Online Therapy

Online Therapy

Evans Counseling PLLC offers outstanding outpatient behavioral healthcare and online therapy.  Online therapy is sometimes called e-therapy, tele-therapy, , tele-health, tele-psychology or tele-medicine.  For our purposes, use of telehealth will be used to refer to online therapy.  Telehealth refers to an interactive process with a therapist in which you and a therapist use synchronous video conferencing.  In general, you can expect our treatment plans to offer individualized care in a supportive atmosphere whether telehealth or in-person.  Our diverse professional team will conduct a thorough evaluation to help determine key issues.  Telehealth works just like face-to-face therapy in that it can be effective for obtaining information and feedback, and for making changes in your life.

Tele-health Offers:

• Privacy: Where there is no chance of running into anyone that you know.
• Confidentiality: Maintaining confidentiality is our main concern. We offer video platforms that provide protection for your health information.
• Effective: There are more and more studies that show telehealth is just as effective as face-to-face therapy and in some cases more effective. One reason might be that you are in your own comfortable environment.
• Convenience: There are no waiting rooms, traveling to an office or sitting in traffic.
• Choices: Generally more access to a wider selection of in-state licensed therapists.
• Financial benefits: With no need to go to an office, you save on time, travel, wear and tear on your car, fuel, no buses or trains, and childcare expenses.

Tele-health is ideal for clients:

• Who travel often for work or are otherwise frequently traveling
• Who have mobility or other physical challenges
• Who have hectic schedules
• Who have transportation difficulties
• Who want ultimate privacy
• Who want control over their environment
• Who have an internet connection or data plan
• Who are ready for change
• Who are comfortable with computers, smart phone and software or applications
• Who are comfortable typing

Disadvantages of Tele-health:

• Therapists are less efficient at assessing and diagnosing disorders or complex issues mostly because all senses cannot be utilized in some forms of online therapy (non-synchronous communication such as Betterhelp and TalkSpace). This issue is much more efficient with video conferencing (synchronous communication).
• In some forms of online therapy, therapists can only use information given by the client. Non-verbal and verbal cues such as posture, tone in the voice, and facial expressions are not always available or are reduced in some forms of online therapy (non-synchronous communication).
• Some health insurance coverage is not available for telehealth.
• Medication cannot be prescribed by our therapists.
• Clients who keep printed records of Internet chat and e-mails are creating a second medical record. This may make the confidentiality of such records less likely (non-synchronous communication).

Tele-health is Not Recommended:

• For clients who need a higher level of care or multiple co-occurring biological diagnoses
• For clients who are feeling out of control with behavioral issues. These issues ethically require more in-person support
• Emergencies when you are feeling suicidal or homicidal.
• When your issues are complex and causing a lot of distress.
• When you have a long history of mental health related hospitalizations.
• When your issues involve current severe substance abuse.
• If you are abusive, threatening, harassing, and/or sexually inappropriate in your interactions with us.