Health Psychology Texas

Like many, you may be wondering about where you need to be physically located at the time of a telehealth visit.

Also known as video visits, online therapy, or virtual sessions, they have proliferated following the Covid-19 pandemic as a convenient and effective way to receive mental health care.

Still, questions remain about where you can be located during a telehealth visit. Do you know whether or not you must be in Texas to see a Texas-licensed mental health provider such as a clinical psychologist? What if you are traveling? What’s the best environment to conduct a telehealth psychotherapy session?

Does my location really matter?

In Texas, there are some specific ways that psychologists practice telehealth in accordance with direction from the Texas Behavioral Executive Council. 

For example, individuals receiving telehealth services (typically, the patient at their home or other private area) are located at what’s called the “originating site”.  This physical location is where the service is considered to be rendered, as opposed to the physical location of the psychologist.  

So, it is important to note that to receive telehealth counseling services from a psychologist who is licensed exclusively in Texas, you must be within the state lines of Texas at the time of service.  It does not matter if you simply live in the state of Texas, you must be physically present in the geographic boundary of Texas.  

This is important for psychologists to ensure that they are practicing within the area of their license, so they will likely ask you your location at the beginning of each visit.  

Can you see your therapist while traveling?

What about when you go on vacation?  Can you still receive telehealth counseling from a psychologist when you’re visiting outside of Texas? 

The simple is answer is “both yes and no”. In general, you must be physically located in Texas in order to have a video visit with a Texas psychologist. However, there are a few exceptions.

Exceptions include when your psychologist also holds license in another state that your visiting, has temporary permission from that state’s licensing board, or is part of an interjurisdictional compact (e.g., PsyPact) that allows them to provide services in the state you are visiting.   

You can be traveling away from your home and participate in telehealth counseling with a Texas-licensed psychologist so long as you are still physically located within the state of Texas.

Ask your psychologist regarding any restrictions related to your physical location at the time of telehealth services. They can tell you if any of the above exceptions apply, or you can discuss whether or not they might seek temporary permission from another state’s licensing board.

What’s the best place to do a telehealth visit?

While there’s no “one size fits all” answer to this question, here are a few suggestions to find an optimal place for your telehealth visit. Remember, these are suggestions to help optimize your counseling environment, not absolute requirements.

Privacy

Pick a spot where you have privacy.

Think about it this way, when you come to an in-person counseling session, you’re not worried about family members or strangers listening in on your private conversation with your therapist.

You should aim to create that sense of privacy from the location in which you do your telehealth visit.

Are the walls thin in your residence? Pick a nearby private space or select a time in which household members will be away from the home.

Safety

Pick a spot that is safe.

For example, while you may want to have your video visit while driving your car, this presents a safety hazard for you and other drivers on the road. Of course, technically you may actually be able to drive and talk at the same time, but it’s not considered safe practice for telehealth.

It also blends the location of your telehealth service (see above regarding the “originating site”) so you could potentially leave the jurisdiction where your psychologist is able to provide services.

Even worse, if you are in need of emergency services it becomes much more difficult to help coordinate those services.

So if you find yourself needing to conduct a telehealth visit while in your car, make sure to pull over to a safe area first and discuss the location with your psychologist at the beginning of your visit.

Strong Signal

Pick a spot where you have a good signal connection.

Telecommunication technology is pretty awesome these days, but there are still plenty of pockets that don’t get very good reception for video visits. Find the best spot ahead of time, the place where you know the reception seems to work the best.

Discuss any concerns about connectivity with your psychologist so that you can work together to find the best solution (of discuss if telehealth is even an acceptable method for you).

The overall goal is to find a place that is safe, private, and able to consistently connect in order to provide you with the optimal environment for your visit. It’s not just a matter of convenience, your therapy outcomes might be impacted if any of those three aspects are not acceptable.

More information for online therapy in Texas

Other resources include Telehealth.hhs.gov, where there are some good suggestions regarding preparing before your telehealth visit.

To summarize, you can receive telehealth counseling through any state-licensed mental health provider whether you are in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Abilene, Houston…whether rural or urban, East Texas or West Texas, Central or South Texas, or anywhere else within the state lines!

If you’re thinking about telehealth counseling in Texas, or to learn more, consider Health Psychology Texas. Dr. Lippe provides telehealth counseling throughout Texas with a focus on health and medical issues. Our hope is that by using telehealth formats, we can help expand the accessibility of these specialized services to all areas (not just major metropolitan cities as has historically been the case).

With our online scheduling system, you can select the best time for you. Feel free to see more About Us or contact Dr. Lippe through our Contact page today!