NotesPractice4 min read
Is virtual therapy right for you?
I work both ways — telehealth anywhere in California, in person in Santa Monica — and I have no ideological position on which is better. The research broadly finds them comparable for most concerns. What differs is fit.
Where video is genuinely better
Consistency, first. The single strongest predictor of whether therapy helps is whether it keeps happening, and a 4pm session you can attend from your car after a meeting survives a busy month that a cross-town drive would not.
Access, second. If you live somewhere in California with three clinicians and none of them treat what you have, geography should not decide your care.
And for some people, distance helps. There are things easier to say without another body in the room, particularly early, particularly if being watched is part of the problem.
Where it is genuinely worse
I lose the lower two-thirds of you — posture, hands, the foot that starts moving before you know you are upset. In body-based work that matters, and I compensate by asking more direct questions than I would in person.
Environment is the other real limitation. Therapy from a closet with a family member on the other side of the door is not the same conversation. If you do not have forty-five private minutes at home, in person is usually the better call.
What makes video work well
A private room, headphones, a device that stays still, and a fifteen-minute margin on either side so you are not arriving from one meeting and leaving into another. Small logistics, disproportionate effect.
Worth Keeping
Three things to take away
- For most concerns, outcomes are comparable — the deciding factor is what you will actually sustain.
- Privacy at home is the real constraint, more than the technology.
- You can mix: some people do video most weeks and come in periodically.
We can decide this together on the consultation call, and change it later if the first choice turns out to be wrong.
Read more: How working together worksFree Consultation
Start with a conversation, not a commitment.
The first step is a free consultation call. We talk about what brings you here, what you have already tried, and whether working together makes sense. If I am not the right fit, I will say so and point you somewhere better.
- · Consultations run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tell me what suits and I will confirm by email
- · Telehealth anywhere in California, or in person in Santa Monica
- · Private pay, with superbills for out-of-network reimbursement
- · 48 hours' notice for changes or cancellations
Or call the office at (213) 761-8555.