Online Therapy in California

For most people and most concerns, yes. The largest meta-analysis on the question, published by Batastini and colleagues in Clinical Psychology Review in 2021, pooled 57 studies covering 281 outcomes and 4,336 clients and found videoconferencing produced treatment effects largely equivalent to in-person care. One honest caveat: a 2018 review by Norwood and colleagues found symptom improvement noninferior over video, while clients rated the working alliance somewhat lower on screen. That is exactly why we work at the relationship deliberately rather than assuming it will take care of itself. You will meet with the same doctoral-level clinicians who see clients in our offices, doing the same depth of work.

Yes. California licensure covers the entire state, so as long as you are physically located in California at the time of your session, we can work together. Distance from our San Diego offices makes no difference. Start by booking a free consultation and we will match you with a clinician.

Absolutely. Many of our online clients are in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Bay Area, Sacramento, and greater San Diego. Video sessions work exactly the same wherever you are in California, and the free 15-minute consultation is the same first step.

We use a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform built for healthcare. Before each session you receive a private link, and you meet your therapist in a confidential video room, one to one. Your sessions are never recorded, and the same confidentiality rules that protect in-office therapy protect your video sessions.

Individual sessions range from $230 to $300 per 45-minute session, depending on the clinician, and the fee is the same online as in person. We are an out-of-network practice and provide detailed superbills that many PPO plans reimburse. Current rates and insurance details live on our Cost + Info page.

Yes, and this is one of the best reasons to choose a practice with real offices. You keep the same therapist and move between formats as life requires: start online and shift to the office, come in weekly and switch to video when a kid is home sick or work travel hits, or alternate on a schedule you design together. Our offices are in Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Vista in North County San Diego.

Teens, yes. Many teenagers open up more easily from their own room than in an unfamiliar office, and several of our clinicians work with teens over video across California. Younger children are usually better served in person, where play and movement are part of the work, so for kids we often meet the child at one of our North County offices and do the parent sessions online. Tell us your child’s age on the free call and we will tell you honestly which makes sense. Our teen therapy and child therapy pages have more.

Your therapist is licensed in California, so sessions need to happen while you are physically in California. That is a licensing rule, not our preference. In practice it is easy to work around: most clients simply schedule around a trip, and if you are away for longer we plan for it together in advance. College students who study out of state usually meet during breaks at home. Ask us on the free call if travel is a regular part of your life.

Yes. Our couples therapists work from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment science, and couples often find video sessions far easier to coordinate around two calendars. One of our couples specialists, Gabriel Lowe, PhD, practices entirely online. You can read more on our couples therapy page.

We offer DBT-informed individual therapy over video anywhere in California, provided by DBT-trained clinicians who weave skills work into depth-oriented therapy. Our weekly DBT skills group currently meets in person at our Vista office, so if you are in North County you can combine the two.

A private, quiet place where you can speak freely, a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera, and a reliable internet connection. That is it. If privacy at home is tricky, clients get creative: a parked car, an office with the door closed, even a quiet corner of a garden. Your therapist will help you troubleshoot.

The same thing that happens in a first session at our offices. Your therapist spends the session getting to know you: what brought you in, what you are carrying, what you want to be different. There is no test to pass and nothing to prepare. You will have already spoken with our care coordinator, so your therapist knows the basics and you can start where it matters.

Several of our clinicians offer evening availability, and online sessions make those hours easier to actually use, with no commute on either end. Tell us what your week looks like on the free consultation call and we will match you with someone whose schedule fits.

You keep your therapist. Clients who relocate from San Diego to Los Angeles or from the Bay Area to Sacramento simply continue their sessions by video. Therapy is long-arc work, and moving house should not mean starting over with a stranger.

It is right for most people, and we are honest when it is not. Some situations call for in-person care or a higher level of support, and if that is true for you, we will say so on the first call and help you find it. Online therapy is also not for emergencies: if you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.