Every week I receive several emails asking if I provide online therapy.
There are many reasons why online therapy is a good idea.
- Online therapy allows people who live in small communities to reach specialists who may not live near them.
- Online therapy allows people the opportunity to work with therapists who specialize in a specific population or treatment model. For example, I am a certified emotionally focused therapist who specializes in working with physician couples. If you are a physician couple looking for an EFT therapist, chances are you are going to have a hard time finding someone with those credentials who lives near you.
- Those who offer online therapy may be able to offer more flexible appointment times.
The good news is the Internet is here to stay and online services are becoming more and more available and accepted. The bad news is that usually online therapy is illegal.
Therapists are licensed by individual states. There is no national licensure that allows therapists to work across state lines. For most states, the regulations are such that you have to be licensed in the state in which the therapy is being provided as well as in the state in which the therapy is being received. So if you lived in Wisconsin and I am in Pennsylvania, the law says I would have to be licensed in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to provide distance-based therapy.
Some people have found a way around that. There are many people who are offering online therapy who are not licensed as professional counselors/therapists. Either they have no education/experience as therapists, or they are practicing without a license. They may market themselves as a life coach who offers marriage counseling or a consultant.
There are other therapists who are licensed in one state who are offering online “consultations” to clients in a different state. This is fine if it is just initial consultations. But if a therapist is offering therapy–the same services that would be offered if you were sitting face-to-face with them in their office–but doing it under the term “consultation,” not only is that unethical, in most states, it’s illegal.
Some states allow therapists to continue to offer services across state lines if they have already seen the client in person. Other states do not. PLEASE do your homework and make sure the person you are hiring is following all the applicable laws. If you choose to hire someone as a “consultant” or “life coach,” be aware that you are not legally protected by patient/client privilege. Also, if you are seeking insurance reimbursement, insurance companies will not cover unlicensed providers.
As I mentioned before, there are many reasons licensing boards need to allow for online therapy. Hopefully soon, licensing boards will create better options for people to find the specific help they want.
Until then, if you are interested in working with me, I highly recommend a three-day intensive couples’ therapy retreat. During the intensive couples’ therapy retreat, I work one-on-one with you and your partner for 12 hours. We essentially go through 5-6 months of therapy in three days! Learn more about them here.
