Online Counseling

Convenient and Confidential Online Counseling for those located in the State of Texas

Would you like to meet with a licensed clinician from the comfort of your own home?

Do you find the idea of talking to someone in person stressful or intimidating?

Would you like emotional support from a licensed clinician, but have a busy schedule or travel frequently?

Do you live in a remote area in the state of Texas that doesn’t have easy access to a professional counselor?

Are you homebound due to illness or disability that makes it difficult to leave home?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then online counseling might be an option for you.

Online Therapy is Similar to Traditional Therapy

In many ways, online counseling, also known as telehealth, is much the same as seeing a therapist in person. You will spend your first session getting to know your therapist, and them you. You will spend this time also working out what your goals for therapy are, why you are seeking therapy, and how you feel the therapist can help you.  At Relationships Matter Austin, there is a consultation process to determine if your individual situation is appropriate for our online services.

After that initial session, additional sessions will be spent working on the goals you outlined in your first session. The therapist may have a variety of methods for reaching those goals. Not every method or concept works for every person. You may have some trial and error throughout your counseling experience, this is the same in online counseling. 

Although counseling is conducted through technology rather than in person, sessions will hold much of the same structure. You will have a set amount of time, usually 50 or 80 minutes, to work with your therapist during each online session. How frequently you have sessions is entirely up to you, although your therapist will offer clinical suggestions based on your goals for therapy.

Online therapy is not for everyone. 

If you have a serious psychological or emotional disorder, are dealing with a major life crisis, or have suicidal thoughts or tendencies, then an in-person session with a licensed professional is best to address your needs and concerns. We can also provide in person sessions in our office as well.

Appointments from the comfort of your home, office, or outside the Austin area. Private and convenient.

Online Counseling allows you and your therapist to connect anywhere through audio or video in the state of Texas with secure and convenient appointments that save you time and hassle. There’s no need to deal with traffic when you can schedule and attend your appointments directly from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device (iOS or Android) – it’s your choice!

Benefits of Online Counseling

• Privacy: One advantage of seeing a therapist online is that nobody will see you walking into a counseling center. You also don’t have to worry about seeing someone you know in the counseling office waiting room. In these ways, you have more privacy when participating in telehealth therapy.
• Flexible schedule: With online counseling, you can have a secure, (audio or video) counseling appointment with your therapist. Schedule on your lunch hour or after the kids are in bed.
• Convenience: You can schedule appointments at times convenient for you without spending time in traffic or having to pay for a sitter.
• Greater access: Allows you to make an appointment when you are traveling or out of town for work as long as you are in the state of Texas. Maybe you live in another city in Texas, this provides you way to access our quality services easily.
• Easier To Convince A Resistant Spouse:
  Often, one partner or the other does not want to attend couples counseling sessions. When that’s the case, being able to have the counseling session online can help convince them to participate. After all, they don’t even have to leave the house. If your relationship needs a mediator, getting help in whichever way you can get your partner to cooperate is better than no help at all.

What to Look for In an Online Therapist

When starting telehealth therapy, you look for many of the same things as you would if you were attending in person counseling. You want to find a therapist you are comfortable with and feel like you can trust. You also want someone who is comfortable treating the specific issue bringing you to therapy. If you are seeking help for anxiety, you want to know that your online therapist specializes in anxiety. If you and your spouse are fighting, you might be looking for an experienced online marriage counselor. One advantage to starting online counseling and therapy with us is that we have therapists with a wide range of specialties and experiences.

Online counseling sessions with us enables you to access licensed mental health professionals conveniently in the comfort of your home and schedule.

Ready to get support in the comfort of your own home or office?

Online Counseling- Frequently Asked Questions

Is online video counseling confidential and private?

Yes! As much as it possibly can be. Our therapists at Relationships Matter Austin conduct online video counseling on secure, password laptops here in our offices using a video conferencing software that is a trusted, HIPAA-compliant telemedicine solution and we also insist that our clients take their online video sessions in a closed, private room to ensure privacy. We do everything we can to comply with data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding your medical information.

Do I have to have special equipment to do online video counseling?

Ideally, you will have a laptop or desktop but even a smartphone can work well for online video counseling. We do require that our clients download a free piece of software to their phone or computer in advance of the first session because we use a special platform for the video counseling. Your therapist will send you instructions about this platform and how to download this simple piece of software when you book your first session.

How does online video counseling work?

At the start of your scheduled session time, your therapist will dial you via the video conferencing software. When you accept their call, a window will pop up with their face, you will see and hear them, they will see and hear you, and then you can then begin your session as you would if you were sitting here in our offices. At the end of the session, your therapist will end the video call and you will both be disconnected from the video conferencing software.

Is online video counseling as effective as in-person therapy?

It certainly can be! Whether you are in-person or video-conferencing, the single biggest thing that will make therapy effective is whether you and your therapist have a good bond and if you feel comfortable with them. In our experience, it’s just as easy to experience this over video conferencing as it can be in person. That said, what’s ideal is if you can make it into our offices at least once to meet your therapist in person if your life and schedule allows. This can often make the connection feel “more real” but, again, it’s not necessary and many of our clients who live far away from Austin and who can’t make it into our offices find the connection just as effective and helpful as if they were working with someone in-person.

I live in a different state than Texas. Can you do online video counseling with me?

As much as we would love to be able to work with you, our therapists are licensed to practice therapy (whether this is in-person or online) in the State of Texas only. So what that means is that we can only work with clients who are in the state of Texas at the time of their appointment.