Would you "see" a therapist by phone?

There was a Sunday evening about six months ago when I realized I was really stuck in a pressing divorce dilemma. My circle of support stretches out across the country, but all my friends and family seemed to be busy in their own time zones that night. I wasn't just worried about something, I was perplexed. I didn't just need to talk, I needed my therapist.

So I did something I never expected to do: I called her.

It wasn't like calling her was off-limits since she'd told me many times that I was free to phone her if an emergency arose. Since I've spent the year getting divorced, a lot of trying times have come up. But that Sunday night, the situation elevated and it felt like the time to take her up on her offer.

I was surprised that I felt so strongly I needed to confer with my therapist on the phone and I also was surprised that she called me back quickly and spent nearly an hour talking to me. At the end of our telephone session, I had a plan for how to put my mind at ease that night, how to resolve the issue for myself over the next week until we had another office visit scheduled.

I felt better and I learned that my therapist is as skilled over a headset as she is in the office. I wouldn't want to abuse her time or availability, but I feel reassured knowing that she is really a phone call away, especially in times of crisis or when I can't possibly fit another thing into my schedule.

Northwestern University recently released their analysis of phoned-in therapy that shows 90% of patients being treated for depression through pyschotherapy telephone sessions return for more treatment. The study also found that people receiving telephone sessions have a much lower attrition rate on average, with only 7.6% of patients decreasing or declining therapy compared to 50% of people receiving in-office sessions.

Perhaps the most interesting assessment of all is that researchers deemed telephone therapy sessions just as effective in reducing the symptoms of depression as when treatment in provided in an office.

If only 20% of people who say they want psychotherapy actually show up for a first appointment and only half of those continue on with with therapy, it makes sense why therapists are offering patients an opportunity to talk on the phone. There are clearly many reasons why someone would have a hard time just getting through the door of a therapist's office (mine mostly involve hunting for parking spaces in the congested city or paying skyrocketed rates for parking in a garage) and it makes sense that any feelings of being overwhelmed or depressed or anxious would only add to that.

So if you are going to benefit from a therapist, why not choose one who says it is just fine to have a session over tea or snuggled under a blanket in the privacy of your own home (or car or private work office)? I wouldn't choose it every time for myself, but it certainly good to know I always have the option.

Whether you go to counseling now or not, would you be willing to call in for a session with a therapist? Is this a good way to get the help many of us need?