If you already have a wonderful career as a therapist did you know there are great opportunities for online therapists too? You can choose to do this part-time after work, on the weekends, or full-time if you want to work completely online.
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With the ongoing pandemic, the need for therapists to work online has exploded. Having to pivot your career from face-to-face to online has become commonplace and the demand for qualified and experienced therapists is high.
Due to worldwide lockdowns and restrictions, coping with marriage and family life, possible job loss, and lack of social interaction, all these issues have taken a toll on most people’s mental health. Finding help through a therapist is an ideal way to handle stressful situations.
How to Become an Online Therapist
Have you been thinking about becoming a therapist but want to know what is required? To become a therapist you must have a Bachelor’s degree, you do not necessarily need a psychology degree but it is definitely a benefit. Along with your undergraduate degree, you will also need a specialized and relevant Masters or Ph.D. The main requirements for becoming an online therapist is:
- Having a degree, preferably a post graduate degree
- A necessary number of clinical hours through internship and practice
- A recognized practicing State license
- A quiet and peaceful place to work
- Being a great communicator, staying calm, reassuring, and neutral
- Access to telehealth apps such as SmartPractice, Doxyme, 10to8
- Highly organized
Basic Equipment Needed
To become an online Telehealth therapist there is not a lot of equipment that you need. Just great internet connection, a laptop or PC with a camera, a smartphone, and a tripod for your phone.
Benefits of Being an Online Therapist
As a therapist, who works online you have flexible options such as
- Being able to work from home or anywhere
- Setting your own work hours
- Setting your own rates
- Not having to find your own clients if working for an online company
- Not having to do the administration such as invoicing
- Being able to specialize in a certain niche
There are benefits for both the therapist and the patient when sessions are done online. No travel is involved, costs are usually lower and you are able to hold more sessions due to the time saved.
When starting out as a therapist you might want to gain experience by joining companies that recruit teletherapists rather than starting your own private practice. Here are just a few of the places that you can offer your skills as an online therapist.
Places to Find Therapist Jobs Online
VocoVision
If you have knowledge and experience and enjoy working with children, then VocoVision is a great platform to join. There are many remote vacancies for professional telepractitioners such as School Psychologists, Remote Speech Language Pathologists, and other therapy positions.
You will receive additional training to work virtually and you will earn the equivalent of a State school therapist with all the benefits but be under contract and paid by VocoVision.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is one of the most popular apps that offer affordable online therapy and recruits therapists to work online with matched clients who need professional assistance.
You get to decide on how many hours you wish to work as a mental health specialist and get health insurance benefits if you work full-time. According to their online earning chart if you work 40 hours per week you could earn around $100.000 per year. This is less than how much you could earn at your own private practice and in-person but you do not have to find your own clients or do any of the administration.
TalkSpace
With TalkSpace, you can join up as a telehealth professional and provide easy accessibility to mental healthcare. You must be able to carry out 40 hours per week over a 5-day period with a minimum caseload of 80 clients.
You’re able to offer therapy through different methods such as text, audio, and video message and there is also the option to have live video sessions.
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Regain
Regain is a couple’s therapy site where you can find professional, licensed, and accredited therapists. If you have experience as a relationship counselor, then you can join and provide good marriage health to couples. You must have at least 3 years and 1000 hours or hands-on experience, so the platform is not really for newly qualified therapists.
Your Own Private Practice
You can always start your own private practice as an online therapist and lots of people do. You will have to be dedicated, highly organized, and able to balance your time wisely to fit in with your potential clients. You will also have to be skilled at marketing your online therapy business or be in a position to find the funds to hire someone to do it for you.
The advantage of doing it yourself is that you earn 100% of what you charge so there is the potential to double and triple your earnings compared to working for a company. But you will have to put the extra work in.
You also have the option to limit your working hours for a healthy work-life balance and no excessive overheads are required when working from home.
Final Thoughts on Becoming an Online Therapist
Being able to find a legitimate platform to assist as an online therapist and to easily find genuine clients that you can help and earn a regular income is a great way to start your therapy career.
If you’re wanting to work from home as a therapist whether in the educational space or elsewhere, why not apply to any one of the above online therapy platforms and share this post with others who have an interest.
