General Questions
Online therapy also called e-counseling, teletherapy, virtual therapy, Skype therapy, video counseling. Online psychotherapy is mental health therapy provided online through video chat.
Before each therapy appointment I will send you a link to the video platform we will be using for our online session. It’s a secure platform, HIPAA compliant, and protects your personal information. You will need a smart phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone.
Online counseling for more than one person can be done two ways. You can either be in the same location as your partner or family member and use the same device, or you can be in different location and each will use their own device, making it a three way “call”.
Many people these days have very busy schedules and don’t feel like they have the time to drive to their therapists office. Online therapy increases the access to therapists by allowing clients to engage in therapy without having to worry about the logistics and time restraints.
If you are currently actively suicidal or have thoughts of wanting to hurt yourself or others, online therapy might not be suitable for you.
Questions
Psychotherapy is also often referred to as therapy or counseling and is a protected term in some states. In some states only certain providers can say that they are providing psychotherapy which includes Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Psychologists, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners.
There are many different ways in the United States to become a Mental Health Therapist. One of them is by completing a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW). To become a licensed clinician in Oregon, post-graduate hours need to be completed under supervision. Meaning that after completing the MSW the individual has to complete at least 2000 direct client hours and 100 supervision hours to be able to get their license.
For Pacific coast clients I am usually available between the hours of 5am-1pm. For East coast clients I am usually available between the hours of 5am-4pm.
I am licensed in the state of Oregon, meaning that I can provide therapy to clients who are in Oregon at the time of the therapy session.
We can either do the free consultation via phone or video chat. The consultation will be approximately 15 minutes long and we will be able to “feel out” if we are a good fit for each other.