Remote Treatment Options

Not everyone has access to a local anxiety specialist. For those who qualify, distance therapy options can help remedy this problem.

Although the availability of well-trained anxiety specialists has improved remarkably in recent years, many individuals still find that their local treatment options are severely lacking. This seems to be particularly true for individuals with OCD and other forms of severe anxiety.

To help improve the availability of specialty services, I now offer remote services for eligible patients. These services include online OCD therapy, phone-based OCD therapy, as well as similar services for individuals with agoraphobia and other forms of severe anxiety.

What remote services are available?

The remote services I offer include telephone-based and online (video-conference-based) consultation, assessment, and treatment for individuals with OCD, agoraphobia, and other types of severe anxiety.

Who is eligible to receive remote services?

These services are only available to individuals who meet certain eligibility criteria (see below).

Eligibility Criteria for Online OCD Therapy
& Other Remote Services

1. Is there a local, qualified, competently trained anxiety specialist near you?

All things being equal, local is better. To determine the availability of local therapists, you might visit the websites of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) or the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). If you have a local, qualified, competently trained anxiety specialist located nearby, you are not eligible for online OCD therapy or any other type of remote treatment.

If you do not have options for local treatment, you may be eligible for online therapy. Keep reading to see if you meet the other criteria…

2. Are you located in one of the following areas: Florida, Missouri, or a foreign country?

If not, you are not eligible for remote treatment. Due to the way that the process of psychology is regulated, I can only offer remote treatment in states where I am licensed to practice (i.e., Florida and Missouri), as well as in some foreign countries. This is true even for video-conference-based services, such as online OCD therapy.

If you are located in Florida, Missouri, or a foreign country, you may be eligible for online OCD therapy or another other type of remote treatment. Keep reading to see if you meet the remaining criteria…

3. Can your symptoms be addressed appropriately via remote treatment?

Not all symptoms can be addressed appropriately via online therapy. Here’s why: the active ingredient in most types of anxiety treatment is exposure. In order to be effective, exposure requires that you stay in uncomfortable situations until your anxiety mellows out, or “habituates.” My role as your psychologist is to help you devise an exposure plan and then carry it out. Sometimes this requires me to be physically (rather than virtually) present with you. For example, if I am treating “hit-and-run” OCD, I must be physically present with you in a car in order to facilitate exposure. Other types of OCD, like sensorimotor OCD, are also likely to respond better to in-person treatment.

Online OCD therapy allows me to easily do some types of exposure but not others, which may limit my ability to help you. Thus, if your treatment is likely to require a significant portion of “in vivo” exposure that cannot be replicated via online/telephone-based options, you are not eligible for remote treatment.

If your symptoms would be expected to respond to remote treatment, you may be eligible for online OCD therapy or another other type of remote treatment. Keep reading to see if you meet the final criterion…

4. Do I feel that it is in your best interest to receive services remotely?

Every situation is different, and sometimes I feel that it is in a patient’s best interest to work with a local provider (even if that provider is not a specialist). As such, eligibility for for online OCD therapy or another other type of remote service is ultimately at my discretion.

Do you meet criteria 1, 2, 3, and 4? If so, feel free to contact my office to discuss your eligibility for online OCD therapy or another other type of remote service.

If not… For out-of-town patients who do not qualify based on any of the above criteria, there is another option worth considering: time-limited intensive outpatient therapy. My clinic’s intensive outpatient treatment program (IOP) can be ideal for individuals who are willing to travel to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for short-term intensive treatment. Our IOP allows you to work with me one-on-one and make significant treatment gains within the shortest amount of time possible. If you would like to learn more about my clinic’s IOP, please visit our general program description or the webpage that describes our intensive treatment program for OCD.