Five Virtual Therapy Services in Florida

Florida’s unique blend of urban hustle and wide-ranging lifestyles presents distinct stressors for its residents. Thankfully, the digital revolution in mental health has managed to break down the geographical barriers and enhance the accessibility of treatment. 

People of Florida especially, get to benefit more as the state has large varied urban and rural zones, where people have to travel incredibly long distances to get anywhere, let alone for an appointment with a far away clinician which may have taken weeks to get confirmed. 

Online therapy services in the Sunshine State can today cater to a broad spectrum of mental health issues ranging from anxiety, depression to managing stress without any need to step outside the home, and often at a much more affordable price than face to face treatments. 

Online therapy services available in Florida  

The pandemic has taught us that these days we can have remote access to almost anything from anywhere. Mental health services in Florida are more reachable than at any time before. 

A lot of virtual services available in Florida cater especially to young adults, teens, men and women as well as LGBTQ+ therapy and more. 

Online therapy in Florida featuring DBT 

DBT or Dialectal Behavioral Therapy originally developed for patients with suicidal thoughts, has become a viable therapy option for people dealing with PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders and even depression. 

DBT works by focusing on the concept of where you are and understanding the need for change. The four skills on which DBT is based on are: 

• Mindfulness  

• Distress tolerance  

• Having more satisfying personal interactions 

• emotional regulation  

DBT is quite popular in Florida, and a list of hundreds of different therapists can be found here. Many of these accept meetings through virtual apps such as Zoom or Goole Meet. 

Which are the five leading virtual service providers in Florida? 

Navigating virtual mental health care has never been more seamless and convenient in Florida due to the presence of a dedicated team of expert and licensed therapists in their respective fields. 

Therapy is very personal and the right one is difficult to assess, so we have done the necessary research to help you narrow down to the top five virtual therapy services available for Floridians. 

1 . BetterHelp  

• Cost : $65 – $100 Per Week, based on subscription plan 

• Insurance: Doesn’t no accept any type of insurance 

• Types of Therapy: Text-based, video session, phone calls. 

BetterHelp is the world’s biggest online therapy platform. Established in 2013 to overcome the traditional barriers associated with mental health care. 

Therapists in Florida working on the BetterHelp platform are all accredited as PHD/PsyD licensed, licensed marriage and family therapists or licensed professional counsellors.  

(You can also try another Florida service provider ReGain, a subsidiary platform of BetterHelp dedicated to couples and relationship therapy) 

2 .Teladoc Health  

• Cost : $99 per session 

• Insurance: Accepted, provider dependent. Works with Medicaid and Medicare.  

• Types of Therapy: Video or phone sessions 

Teladoc Health engages board-certified physicians to conduct counselling over telephone or video with members across Florida. 

The platform provides 24/7 access to its members through secure online video consultation and phone calls. Apart from high-quality mental health care,members can seek advice on a wide range of medical conditions like flu,cold, bronchitis, allergies, diabetes, weight management and much more. 

Florida Blue presently offers Teladoc Health’s virtual care program for members and access to Livongo for virtual diabetes solutions for select members. 

3 . Bayview Therapy  

• Cost : $150 per session 

• Insurance: Does not accept insurance. 

• Types of Therapy: Video or phone sessions 

Bayview Therapy adopts an innovative approach that provides flexibility and convenience of accessing therapy from any location having an internet connection and especially for those looking for a therapist across state lines. 

For example,if you live in Georgia and your chosen therapist stays in Florida,you can access psychologists if they are approved on PsyPact,an interstate licensing compact. With the advent of PsyPact, members can overcome the barriers of stigma, geographical limitations,costs and lack of therapists to access quality mental healthcare. 

Enacted in Florida on June 1,2023, PsyPact has empowered psychologists to extend their services and therapeutic reach in Broward County(Fort Lauderdale), Plantation and Coral Springs in Florida as well as across state borders. 

4 . Wellness Psychological Services  

• Cost : $150-$250 per session 

• Insurance: Varies between specific providers. 

• Types of Therapy: Video or phone sessions 

Wellness Psychological Services is a therapy company which offers people across the state of Florida help for anxiety, trauma and other mental health issues. 

Therapists work with clients in Tampa and St Pete where the offices are located, but also throughout the state through therapists with doctoral level training. You can visit their site to see a full list of registered psychologist, as well as which insurance each of them takes. 

5 . Synergy eTherapy 

• Cost : $100-$250 per session 

• Insurance: Many therapists are in network with Optum, BCBS, Cigna and Aetna. 

• Types of Therapy: Video or phone sessions 

Synergy eTherapy works in Florida with licensed therapists who are comfortable in dealing with clients online. While not based in Florida itself, they accept patients from most states. 

This service lets you say goodbye to the long commutes and welcomes telehealth in the fast-paced scene of Florida. In fact, we are the first state which lets non-Florida therapists apply for a licence in the state, thereby giving increased accessibility to Floridians online. 

Is online therapy as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy? 

The National Center for Health Research says absolutely yes. An earlier report that included a combined research of multiple studies revealed that virtual therapy sessions to be as effective as in-person treatment visits. 

Though not effective in all cases, as treatment differs from person to person, the universal opinion was that online therapy was definitely worth a try.