Seven Ways That Telephone Counseling Can Help Improve Mental Health

Many people can benefit from talk therapy, but issues like stigma, lack of access to transportation, scheduling challenges, long wait lists, and cost can pose a barrier to accessing in-person therapy.

Telephone talk therapy can remove or reduce these barriers, and many people use it to address issues like depression, anxiety, relationship issues, anger problems, substance use disorders, and many other mental health challenges. This article will discuss seven ways that telephone counseling may be able to help you.

What is telephone counseling?

Telephone therapy (often called phone therapy) is when you work with a talk therapist, counselor, or psychologist over the phone. Unlike videoconferencing, phone therapy includes audio but not video. 

Telephone counseling and videoconferencing

Research has found that both telephone and videoconferencing therapy can be effective for a wide range of mental health challenges, and both have significantly lower dropout rates compared with in-person therapy—likely because it’s more convenient to attend therapy sessions online, and it can be both cheaper and more comfortable to attend therapy from home. 

However, because phone therapy lacks the body language cues and nuances that can be picked up on during videoconferencing, it might not be as helpful for some people. According to the American Psychological Association, talk therapists will typically address only certain types of challenges during phone therapy, and other problems may benefit more from videoconferencing or in-person therapy. 

Seven ways phone therapy might be able to help your mental health

Here are some of the problems commonly addressed during phone therapy and benefits of this format: 

Phone counseling for marriage therapy

Marriage counseling is a popular reason to seek out telephone counseling. Sometimes a couple is at an impasse in their marriage, and they can use the help of an expert to facilitate helpful and constructive conversations with your partner.

When you start online marriage therapy through a platform like Regain, you’ll indicate what type of therapy you want (videoconferencing, voice calls, live in-app messaging, or a combination of these deliveries). If you and your partner are feeling a little unsure about trying therapy together, voice calls might be a more comfortable place to start than videoconferencing or in-person sessions. 

When you need someone to talk to

If you or someone you know needs immediate counseling services, telephone counseling from a crisis hotline can be the quickest route to get rapid assistance. Some crisis hotlines include Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Crisis Text Line, and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

In a study conducted in 2017 by the Center for Disease Control, 7.4% of high school students were in need of crisis counseling in the 12 months prior. If you need to talk to someone or want to get connected to resources near you, these hotlines can be a great place to start. 

Coping with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns

According to peer-reviewed research, telephone counseling can be effective for anxiety and depressive disorders, when compared to no-treatment or treatment-as-usual. For people with severe social anxiety or those navigating symptoms like extreme fatigue or lack of motivation, telephone therapy and in-app live messaging can make it easier to navigate therapy services. 

Convenient therapy

If you’re traveling or busy working, telephone therapy can be a much more convenient option than in-person therapy or video therapy: 

• In-person therapy is often only offered during standard business hours, which means you might need to take time off work and commute to sessions. 
• Videoconferencing therapy is almost always more convenient than in-person therapy, but it requires a stronger internet connection than phone therapy, and many people take steps to ensure they’re in a professional environment and professional attire, because their therapist will be seeing them. For a phone call, in contrast, you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in and you can attend sessions from many different locations (like sitting in your parked car, in your living room, or even in your office during your lunch break. 

If you’re worried that the convenience of phone therapy comes at the cost of effectiveness, this might alleviate your concerns: The Journal of Counseling states that the effectiveness of telephone counseling “appears to be an effective psychological practice.” They also state that “in contrast to face-to-face counseling, telephone counseling is convenient and less expensive.”

Telephone counseling can be cheaper

Telephone therapy is often significantly less expensive than in-person therapy, especially if you don’t have health insurance or if there aren’t any therapists in your area who are in-network providers with scheduling availability. 

Because telephone therapy has less overhead such as office rent, commuting expenses, and furnishing expenses, therapists providing online therapy typically offer lower rates. 

For example, while out-of-pocket costs for in-person therapy might be somewhere between $100-$300+, telephone therapy might cost anywhere between $0-$70 per session. 

Accessible options for survivors of domestic violence 

For people who’ve survived a domestic violence situation, telephone therapy can be a useful option. This is especially true if you’re living at a shelter, have limited access to transportation, or have a busy schedule navigating work and/or legal situations. 

Additionally, if you’re currently in an abusive relationship or have left an abusive relationship, you may want to consider calling a free 24/7 hotline like the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Volunteers working for these hotlines are trained to provide crisis counseling, and they can help connect you with other local and/or national resources. 

Using telephone support for substance use disorder recovery 

For people navigating substance use disorder recovery, phone therapy can offer a non-judgmental safe space to discuss vulnerable topics surrounding drug and alcohol use. While phone therapy can be effective on its own, it can also be helpful to use in-app messaging with a licensed therapist, so you can reach out for support whenever you’re experiencing cravings or want someone to talk to. 

When used together, services like phone therapy, messaging, group therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous, medications, social support from loved ones, medical care, and other services can help people successfully recover from substance use disorders.

Takeaway

Telephone therapy can be an effective, convenient, cost-effective, and less intimidating form of talk therapy, compared to in-person therapy. Though some types of therapy may require more extensive in-person or videoconferencing help, phone counseling can help address a wide range of challenges, like depression, anxiety, relationship problems, or substance use disorders. 

Online therapy platforms such as Regain allow you to access therapy delivered in a variety of ways, including phone therapy, videoconferencing, and in-app messaging.