Is video therapy as good as in-person?

A: For most standard talk therapy, research comparing video and in-person delivery finds comparable outcomes — including for CBT treating anxiety and depression.¹ The practical differences decide it: telehealth removes commutes and widens your search to the whole state (the one-rule explainer →); in-person tends to earn its drive for people who dissociate, get easily distracted at home, lack private space, or simply work better in a room with another human. Kids and couples often do better in-person.

Worked example: a 5 pm in-person session across LA = 50 minutes of therapy + 80 of traffic. Video = 50 + 0. Thirteen hours a year returned.

Do this: pick by your honest logistics, not by principle — and note that many therapists offer both, so you can mix. [[N_TELE]] verified listings offer video → filter the directory.

Source: 1. Batastini et al., meta-analysis of videoconference vs in-person psychotherapy (2021), Clin. Psychol. Rev.