[Becoming]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to get therapy online. I'm in a tough spot right now where it will not be possible/easy for me to get therapy in person. I am only home for a month and making a last minute plan for weekly therapy will be very unlikely where I live (when I go back to college there will be a therapist but no psychologist).

I'm really desperate for some help because I'm not doing very well lately. Is there a good place to get it from? Also, will an only psychiatrist prescribe or make recommendations of medicine? I have had insane anxiety for a long time and never been put on anything for it and my primary care doctor would not prescribe anything.

Thanks!

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[ThisWayOut]

I know a few people on here have done online therapy, though from what I understand it's quite costly (I doubt I would go with a much cheaper site because I would wonder about credentialing and fact-checking on the site with affiliated therapists).
I'm not quite sure I understand what you are askign about psychiatrists though. Most I have come in contact with in the US only do meds, and not therapy (insurance pressures), so I am not sure what you mean. I don't think they can do much prescribing online though (too much room for abuse of the system). If you are really in a bind for meds, you can present at a local ER and they can do an evaluation. If you are not suicidal or a danger to self or others, they generally don't have reason to keep you there, but they could hook you up with a temp script until you find a more permanent psychiatrist.

[Ididitmyway]

Hi Rachel,

Unfortunately, I don't know of any online therapy websites I could personally recommend, but the good place to start would be to call your state licensing board or to go on their website and see if they have online therapy resources there. If the site is on their list, this is a guarantee that they are credible and that they adhere to all state regulations.

Another good place to contact is We train Helpers, Healers and Change Agents to extend services into cyberspace. Even though it's a training site for therapist who want to do online therapy, I am sure they are resourceful and would recommend something to you that would suit you.

Another venue to explore is Warmlines. It's a peer-support network. You can talk to someone for free if you call them. They are not therapists but they are trained to talk to people in the way that would help them get through a difficult time.

And finally this website has a couple of local warm lines in your state National Mental Health Clearinghouse - Warm Lines

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Oh, yes, as far as psychiatry, I don't believe you can find a psychiatrist who would prescribe online. I don't think it's legal.

[guilloche]

Hi Rachael....

I'm sorry that you're struggling and having trouble finding help. It's a hard place to be in. You mention that you're going back to school in a month, and there's a therapist but not a psychologist there? Just to check... is it a master's level, mental health type of therapist? Have you talked to this person before? Just checking, because studies have shown that the level of education (for a therapist) is NOT related to their abilities to be a good therapist - it's much more about the fit between you and them. So a Master's level person that you really click with will likely be more helpful than a PhD that you don't get along with. (Sorry if I'm misinterpreting what you were saying, I just wasn't sure.)

I wish I had some good resources for you... but I don't. I think you might just need to google around a bit and see what turns up... you could try "remote therapist", "online therapist", maybe "distance therapy". Try replacing "therapy" with psychotherapist, or mental health counselor. If you find someone, make sure you check out their credentials... I *think* there should be an easy way to do this online for most states.

This site has some good info on using an online therapist. It used to have a good list of therapists that work online, but it seems a bit hard to navigate these days, and I think it may not be up to date:

ABCs of Internet Therapy Guide: consumer review of online counseling cybertherapy e-mail chat videoconference mental health services

OK - here are their lists. These maybe out of date (maybe from 2007?!?), but might give you a starting place for looking:

Private Practices: Internet Therapy Guide: Private practice e-therapists who offer ongoing interactions
Clinics: Internet Therapy Guide: Large e-therapy clinics
Specialists: Internet Therapy Guide: Specialist therapists who work with a specific topic

Also, you should be aware, if you do "online therapy" - you may not be able to use your insurance to cover it. It will likely need to be self-pay. (I had looked at doing online therapy too, this was one of the issues that popped up for me.)

Good luck, and remember there's lots of people here for support if you need to talk!

[guilloche]

Ididitmyway -

Those are fantastic links - thanks for posting! Is there any way we can get them stickied at the top of the forum? I had been looking for something like that awhile ago (someplace where you could call and talk to a human, but that didn't require you to be in immediate danger to yourself) - and came up empty.

Thanks!

[Ididitmyway]

Originally Posted by guilloche

Ididitmyway -

Those are fantastic links - thanks for posting! Is there any way we can get them stickied at the top of the forum? I had been looking for something like that awhile ago (someplace where you could call and talk to a human, but that didn't require you to be in immediate danger to yourself) - and came up empty.

Thanks!

You're welcome. I don't know how to stick the links to the forum. You have to ask the mods. May be you can open a new topic, post the links there and make the thread sticky. I haven't done it yet, so I wouldn't know how to do that. But the mods should know. They may do it for you if you ask.

[Victoria'smom]

I was going to go with pretty padded room