Does Online Therapy Actually Work?

If you're considering therapy but skeptical about doing it online, you're not alone. Most people who haven't tried teletherapy assume it must be a lesser version of the real thing. A compromise. Something you settle for when you can't get into an office.

That's not what the research shows. And it's not what my clients tell me.

What the Research Says

Multiple studies conducted over the last several years have found that teletherapy is as effective as in-person therapy across a wide range of issues, including depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship problems, and trauma. The results are consistent enough that most clinicians now accept teletherapy as a legitimate and effective treatment modality, not a substitute for the real thing.

What My Clients Actually Experience

When new clients start with me via telehealth, most of them have some version of the same concern: Will this feel weird? Will it be awkward talking to a screen?

What they almost universally report after the first session is that it felt more normal than they expected. After the first few minutes, most people stop thinking about the technology and start having a conversation. Which is exactly what therapy is supposed to be.

There are a few things teletherapy does better than in-person therapy. You're in your own space — your home, your office, wherever you're comfortable. You don't have to drive anywhere, sit in a waiting room, or worry about running into someone you know in the waiting room. For people dealing with sensitive issues like sex addiction, infidelity, or substance abuse, that last point matters more than you might think.

Where It Falls Short

I'll be honest: teletherapy isn't identical to sitting in the same room with someone. There are moments — particularly in emotionally intense sessions — where being physically present with a client would add something that a screen can't fully replicate. Most of the time this doesn't matter. Occasionally it does.

For the vast majority of what I work on with clients — addiction, sex addiction, infidelity recovery, men's issues, life transitions — teletherapy works extremely well. I haven't found it to be a meaningful limitation.

The Platform I Use

I use Doxy.me for all teletherapy sessions. It's HIPAA-compliant, encrypted, and requires no app download or account setup on your end. You click a link and you're in. It works on any computer, smartphone, or tablet with a camera and microphone.

The Bottom Line

If you've been putting off therapy because you're not sure online therapy is the real thing — it is. The research supports it, and my clients' experience confirms it. The only way to know for certain whether it works for you is to try a session.

If you'd like to discuss whether teletherapy is a good fit for what you're dealing with, I invite you to call me at 512-590-9868. I'm happy to spend a few minutes on the phone or on Doxy.me before you commit to anything.