Top Reasons You Should Consider Teletherapy During Covid

When Covid-19 hit in March many of my therapy clients wanted to pause on coming into sessions for a few weeks. Very quickly after that I shut the doors to my office and went exclusively telehealth while offering a combination of “teleplay” sessions for kids and teletherapy for my adult clients. It has been a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs trying to navigate this new way of doing therapy. However, I have found for many clients (particularly my adults clients) this has been an excellent time to reach out for services they wouldn’t have before. So if you’ve been putting off therapy, now may be the perfect time to look into virtual therapy. Here are some major pros of virtual therapy:

1) Insurance may cover the full cost- This is one of the biggest pros because many insurance plans right now are covering the full cost of telehealth sessions to persuade people to stay home. They don’t want you out and about so its a nice incentive. I’ve seen clients with high deductibles to meet get the entire cost of their sessions covered since March. Now insurance companies can be tricky so who knows how long this will last but let’s be stoked about it for as long as they help out. (Always be sure to check your individual plan and ask specially about coverage for telehealth sessions)

2) No travel time- Maybe you didn’t have time to get to a therapist before because it was a big-time commitment hustling to and from the office or arranging school pickups. But now since most of us are home we can reserve an hour to hop on our phone or computer. You just need to reserve 1 hour to take care of you, your relationship, or your kids.

3) You don’t have to get out of your PJs- No need to get fancy, just come as you are! You can have your session laying in your bed while the baby naps and you eat a little lunch. I have found that the informality of this setup actually allows clients to feel more comfortable and open up a bit easier.

4) Access to more providers- Maybe you’ve got a very specific problem or found a therapist an hour away that looks like the perfect fit…no problem! You can see anyone licensed in your state and almost every clinician is offering virtual therapy at this time. This has been particularly great for people who live in more rural areas and have access to only a handful of therapists.

5) No need to cancel if you are sick- Have a little cough or a runny nose? no problem. Most offices will require you to reschedule an appointment if you have any cold symptoms. Not for telehealth appointments! And for clients struggling with anxiety, this can feel like an added layer of protection because they don’t have to worry about germs or contact with other people.

How do you find a virtual therapist? An online Google search or psychology today search will help you get started. Remember, you can interview a few different therapists before selecting someone and if you don’t vibe with someone that is ok…just keep looking. There are many therapists out there and not everyone will be a perfect fit. Any other questions about teletherapy? Let me know!