[WishfulThinker66]

Has anyone any experience with this?

I was recently at a talk and presentation given by a remarkable lady. She really connected to me. I had some a-ha moments listening to her take on Anxiety and it's treatment. I ran into her the next day at her book signing. Again, I felt a strong need to chat with her some more.

I asked if she was taking on clients. Alas, she is from a different city 3hrs away. She said however she would be willing to conduct therapy by phone.

I am unsure of this. Has anyone achieved any amount of success?

[coolibrarian]

My T doesn't like doing therapy by phone, because we are unable to see each other's expressions and body language. But sometimes it's the only way we can connect. Maybe you can do therapy with this woman for a few sessions, and see how it goes.

I did. But it was after I'd seen t in person for a year. She moved out of state and I was paying out of pocket anyway so we changed to phone sessions. They worked well for me and we did that twice a month (sometimes weekly) for like 3 years til she moved back and we went back to in person sessions.

What worked well was she couldn't see me. That I couldn't see her seeing me. If that makes sense. Made it easier to talk.

[ChickenNoodleSoup]

My T sometimes does phone calls with me when I can't make it to his office. Those are only 10-15 minutes long though and more of a check-in than real therapy. My T says it's hard to do real therapy over the phone, since you can't see the person and can't be in one room with them.

I'd also think that talking for 50 minutes on the phone with him and doing real therapy would not work for me. He'd not notice when I dissociate or get stressed at all, since I show that mostly by body movements.


I think it's fine for a session or two, it would not work for me for a prolonged time though.

my therapist and i live in different countries now. we talk on the phone and on skype. the phone is better than nothing but not idea. skype is better. in person is best but thats only about once a year. if you like her and she is good then telephone would be a good option.

[Xynesthesia2]

I guess it depends what the client wants to focus on. Phone sessions with my last T were just as effective as in person for me. My issues and interests were about my everyday life. I believe if it it something more interpersonal/relational, phone sessions might not work as well as in person, due to the lack of many channels of communication other than verbal.

[saidso]

Agree with Xynesthesia2. I've seen telephone therapy work well for one friend who saw a psychoanalyst that way with just a few face to face sessions a year. I've seen it be a disaster for another friend who put a lot of pressure on the therapeutic relationship itself - not trusting, acting out, blaming, etc.

Depends what your issues are and how the therapeutic work is structured.

It seems you want to check this out because of this woman's expertise on anxiety, so go with your gut .

[Mopey]

I too have had experience with it, Wishful Thinker, but again, only with a long background of face-to-face therapy. And even then, although it could work for a situational consult, lacking the face-to-face contact, it may leave you wondering about a lot of things. But if that is the only choice you have with this particular therapist, you might want to give it a try at least once or twice.

[SheHulk07]

My T has done phone sessions with me for the full 50 minutes while I was in the hospital for sepsis. I'm not sure how often he does that for clients, but it's the first time that a T offered to do that for me. He does do check ins if I need to, which have been between 10-30 minutes before between us.

after seeing my t for many years in person, I moved away and we did therapy by phone for almost 6 years. it was hard at first but got easier. it worked until this January when a combination of my health getting very strong and a huge mental faux pas on her part caused me to end therapy. I would also take a trip down to my old stomping grounds and schedule a session once a year when I could. at this point I doubt we will talk again and certainly not visit in person.

[Elio]

We did a few phone visits when weather was bad and have done video visits when one or the other of us is traveling or when I was recovering from surgery. Most the time we are in person.

For me phone is better than nothing, video better than phone, and in person the best. Email sometimes is just as good as phone.

I would agree with what others have said, might or might not work all depending on what issues come out and how the in person chemistry translates to voice only interactions.

I don’t see why it couldn’t work. It also saves time and driving. If you made a good connection with somebody it seems to me like it’s worth a try.

[susannahsays]

I wouldn't like it. I hate talking on the phone. What happens if you have to think about something for a bit before responding? How would the therapist know you're still there? Would they butt in every time and ask?

[nottrustin]

I hve never done phone sessions but I have done a few video sessions when I was unable to drive the 40 miles to see her. It has worked well. I don't know about your insurance but most insurance companies will not pay for phone sessions not many pay for videos but mine does.