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Your Guide To Online Therapy

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The COVID-19 pandemic undeniably altered the way that the world operates and the world of counseling is no exception. The world had to adapt in quick, efficient ways and teletherapy quickly came to the rescue. While online therapy existed prior to the global pandemic and we always provided it to our clients, the onset of COVID-19 greatly contributed to the rise in its popularity. Even in a post-pandemic world, many experts suspect that teletherapy is here to stay. So, what exactly is telehealth counseling?

Simply, telehealth therapy is a therapy that is provided by a licensed therapist via a secure online or phone connection. Modern software permits this type of online mental health support, ensuring the safety of personal information in therapy sessions. Online talking therapy can be more convenient for both the therapist and the client. Additionally, a significant amount of research has proven that telehealth counseling is just as effective as traditional, in-person counseling. Broadly, teletherapy is any form of remote therapy where a therapist and their client can communicate.

Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.

For instance, the following scenarios are some examples of virtual therapy:

  • Completing therapy sessions over the phone

  • Using therapy-related apps to connect with others for online group therapy

  • Engaging in counseling sessions through a secure app

  • Using videoconferencing for virtual therapy sessions 

As online psychological counseling continues to gain approval for its clear convenience, it is important to understand how virtual practice measures up against in-person therapy.

In addition to online mental health counseling being proven to be as efficient as traditional, in-person counseling, the other benefits of virtual counseling must be explored":

  1. First and foremost, online psychotherapy allows more people to have access to mental health services. There are many instances where an individual may not be able to receive in-person counseling. From physical disabilities to geographic location, it may be difficult for every person to find a nearby office that suits their needs. Also, scheduling conflicts are extremely common in today’s busy world where people’s schedules are packed to the brim. Finding a good time to meet once travel time is factored in can sometimes feel impossible. With telecounseling, you can receive mental health assistance anywhere and at any time. 

  2. Secondly, many users of online therapy sessions report that they are greatly pleased with their services.

  3. Lastly, as we all have witnessed since 2020, telecounseling promotes public health. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, e-counseling has proven how staying at home can slow the spread of illness and safeguard at-risk populations. Online therapy services and over-the-phone therapy have allowed people to get mental health treatment without risking their health and the health of others. 

Virtual therapy sessions are similar to in-person sessions. By switching to virtual therapy, you will largely be able to duplicate the in-person environment, particularly if you are using video chat. 

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Due to its flexibility and similarity to in-person counseling, virtual counseling services can include:

While telepsychotherapy can occur via phone or email, today, it is most commonly done through video chat. Online therapy services are conducted in the same manner as traditional sessions. During the first few sessions, you and your therapist will become comfortable with one another. It is during this time that your therapist will learn more about you and the two of you will then outline and develop treatment goals, or what you aim to get out of your therapy sessions. After these first couple of sessions, you and your counselor will explore the areas you want to improve more deeply. Potentially, your therapist may recommend changes in behavior and reflection on your emotions. 

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Understandably, many people tend to worry about privacy concerns when engaging in online counseling sessions; however, this should not be a concern given if your therapist is using a secure network or application to run the sessions. 

If you would like to take extra steps to guarantee confidentiality, you can:

  • Engage in your therapy session while being signed in under a private network

  • Lock your computer to ensure that others do not view your sessions 

  • Make sure that your therapist is using an encrypted therapy platform

  • Wear headphones if there are other people around in your home or location

  • Turn on white noise and put it by the door

  • Have the session from inside your car

If you still have worries regarding your personal information, feel free to openly discuss this topic with your therapist. You can also ask if there are any additional steps you can take to assure confidentiality. 

Now that you know more about telepsychotherapy, which mental health professionals can offer teletherapy? While licensing can vary on a state-to-state basis, licensed professionals are the only people who can offer therapy services online. 


For example, some licensed professionals can include:

  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers

  • Psychologists

  • Psychiatrists

  • Licensed Professional Counselors

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists

Generally, a therapist must have a license in the state where they are working and treating people. For instance, a licensed professional in Massachusetts is not legally allowed to treat a client residing in New Jersey if they are not licensed in New Jersey. 

Anchor Therapy offers video and phone therapy for residents of New Jersey and New York. For our online video sessions, we use a HIPAA-compliant platform that is free for you to use! You can access it from whatever device is available to you as long as you have access to the internet or data connection. Before our session, you will receive a link that leads you right to the session. In these online counseling sessions, you can interact with one of our therapists just as you would in an in-person setting and with more flexibility!

In regards to our phone sessions, it is a bit different than our video or in-person sessions since we cannot see each other’s body language. Typically, we recommend that your initial meeting with an Anchor Therapy therapist be in-person or on video. Then, you can make the switch to phone sessions if that is what you desire or feel more comfortable with. Anchor Therapy is happy to allow flexibility in your schedule so you can be consistent with your sessions to get the results you want. In other words, if you want to switch between in-person, video, and phone sessions, we welcome you to do so!

Whatever difficulty you find in attending in-person therapy sessions, Anchor Therapy is happy to alleviate that worry with teletherapy! Especially during times of public health crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, remote counseling can be beneficial to individuals of all backgrounds.

Victoria Scala

is the Social Media Manager at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is currently an undergraduate student at the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark, looking to study Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. As a Social Media Manager at Anchor Therapy, Victoria is committed to producing content for and managing the office’s social media presence and blog.

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