According to the APA, “Over the last decade, more psychologists have begun offering ‘telepractice,’ also often referred to as ‘telepsychology’ or the newer term, ‘telemental health’ and the older, more generic ‘telehealth.’ The terms refer to providing psychological services remotely, via telephone, email or video conferencing.”

Not only do these services help people get the therapy they need, but they also allow mental health professionals to check in with patients between sessions. In other words, the days of not being able to get a hold of a therapist have passed.

“By insisting that patients come to our offices, we’re excluding potentially millions of patients who need care,” Carolyn Turvey, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and vice chair of the American Telemedicine Association’s Telemental Health special interest group, tells the APA. “Being more open to telepsychology is really going to help many needy people who just can’t meet the requirements of current face-to-face practice,” she says.

Statistics associated with this type of therapy appear promising -- especially when it comes to dependability. In fact, people seem to be more reliable when they participate in therapy remotely.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that participants are more likely to stick with telephone therapy. In fact, only 20.9 percent of patients discontinued therapy done by telephone as opposed to 32.7 percent who engaged in therapy face-to-face.

Patients who engaged in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression over the phone had nearly the same improvement as those who sought therapy face-to-face. However, six months post-therapy, those who participated in therapy face-to-face had lower rates of depression, which shows that the results of teletherapy may not last as long.