Online Therapy Oklahoma: Is It A Good Idea Or Not?

Oklahoma is a rich and diverse state where one can find a great balance of industrialization and culture. But, among the 50 states of the USA, Oklahoma ranks 40th due to metrics like quality of life, healthcare, economy, and crime. 

According to the ODMHSAS, about 20% of Oklahomans experience mental illness each year due to COVID-19. Additionally, about 8% have a substance use disorder.

This condition stresses the importance of mental health support and treatment even more. 

However, due to a busy lifestyle, taking out time and resources for mental health is a big hurdle. 

To counter this, something more flexible and affordable, like online therapy Oklahoma can be a great option. 

Today, I will discuss all the ins and outs of online therapy with a list of the best platforms. So, if you want to know more about online therapy in Oklahoma, keep reading. 

What Is Online Therapy, And Is It Effective?

Online therapy is known by different names such o as teletherapy, video therapy, or e-therapy. It allows people to connect with a therapist online who is licensed to practice in their state. The mediums used are text, phone calls, or video calls in most cases. 

In the case of online therapy, you have the flexibility to choose from a range of communication channels. Some platforms help you connect with therapists globally.while others can be more localized, helping you interact with therapists nearby.

Finding a suitable therapist can be a task for many. You may need to go through a lot of trial and error to find someone who can effectively help you out.

However, you may not have many options to explore if you live in a remote area like Broken Bow, Adair, Carmen, or Chouteau. But with online therapy, you can easily solve this problem. 

But the question is, does it work? Is online therapy as good as in-person therapy?

The answer is yes, in most cases. 

Experts have found that online therapy is as effective as tradiotional for conditions like depression and anxiety. That is why online therapy is expected to see exponential growth. 

Methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are specifically proven to be highly effective in online therapy Oklahoma. 

Offline vs. Online Therapy Oklahoma: Which One Is Better?

In most cases, online therapy can be as good as traditional in-person therapy. But it is also important to consider a couple more aspects when choosing between them. 

So here’s a side-by-side comparison of the pros and cons of offline and online therapy Oklahoma, so you can make more informed decisions.

	Online Therapy	Offline Traditional Therapy
Price	$30 to $200 per session	$100 to $300 per session + travelling cost
Services	Video sessionsTeletherapy Chat-based counseling.	in-person sessions
Availability	Equally available in all parts of Oklahoma. Only need to have a stable internet connection.	Available in metro and urban areas. Less available in remote areas.
Flexibility	Extremely flexible. You can set the appointment at your convenience.	Not very flexible. Have to go according to the therapist’s schedule.

Best Online Therapy Platforms In Oklahoma

If you have decided to go with online therapy Oklahoma, then here are some platform suggestions for you. 

New Vision Counselling:

This Christian organization offers counseling services related to marriage and for individuals. They help with various issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction. 

They have been in business since 1999 and have a team of licensed and experienced therapists. The team is trained in different modalities, such as EMDR, CBT, and DBT. 

They have offices in Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Shawnee for offline patients. But with that, they also offer online counseling through a secured platform. 

New Vision accepts most major insurances and has flexible payment options. 

Improving Lives Counseling Services:

This is one of the largest counseling agencies in Northeast Oklahoma. Since 2010, they have served over thousands of children, teens, adults, couples, and families. 

Specialization areas include psychiatry, medication management, hypnosis, neurofeedback, and more.

Improving Lives has a network of over 100 therapists to meet with clients quickly, either in person or online. 

They accept most insurances, including SoonerCare. They also  offer sliding scale fees for self-pay clients. 

BetterHelp:

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online counseling and therapy platform. They have certified psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors all under one roof. 

They have a subscription-based model. So you get billed every four weeks or monthly. 

Unfortunately, they don’t take insurance, but they have support policies to help you get the subscription cheaper. 

Total Life:

This online therapy platform is specially dedicated to helping seniors and their caregivers. 

There s counseling and educational programs help seniors cope with issues such as grief, loss, chronic illness, retirement, and isolation. And for caregivers who may experience stress, burnout, or depression, they have support programs.

Total Life has a team of licensed therapists who are trained in working with older adults. They accept most insurances, including Medicare, and offer one free consultation. 

Edmond Counseling:

This online therapy platform was created by a group of mental health counselors. They now provide in-person and online counseling sessions to the residents of Oklahoma. 

They offer counseling services for children, teens, and adults to address issues like anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, substance abuse, and relationship difficulties.

They use evidence-based therapies such as CBT, TF-CBT, and EMDR. Plus, they accept most major insurances and have flexible scheduling options.

Here are some other platforms you can check out 

• Plushcare– For preventive care, urgent care, prescription refills, therapy, and more. They have an average out-of-pocket cost of $30 per session with insurance.
• Multi-country Counseling– A case management service across the United States for adults and children. 
• Gray Matters Counseling– This is a private online counseling platform by Nathan Osborn, MS, LPC, who has been a counselor since 2015. 
• Evolution Counseling– It is a private platform run by Chrisat Harrison, who has been a therapist since 2009. She uses a holistic, strengths-based model of therapy that incorporates CBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. 

Final Thoughts 

Online therapy is a great way of tackling mild to moderate mental health symptoms of anxiety and depression. And it is great for self-help and relationship issue mitigation. 

However, if your condition is severe like bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, or you are having suicidal thoughts, then I recommend going for traditional therapy. 

Not because offline therapy is less effective, but because, in such cases, a remote assessment may not be completely accurate. And for emergency or crisis situations like suicidal thoughts, you can not rely on remote support. 

So the last parameter for you to answer the question of whether online therapy is for you or not you need to first asses the severity of your condition and if remote support will be sufficient or not. 

FAQs