Is Online Therapy Affordable? How Much Does it Cost? Can I Afford it?

October 11, 2019 Brandi Jackson

Hey Friend, I know; Your current question is: “is online therapy affordable?”.

This is the question that comes after learning Online Mental Health Therapy exists, that it’s a real thing, and that people love it and use it. Being that there are several popular online therapy resources that exist currently, there is also a benefit of being able to do some comparison shopping before choosing your Therapist! Yas!

Before we look into affordability, we really must consider how to select your therapist. If you have past therapy experience, you may already know your current therapy needs and preferences based on what you liked and did not like about your previous therapy work and therapy support provider. If you haven’t yet experienced therapy, it may be hard to know exactly what communication style will work best for you; therapeutically speaking.

Good Online Therapy, The Other Side

The other side of searching for a good online therapist includes being clear on what your therapy needs are and determining if the online therapist you’re interested in working with has the not only the skillset to help to you work on your emotional health goal, but also the style of communication that gives you the space to utilize 100% of your session for your emotional needs.

Communication Style is Critical

As you know (or maybe you don’t know) , I’m a Licensed Therapist based in California and I would describe my communication style and warm, relational, direct, practical, and with context based humor. So, the clients that work best with me will appreciate therapy in a way that feels warm, relatable, practical, and clear.

Ultimately, each Therapist has a unique personality and communication style. It’s helpful to speak with a Therapist you are considering working with before you book any therapy sessions. Some therapist’s offer phone consultations so you have a chance before working together to discuss your emotional health goal and to determine if the therapist’s style will work for you.

Remember, Specialty is Important

Additionally, every Therapist has a different expertise and specialty, so it’s important to know your emotional health goal. Your goal will align with certain specialty methods of therapy. For example PTSD pairs well with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma Focused Cognitive Based Therapy. Depression goes well with Talk Therapy/ Motivational Interviewing and goal setting. Anxiety Therapy goes nicely with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness. In order to determine which style of therapy will work for you, it’s important to know where you would like to focus your therapy treatment based on your symptoms and mental health diagnostic information.

Cost Matters Too- Insurance and Private-Pay

Okay back to “is Online Therapy affordable?”. The short answer is yes, and there are several different methods to consider. But let’s first address insurance. Some online providers may accept insurance and other’s will only accept private-pay (self-pay) clients. Most Therapists who accept private-pay will provide an invoice for your sessions that can be sent to your insurance company or employer for reimbursement depending on the insurance and your employer.

Who’s Offering Online Therapy?

There’s big name online therapy providers (Talk Space and Better Help), independent and private online therapy providers, and online coaches who are not licensed for therapy but may offer life coaching for mental health disorders. Let’s look at this more closely.

The Big Name Online Therapy Providers: The two big online therapy providers are Talk Space and Better Help. Each program offers different service plans and therapy options.

Talk Space Starting Cost: 260$ monthly

Better Help Starting Cost: 40-70$ per week

The Independent private online Therapy Providers: I’m an Online Therapist and from the client’s I work with, I’ve found most of my client’s want the option of a 1-hour session or a 30 minute session.

Brandi Jackson Wellness Starting Cost: 55$ for 30 Minutes and 110.00 $ for an Hour session

“Mental Health” Coaches: I have to be honest here, I do believe some people who are trained in therapeutic modalities may be excellent for lifestyle coaching but I would not encourage you to work with a MH Coach without having a MH Therapist to support your emotional health work to avoid any “blind spots” in your healing journey.

There is no screening or regulations for mental health coaches, which means it’s important to do your research!

Below, I listed a mental health coach who I think is the real deal.

The Anxiety Guy starting Rates: 220.00$ per hour

Glow in. Glow Out.

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Sign up for your free 30-minute wellness consultation session to help you glow and live a happier lifestyle. Together, let’s use our Online Therapy and Wellness Coaching sessions to help you overcome your seasonal depression so that you may live your best life during this holiday season and to help you start fresh during the start of the new year.

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Does Online Therapy Actually Work? Can Mental Health Counseling Online Help?

October 8, 2019 Brandi Jackson

Hi Friend, Are you curious if Online Therapy actually works? This is a great question to consider. Most people reading this, will likely find the article when the concept of “online therapy” feels new; but in all honesty online therapy has been in practice for over 24 years ago back in 1995. This time in history also aligns nicely with the general first wave of “the internet” becoming more mainstream.

The Question:

So let’s talk more about the question “does online therapy actually work”? In order to answer the question it’s a good idea to be clear about what the term and characteristics of what “working” will include.

What Counts as a Therapy Session Actually Working:

For online therapy (or in-person therapy) to work, a client will expect certain things to be in place during and after the session. The basic expectations include:

-The session to be on time.

-The Therapist to be present and focused.

-The Therapist to be in a quiet location.

-Ease of connection via phone or video conference

-To learn tools and coping skills to reduce unwanted symptoms

-To get a chance to talk about the issue that is creating the unwanted symptoms

-To feel safe and respected in the session

-To gain education and insight for any symptoms or possible diagnostics for the clients mental health

Online Therapy and Client Expectations

Now that we have established the basic expectations that clients expect in a therapy session, let’s apply the expectations to the different methods of online therapy to see how they can work together.

Online therapy has two primary ways that sessions will be conducted. One method is over the phone, this is normally called telephonic therapy but is also under the umbrella of online therapy. The other style of online therapy is secure video conferencing. This method is similar to Skype and Zoom video conferencing.

The Reason Client’s Love Online Therapy

If we refer back to our previous list of client expectations above, it should be easy to see that all of the client expectations would be met just-the-same via phone or video conference. And furthermore, it may be a more convenient to:

-Have access to therapy support from home or wherever the client is

-To avoid travel time to and from sessions

-To not have to wait in the waiting room with strangers

-Have access for affordable sessions

Can Online Therapy Help?

