5 Reasons To Choose A Local Therapist

In the quest for mental health therapy treatment and emotional well-being, seeking the help of a qualified therapist can be a transformative step. As previously explored in several other posts (What to Look for When Choosing a Therapist and Why Therapy Doesn’t Work for Everyone), finding a therapist that is the right match for you is actually quite important. With a multitude of options available, it can be difficult to decide where to start.

The rise of multinational healthcare organizations and online therapy platforms has provided those seeking counselling with many options to pick from. Here are five compelling reasons why choosing a local therapist in your community, region, or province may offer distinct advantages.

1. Matching Services Offered

Large online counselling platform chains advertise benefits such as phone sessions, video sessions, online scheduling, and digital worksheets. Since spring of 2020 (the time of lockdowns during covid,) you might be hard-pressed to find a local therapist that doesn’t offer phone and video sessions. Actually, local therapists were offering virtual therapy even prior to 2020. Likewise, many therapy clinics offer online booking, it is 2023 after all!

A few things local psychologists may not offer are:

• Some platforms promote ‘messaging or chat anytime’. It cannot be expected that your therapist return messages anytime. Therapists have other clients and sessions that should have their present focus and time outside of work hours that should be their personal time. Messaging anytime can also present professional boundary issues, whereas communications in and outside of therapy should have clearly defined boundaries. A final thought – with the rapidly changing landscape of technology, “messaging anytime” could also consist of an artificial intelligence (AI) response. It is best to always ensure you understand the fine print of services and expectations.

• Some platforms promote subscription-based services, this is discussed further below.

Overall, most local therapists are all for integrating technology into practice where appropriate. If you are not sure if a therapy practice offers a service you are looking for it doesn’t hurt to ask.

2. Privacy

When it comes to discussing sensitive and personal matters (or any type of personal health information), privacy is paramount. Privacy laws are governed regionally based on location. Alberta actually has some of the strictest privacy laws, even more so than federal Canadian privacy law. Opting for a local therapist provides an added layer of confidentiality as there are specific requirements for local healthcare professionals.

Example: licensed Alberta healthcare providers are required to only use servers located in Canada for patient health information. Even by virtue of signing up for counselling with a multinational company, your health information privacy will not be upheld to this standard.

Unfortunately, there have also been incidents of multinational counselling platforms selling client’s personal health information data or misrepresenting how information is collected and used (See article: FTC ban BetterHelp from Revealing Consumer Data… to Facebook).

3. Accountability

In Canada, licensed healthcare providers are regulated through governing bodies within a specific province or territory. That is, all licensed healthcare providers in Alberta answer to their respective governing body in Alberta. While there are some exceptions, that is the general rule at this time. With the uptick in online therapy and online therapy platforms, much confusion has resulted for the public regarding regulated or licensed therapists.

A licensed therapist is somewhat of a misnomer. A “therapist” (specifically, in Alberta) is not a protected title, meaning that anyone can call themselves a “licensed therapist”. A psychologist, social worker, or registered nurse are protected titles and can only be used by individuals who are provincially licensed.

When an online multinational platform advertises ‘professional and licensed therapists’ you would need to known the type of licence they hold (psychologist, social worker, nurse) and the therapist’s full name to confirm if they are in fact locally licensed to practice in your province. You could then search for the therapist in the Alberta governing body member directory. It is against the law for someone to say they are a psychologist, social worker, nurse, or doctor licensed to practice in Alberta if they are not, in fact, registered to practice with their respective governing body in Alberta.

Side note: designations used for licensing in other places are not necessarily the same locally

• In the USA, there are designations for Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) and Practical Counsellors (LPC)

• In Ontario there are Registered Psychotherapists (RP)

   

Why does any of this licensing and governing body matter? Well, the governing body’s role is strictly to protect the public and they actually have the power the do so (think complaints resolution and permits to practice). They create rules with the aim of protecting the public (examples: banning conversion therapy, rules around dual relationships – your psychologist can’t also be your roommate, ect.). While no Standards of Practice rule book or licensing governing body is foolproof, it does provide accountability to the client, if a rare but harmful experience arises. Thus, if there is no licence and/or governing, there may also be lack of accountability and/ or recourse for a client to fallback on.

4. Financial Implications

 A locally licensed mental health provider will typically be able to accept insurance (if covered through your insurance provider) and may offer direct billing (charging your insurance directly). You may be able to submit your online platform counselling to insurance for reimbursement if allowed by your insurance provider – typically requiring local licensing. Based on the information available online, it doesn’t appear that direct billing is offered by major online counselling platforms companies.

Subscription-based service fee models in the field of healthcare have surged in recently, mostly in online service delivery platforms. It is the view of Mendable Psychology, that subscription-based services present a number of ethical concerns. While subscriptions can be a great option for gym memberships, Disney Plus, and online book retailers, the role of a subscription in access to specific healthcare treatment is complicated. In general, subscriptions are intended to keep an individual regularly purchasing the product being sold. In counselling, it is important to have goals (e.g. reduce symptoms, improve relationships, function better in desired areas of life)and work towards achieving them, which a subscription model seems to misalign.

5. Therapist Benefit

Choosing a local therapist not only benefits you but also extends support to the local community. By engaging with nearby mental health professionals, you contribute to the growth of essential services in your area. This can lead to a more robust network of mental health support for everyone in the community. Additionally, by supporting local therapists, you enable local therapists to have more autonomy over their work, and receive fair market compensation for the service provided, and encourages greater work-life balance.