Phone Therapy: Work with a Therapist Over the Phone
What Is Telephone Counseling?
Telephone counseling is simply working with your therapist, counselor, psychologist, or life coach over the telephone.
This form of counseling is one of several online therapy options out there. Another common and effective online counseling option is video counseling, which is how we offer our online therapy services here at Thriveworks. In video counseling, you meet with your counselor in video sessions. Counseling by phone and video conferencing are both effective means for working with a mental health professional.
Phone counseling, like video counseling, offers the utmost convenience and comfort in counseling. It eliminates the commute to and from the therapy office, and it allows you to attend your appointment comfortably from home.
For these reasons, online phone counseling as well as video counseling might prove especially beneficial for clients who…
- Can’t find a qualified counselor or therapist nearby
- Don’t feel comfortable meeting with a counselor or therapist in person
- Need or prefer to attend their appointment from home
How Does Telephone Counseling Work?
If you decide to pursue telephone counseling, your counselor, therapist, psychologist, or life coach will most likely call you at the time of your session. Just make sure you’ve given your provider the accurate phone number, you have service, and you’re ready to answer their call at the scheduled appointment time!
Video sessions are similar, only instead of answering your provider’s call at the time of your appointment, you’ll click a simple web link where you can connect with your provider over video chat. If you value that face-to-face interaction characteristic of in-person counseling, videoconference counseling might be the right online counseling option for you.
Telephone counseling serves as the solution to many problems people encounter in pursuing or receiving mental health services. For example, they might not be able to find a therapist or counselor in their area who offers services for their specific mental health issues. Or, their commute to counseling each week has caused them to be late more than a few times for their session. Others might simply feel uncomfortable talking to a counselor, therapist, psychologist, or coach in person.
Fortunately, online therapy enables clients to find a provider who meets their specific needs. It also allows clients to attend their sessions each week without the hassle of a commute and it empowers them to speak with their counselor about difficult subjects.
Is Telephone Counseling Effective?
As telephone counseling grows in popularity, more research is being conducted to explore and understand the efficacy of telephone counseling and other forms of online therapy. Based on all of this research that has been done on telephone counseling, it is an effective option for treating:
- Mental illnesses, like depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Other life challenges such as stress, low self-esteem, relationship issues, trauma, lack of career fulfillment, and more
Therefore, if you’re looking for depression therapy, couples therapy, marriage counseling, trauma therapy, stress management counseling, or another form of therapy, telephone counseling and video counseling are great options.
Will My Insurance Cover Telephone Counseling?
Most major insurance companies cover online counseling by video but do not cover counseling by phone. To find out if your specific insurance plan covers telephone counseling, simply call the number listed on the back of your insurance card. If they do not cover telephone sessions, consider scheduling a video session at Thriveworks instead.
4 Reasons to Try Telephone Counseling or Video Counseling
1. Comfort and convenience
Telephone counseling and video counseling allow you to attend your counseling or therapy appointment(s) with comfort and ease. Instead of traveling to the counseling office, you get to attend from the convenience of your home, your office, or anywhere else for that matter. All you need is telephone access.
2. Reliability
In addition to comfort and convenience, telephone counseling and video counseling offer reliability. You don’t have to worry about traffic, a physical injury, poor weather conditions, or other external factors preventing you from attending your session. Just make sure you have cell signal or internet!
3. Flexibility
Telephone counseling and video counseling also offer quick and flexible scheduling options. Instead of having to wait days or weeks for your appointment, you can often schedule a same-day or next-day appointment.
4. Effectiveness
Despite popular belief, distance therapy services like telephone counseling are not new. In fact, they’ve been around as early as the 1950s, when the first mental health hotline was created. There are now decades of research that show telephone counseling and other online counseling services are beneficial.
