assess for these concerns in your first few sessions and refer you to a local therapist who can see you in person if needed.
Consideration #5 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Cost/Insurance Coverage
It's important to know that most insurance companies didn't cover online therapy services at all before the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, some insurance companies are changing their policies and might pay for an online therapist. However, if it is critical that you either see someone in network OR that you get reimbursed by insurance after paying out of pocket, I recommend having a chat with your insurance provider before getting started. Even if you do find an online therapist who is "in network" with your insurance company, I would still recommend you call and confirm that your specific plan is currently allowing online therapy sessions.
Note that at Aspire Counseling, our therapists are not "in network" with any therapists. Some of our clients do receive reimbursement from their insurance for counseling services (online or in person), but it is often a complicated process. There are many benefits to choosing not to use your insurance company. Among other reasons, our therapists appreciate that you and the therapist have the freedom to determine exactly what kind of treatment options are a fit for your needs. For example, we often have clients who come twice a week for awhile or longer sessions for a period of time in order to make more progress quickly and get through their treatment.
Because of the way we are set up, we are able to do this without having to go through the process of arguing with the insurance company about what you need. Instead, treatment decisions are based on your preferences, your therapist's recommendations and research/treatment approach.
Consideration #6 for Choosing an Online Therapist: Your "Fit" with the Therapist
We know from research that one of the most important things that can determine if you truly get better through therapy is the therapeutic relationship you form with your therapist. Therefore, anytime I am talking about how to choose a therapist I feel like it is really important to point out that finding a therapist you are comfortable with is critical.
When someone contacts Aspire Counseling, our client care team takes the time to describe each of our therapists and/or ask several questions about what you are looking for. We then direct you to the "About page" on our website describing that therapist where you can view a video. Why go to all of this trouble? We value pairing you with theright therapist. I strongly believe all of our therapists are amazing. Seriously, our team amazes me every day. I reach out to my team members for consultation on a regular basis. But we each have our unique strengths, have attended different trainings AND have different personalities. So, we know that even the "best" therapist won't "click" with every client.
So, please, take the time to ask questions about a therapist on the phone. If you had a negative experience with therapy in the past, bring it up in the consultation. Not to bad mouth your previous therapist but to make sure this person takes a different approach. Because you deserve to get the best possible results from therapy. You deserve to make progress and feel like, through therapy, you are growing into the best version of yourself. And that begins with finding someone who you feel not only has the right therapeutic techniques to help you but also respects you, understands where you are coming from and just "clicks."
Interested in working with an Online Therapist in Missouri?
If you live anywhere in the state of Missouri and would like to start online counseling, our online therapists can help. Our online therapists are able to see clients living anywhere in the state of Missouri. We offer everything from trauma therapy, to anxiety treatment, depression counseling, grief counseling, & more. And our therapists treat teenagers, college students and adults all the way through retirement. Our therapists each have their own specialty, training and personality. So, it's important to us that we get you matched with the right therapist. Therefore, the first step is to reach out online or by calling 573-328-2288.
And if you're still skeptical about online therapy?
First, all of our therapists offer a free consultation. Secondly, I don't blame you. I was once skeptical too. I encourage you to check out this blog post I wrote about the benefits of online therapy. Many of these actually surprised me after I began offering online services myself. So, whether you are in the Kansas City metro area, Rolla, the suburbs of St. Louis or even right here in Mid-Missouri we can offer you a virtual meeting with an online therapist to see if it's a good fit. However, if online therapy isn't a good fit, our therapists are able to offer some in-person counseling sessions in our Columbia counseling office.
You don't have to keep suffering. It is possible to find healing. And online therapy makes it more convenient than ever to ask for help. The first step is to reach out today and schedule a consultation with an online therapist.