The answer is yes! Of course there is still a time and a place for in-person therapy sessions for anyone who prefers to go to an in-person session. The online therapy model will work better with clients based on the level of symptom intensity the client feels and it will also be important to account for client’s who experience psychosis. For client’s experiencing intense psychosis in-person therapy may be best.

Does Online Therapy Work?

Yes, it does work. It’s important to understand that therapy is a tool that helps client’s reduce unwanted mental health symptoms but it’s still the client “driving”the treatment “car”. The client and the therapist will work together to support the client to have emotional clarity and psychoeducation in session. Clarity and psychoeducation helps client’s understand the issue they would like to improve better. The online therapy session will also include recommendations and suggestions for client’s to practice after the session is over. Online therapy works, yes. But, online therapy works best when the client feels ready and safe to work on resolving the emotional goal, is open to suggestion and therapeutic recommendations, and is willing to make time to practice the recommended coping tools.

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What is Online Therapy and Counseling? How Does it Even Work?

October 7, 2019 Brandi Jackson

Hi Friend,

You may be curious to find out more about online therapy and counseling. For starters, you may wish to know “what is online therapy” anyway? How does online therapy even work? To be a help, I’m going to share all about what online therapy is, and also what online therapy isn’t. I also think it’s important to share who is appropriate to provide online therapy sessions with clients and the legal rules that determine who is considered as an approved Online Therapist provider to work with. Shall we get started.

Online Therapy Is:

Online therapy is very similar to in-person therapy. Online therapy will consist of a client generated mental health goal and a trained therapist supporting the goal in online therapy sessions over time. The online model of therapy may include a phone session where the therapist and client complete a session by phone for a standard therapy session. This may be great if anxiety, shame, or judgement feel like a barrier to getting support for emotional health issues. Talking on the phone with a therapist may be calmer option to begin online therapy support.

Another model of online therapy may include Skype or zoom video conferences for online therapy sessions. This method is great because the client can see the therapist and the therapist can see the client, which helps to keep sessions present in the same manner as an in-person therapy session.

You may consider online therapy supplemental support options of secure emails and text messages. As a Licensed Therapist, I recommend phone and video conferencing for online therapy support sessions in order to get the best outcomes for your emotional health goals.

Online Therapy Isn’t:

-Ineffective compared to in-person therapy

-Unstructured chatting on the phone

-Being exhausted from difficult online/ IT connection problems

-Dealing with disconnected out of touch therapy

Who is an Appropriate Online Therapy Provider?

Online Therapy must be provided via someone who is licensed via your state to practice therapy independently. Each licensed therapist is registered with the state as a licensed provider. A wellness coach may not offer therapy services. A health coach may not offer therapy services. A hypnotherapist may not offer therapy services, etc. Only a state licensed therapist may offer online or in-person therapy services. However, sometimes mental health associates or mental health trainees will offer therapy services and sessions with the regular supervision of a licensed therapist.

Legal Rules For Online “Therapists”:

No biggie here but, if you work with online therapist they must be practicing in the same state that you live in for the services to be appropriately considered “therapy”. Being that I’m an Online Therapist based in California, I can only provide online therapy services to people who live in California. I may however provide Wellness Coaching Services nationally and Internationally without consequence.

My preference is to provide a combination of therapy and wellness coaching simultaneously in my online therapy sessions because it gives my client’s practical methods to apply what they are learning from the therapy work that is taking place.

Glow in. Glow Out.

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SCHEDULE YOUR FREE 10-30 MINUTE WELLNESS CONSULTATION FOR ONLINE HOLISTIC MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY OR WELLNESS COACHING SERVICES

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Fit Mind + Body Must Have 10 Step Checklist: Learn What it Takes for Long Term Weight Loss + Happiness

November 10, 2017 Brandi Jackson

Hi, Queen Wellnista!

I wanted to share some exciting new updates with you! I have missed not 1 but 2 blog posts in October (sorry!). I gotta tell you the exciting scoop for Brandi Jackson Wellness updates!

1. We are moving forward with fitness!

I have gotten some great feedback from my subscribers making it very clear that natural remedies and methods for weight loss and burning fat are 2 topics that are important and helpful to discuss on the website and newsletter.

2. We have a private Fit Mind + Body Tribe Facebook Group!

This is a safe supportive space (women only) where we can share our fitness and weight loss goals, inspiration, motivation and progress. Click the link below to sign up!

3. I Have Gift for you!

A free download PDF for The top 10 methods that predict long term fitness, heath and happiness outcomes. This 10 step guide is a fitness motivation must have checklist! Click the button below to download your free copy!

For the 10 step checklist just enter your information below! If you are already subscribed to the Fit Life Newsletter, this free must have goodie is already in your inbox!

For the Win!

I hope you enjoyed this article! Sound off in the comments below, which fitness topic is most important to you for November?

Share the Love!

Please share this post with your friends, family, or anyone you think may benefit from wellness, fitness and health tips. Sometimes sharing information can really help people to be inspired to create a wonderful physical, mental, and emotional recovery or start their Healh Journey!

If you found this information helpful, sign up for The Life Newsletter for bi-weekly updates, tips, tools, and resources for health, happiness, wellness, and lifestyle to feel your best life right now!

Wishing you all the best,

Brandi J.

Getting a fit mind and body isn't easy. I can help. Let me support your special and unique Change Journey for weight loss, organization, time management, fitness planning or custom health and wellness goal setting. Book a Fit Mind + Body Coaching Session or Hypnotherapy Session with me by clicking the link below.

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