continuity of care due to personal factors.
Are the prices higher?
Tele-mental health sessions that utilize traditional scheduling, 45-60-minute audio or video-conference sessions, tend to be priced the same as in-person therapy. The clinician still utilizes their expertise to provide evidence-based interventions; while dedicated that specific time to the client.
Many insurance companies also cover the cost of tele-mental health sessions equivalent to what they would cover for traditional in-person services. The price varies from state to state and between insurance companies as well.
Are the people providing services just as licensed as the ones in office?
Whether online or in-person, clinicians are ethically and legally required to be trained, fully licensed, or under supervision, if provisionally licensed when providing psychotherapy services. Although it is not required by all states, it is best practice for clinicians to work within their scope of competence and receive specified training in telehealth when practicing online.
Describe a typical session
Before regular sessions begin, an initial consultation is conducted where I facilitate an Assessment of Fit to determine appropriateness for tele-mental health. In the first two sessions, I complete a full biopsychosocial assessment that ends with creating treatment goals with the client. A typical session after that always starts with a check-in.
At this time client reviews their previous week with me, specifically addressing what went well, what was challenging, and reviewing any experiences they feel would be beneficial in our work together. Next, we review any homework assignments from the previous week. In the larger part of the session, we typically use