If you live in NYC, finding the time for therapy can seem impossible at times. This is where online therapy can help. Online therapy can save time by removing commute time and having the convenience of doing therapy directly from the comfort of your own home.
Where do I start?
The high demand NYC life can take a toll on your mental health, which is why prioritizing your mental well-being is so important. While finding the right therapist may seem like a daunting task, rest assured that it is completely doable, even given your busy NYC lifestyle. You’ll want to determine a few key components before you begin your search for a therapist.
Are there different types of therapy?
First you’ll want to determine if you’re looking for family therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, or individual therapy. Individual therapy focuses on the individual’s goals and functioning, family therapy emphasizes the functioning of the entire family unit, couples therapy focuses on the relationship between each member within the relationship, and group therapy gives the opportunity for someone to practice interpersonal skills in a safe space of members with similarities.
What should I look for in a therapist?
You’ll next want to determine what approach is best for you and your desired outcome. New York Behavioral Health therapists practice evidence-based care, which includes therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you better manage your problems by understanding how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected and changing the way you think and behave.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to decrease suffering and increase well-being through six core processes of change: contacting the present moment through mindfulness practice, “defusion” (learning how to detach from your thoughts), acceptance (learning how to embrace events, thoughts, and emotions without putting up defenses against them), self-as-context (learning that you are not the content of your thoughts or feelings but are experiencing or observing the thoughts and feelings), values (understanding what aspects of life are meaningful to you), and committed action (learning to commit to the actions that will help in terms of your long-term goals and are consistent with your values)(Gloster et al., 2020).
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) brings behavioral based therapy components (orientated towards promoting change) together with elements from mindfulness (orientated towards increasing acceptance) (Toms et al., 2019) to help teach skills for emotion regulation (the ability to manage your emotions), mindfulness (the ability to find awareness to the present moment), interpersonal effectiveness (ability to build and maintain healthy relationships) and distress tolerance (the ability to tolerate distress and pain with the understanding that distress and pain are a part of life).
It is not uncommon to try a few different therapists until you find the right one for you.
I know what type of therapy I am interested in – what’s next?
Determine insurance coverage and benefits. Some therapists may accept your insurance and are in-network.Finding a provider who accepts your insurance, has open availability, and practices your desired type of therapy and specialties/approaches may be difficult. In this case, you also have the option to see an out-of-network provider, which means that your insurance may cover a percentage of therapy sessions when invoices are submitted afterwards. Understanding if your insurance has out-of-network coverage for therapy can unlock many doors.
Determine your therapy budget. Cost varies depending on experience, specialities, length of session, location, and more. Therapy in NYC on average can range from $75 per session to over $400 per session. Due to the higher cost of living, therapy in NYC can be costly. If you’re looking for a cost effective therapy option due to financial needs or due to lack of benefits provided by your insurance provider, there are options. Look into organizations who offer clinical internship programs and learning institutions who can provide excellent therapy at a low cost.
Ask for recommendations. One of the best ways to begin your search for an online therapist is asking for recommendations from loved ones or from a health care provider.
Use therapist directories. Therapist directories can provide information about therapists’ cost, style, location, and more. This information can be beneficial in finding the right therapist for you.
Have questions or want to schedule an appointment?
Online therapy with New York Behavioral Health
The providers at New York Behavioral Health understand the importance of finding a therapist who has your best interest in mind. Beginning therapy can be a stressful process.New York Behavioral Health aims to provide effective therapy within a safe space while collaboratively working toward your individualized goals whether this be in-person therapy sessions or online therapy sessions.
With our clinical intern program, New York Behavioral Health has the ability to offer excellent therapy options at a lower cost. If you’re ready to get started, New York Behavioral Health is here for you. Complete our therapist and coach matching form and we’ll offer you our best recommendations. Feel free to check out our providers and learn more about each one. If you feel ready to go ahead and schedule, you can select from our therapists’ availability right here on our website.
References:
Gloster, A. T., Walder, N., Levin, M. E., Twohig, M. P., & Karekla, M. (2020). The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.009
Pescatello, M. S., Pedersen, T. R., & Baldwin, S. A. (2020). Treatment engagement and effectiveness of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy program at a University Counseling Center. Psychotherapy Research, 31(5), 656–667. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2020.1822559
Thase, M. E., McCrone, P., Barrett, M. S., Eells, T. D., Wisniewski, S. R., Balasubramani, G. K., Brown, G. K., & Wright, J. H. (2020). Improving cost-effectiveness and access to cognitive behavior therapy for depression: Providing remote-ready, computer-assisted psychotherapy in times of crisis and beyond. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 89(5), 307–313. https://doi.org/10.1159/000508143 Toms, G., Williams, L., Rycroft-Malone, J., Swales, M., & Feigenbaum, J. (2019). The development and theoretical application of an implementation framework for dialectical behaviour therapy: A critical literature review. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-019-0102-7
