Online, Skype, or Phone App Therapy choices

[Before you can make things better, you have to stop making them worse...]

I'm looking to find a therapist for myself. I'm in a pretty remote area, so local choices are limited. Worse than that, my life is transient, so soon I'll be in a different remote place! I don't want to keep looking for one therapist after another.

My relationships with friends and family are mostly long-distance. The people are spread out, and I'm never near all of them, if any are nearby. Fortunately for me, I'm very good at phone/email/texting/etc. as a medium for communications. (Gee looks like I've made a few posts here along the way ) In other words, I'm a pretty good fit for online therapy in some form.

Anybody got experience or suggestions on how to find it besides google?

[Grey Kitty]

I'm looking to find a therapist for myself. I'm in a pretty remote area, so local choices are limited. Worse than that, my life is transient, so soon I'll be in a different remote place! I don't want to keep looking for one therapist after another.

My relationships with friends and family are mostly long-distance. The people are spread out, and I'm never near all of them, if any are nearby. Fortunately for me, I'm very good at phone/email/texting/etc. as a medium for communications. (Gee looks like I've made a few posts here along the way ) In other words, I'm a pretty good fit for online therapy in some form.

Anybody got experience or suggestions on how to find it besides google?

[heartandwhole]

Hi Grey Kitty,

Hm, well the therapist I had in the city where I lived until recently offers Skype sessions, and I don't think she's alone. Do you have a former therapist that you could reconnect with? I'm not sure if she would start out on Skype right out of the gate—it probably helps to have had some sessions in person to establish a rapport.

I once called a therapist that I had done a workshop with in California (and whose book I highly recommend), and she was willing to see me via Skype (I'm sure she didn't remember me from the workshop), but her rate was way above my budget.

Are you looking for one-on-one private therapy, or more of a group thing?

heartandwhole

[Sunfl0wer]

Hi GK,

I have had better luck getting referrals from other therpists than from my friends, the consumers.  Seems other therapist not only know more therapists, but also keep in mind who they would send their own family too.  When searching for my exSD, I did do the random google search calls.  I would call asking to dicuss a possibe new patient, then a bunch of times, the therapist personally called me back as if to determine if we were a good fit, asking for more detais about what I was looking for.  (I had to be specific cause we needed someone who could do court and withstand BPD mom, others already were not able to cope with mom and were starting then canceling on the kid) They ended up being pretty smpathetic in these chats and even tho they couldnt take the insurance and such, they would often end up telling me choices in their collegues and why they thought that one could work, or why another one on my list likely not ok for us.

Skype may be harder to pin down a good one or get people to know about as not likely in their circles.  Maybe start with web resoures of methods and philosophies, then contact them, then ask for skype?

Just thinking that the trainer of courses or methods who is giving the continuing ed classes could more easily know of skype therapists than random ones may.

Idk... .just throwing it out there in case no other ootions seem better.

Also, I did once have a therapist do phone sessions with me but it was one who I saw yrs and I moved, so she agreed.

If you are in an area a longer span maybe getting one, not doing skype but open minded to it, then switching to skype is option, idk.  (Yea, risky if they dont seem open minded to do such later)

[Grey Kitty]

Are you looking for one-on-one private therapy, or more of a group thing?

I'm looking for individual therapy for sure, not group anything. I've got subtle and long-standing issues that I need somebody to help me focus on/solve.

Maybe start with web resoures of methods and philosophies, then contact them, then ask for skype?

I saw a few members here say they have CPTSD, for example. They could contact Pete Walker directly for therapy, or for somebody he recommends for that. I don't have that kind of idea what I want/need regarding methods/philosophies/etc.

I think it will be more of a matter of finding somebody who can work with me, and see through my crap. I say that thinking of the best couples therapist I went to with my wife--she was 100% GOT my wife, and I don't think my wife was ever able to pull anything past her. At the time, I was behaving well, at least compared to the BPD crap my wife was pulling, so maybe she never quite got to me and my crap; I dunno. But I never felt like she figured out my issues or got to helping me do much to address them.

I don't have a former therapist I could ask for a recommendation from, but that's a great idea! If I did have one, I would either try to transition to skype/phone/online/whatever, or if they weren't willing/able, would ask for recommendations.

I did a bit of googling, and discovered that there are lots of therapists out there, and some do online work. And that picking one like that is daunting and unappealing to me. If I wanted a local one, finding them online, and selecting would be different... .there would only be a few or maybe a dozen to choose from.

I also found two phone apps, talkspace and betterhelp, both of which look to be aiming to become the "uber" of online therapy. The app lets you do messages/chat/phone/video, and gets you together with a one of their therapists. Both look pretty new. Obviously the results will depend on the therapist you find. Pretty sure that both would let me change therapists if it isn't working out/helping.

Finding a therapist in person has two hurdles--first connecting/finding somebody effective, then transitioning to a new format. At least somebody signed up to work this way is comfortable with the format.

Anybody tried either app?