Online Therapy in Florida

It’s 7:40 on a Tuesday night in Ocala. The kids are finally asleep, the laptop is open on the kitchen table, and in twenty minutes you’ll be talking with a therapist who works a few hours’ drive away, without ever picking up your car keys. That is what online therapy looks like for most of our Florida clients. Every session is by secure video with a therapist licensed in Florida, from anywhere in the state, and most people are seen within a week. You do need to be physically in Florida at the time of each session.

To begin, contact us or check your insurance. We offer individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy and teen therapy by video across the states where we are licensed, including Florida, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina (full list below).

What We Help With Online

We see individuals, couples, families and teens by video across Florida. The concerns people bring us online are the same ones they would bring to an office, and video works well for nearly all of them:

• Anxiety and depression: worry that won’t switch off, low mood, burnout, and the feeling of going through the motions. More on depression counseling in Florida.
• OCD and intrusive thoughts: checking, reassurance-seeking and thoughts that won’t let go. See OCD therapy in Florida.
• Couples and marriage: communication that keeps turning into the same argument, distance, trust after an affair, and premarital work. See couples therapy.
• Trauma and PTSD: single events and long-running patterns, including EMDR with a trained clinician. See EMDR therapy in Florida.
• Teens: school stress, anxiety, mood and family conflict, for ages 13 to 17. See online teen therapy in Florida.
• Grief and loss: the death of someone close, and the losses that don’t get a funeral. See grief counseling in Florida.
• Pregnancy and new parenthood: postpartum depression and anxiety, and the strain a new baby puts on a couple. See postpartum therapy in Florida.

How Online Sessions Work

You call us or send the contact form, and a member of our front office gets back to you. We check your insurance, ask a few questions about what you’re looking for, and match you with a Florida clinician whose experience fits. Before the first appointment you complete your intake paperwork online, and you receive a link to our secure video platform.

At session time you open the link on a laptop, tablet or phone. Sessions run 45 to 50 minutes. A steady internet connection, a pair of headphones and a door that closes are all you need. Many clients meet weekly at first and space sessions out as things improve; your therapist will talk that through with you rather than leave it open-ended.

What’s Different About Online Therapy in Florida

Florida is a long state, and that’s the main reason online therapy makes sense here. A client in Pensacola, one in Gainesville and one in Key Largo can all see the same therapist in the same week. Closer to our office, we also have a page for clients looking for a therapist in West Palm Beach. A few things are worth knowing before you start.

You need to be in Florida for each session. Our therapists are licensed in Florida, and licensing rules tie each session to the state you’re in at the time, not the state you live in. If you’re traveling, tell us before the appointment. Our founder, Lisa Abrotsky, is licensed in ten states and can sometimes see clients outside Florida; otherwise we’ll move the session to when you’re back.

If you split the year. Plenty of Floridians spend the summer up north. If that’s you, raise it at the start, so we can plan around the months you’re away instead of losing momentum halfway through.

Hurricane season. If a storm sends you to a relative’s house or a hotel inland, you can usually keep your appointment from there, as long as you’re still in Florida and can find a private corner. If the power or the internet goes, call us and we’ll reschedule. Storms tend to stir up anxiety for a lot of people, and it’s fine to bring that into the session too.

Is Online Therapy Right for You?

Video suits people with tight schedules, parents and caregivers who can’t easily get away, anyone living far from a therapist who fits, and people in smaller towns who would rather not sit in a local waiting room. Research on video therapy for common problems such as anxiety and depression has generally found it works about as well as meeting in person, and many clients find it easier to open up from their own space.

It’s a poorer fit if you have no private place to talk, or if you need more support than a weekly session can give. If you’re in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or go to your nearest emergency room. If you live in Palm Beach County and would rather sit in a room with your therapist, you can also see us in person at our office on Lake Worth Road.

Your Florida Team

Everyone below is licensed or registered in Florida and sees clients by video anywhere in the state. Clinicians whose titles end in “Intern” (RMHCI or RCSWI) hold a master’s degree and are completing supervised clinical hours toward full licensure.

• Lisa Abrotsky, LMFT, founder and Qualified Supervisor. Lisa works with couples, individuals and families. She is EMDR trained, Gottman Method Level 1 and 2 trained, and a Certified Parenting Instructor.
• Kathy Altidor, MS, LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Kathy sees clients in English or Haitian Creole and uses Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, art therapy and play therapy. She is trained in the Gottman Method and certified in Prepare/Enrich, and for clients who want it she can bring Christian faith into counseling.
• Jaime Doss, LMHC, with more than 15 years in mental health. Jaime is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a Certified First Responder Counselor and a Level II Gottman-trained couples therapist, and sees adults, couples, teens, children and postpartum clients.
• Nancy Van Wyk, LMFT, LPC, who specializes in military family life: deployment stress, reintegration and moral injury. She uses Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), including IFS work with couples.
• Jodi Katz, RCSWI, who has held her MSW for two decades and works with families, children, adolescents, couples and older adults, often using art and writing.
• Jackeline Rodriguez, MSW, RCSWI, who sees adults, children and teens in English or Spanish for anxiety, depression, self-esteem, relationships and big life changes, drawing on CBT and DBT-informed skills.
• Kristen Douglas, MS, RMHCI, trained in EMDR, who focuses on trauma with individuals, couples and families.
• Sharon Morera, MS, RMHCI, who works with PTSD, substance use, bipolar and depressive disorders, using CBT and DBT-informed work.
• Yasmyne “Mina” Salhia, MS, RMHCI, who focuses on trauma, crisis and dependency, draws on AEDP and IFS, and also offers eating disorder treatment.
• Sima Alavi, ARNP, DNP, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who provides medication management in Florida, for adults and children.

If you need sessions in Spanish or Haitian Creole, mention it when you get in touch and we’ll book you with Jackeline or Kathy directly.

Cost and Insurance

In Florida we’re in network with Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (including UMR plans), Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tricare, Curative, MultiPlan and Oscar. Most plans cover video sessions the same way they cover office visits, and you can verify your insurance before your first appointment. We don’t accept Medicare or Medicaid.

If you’d rather pay yourself, sessions are $125 for individual therapy and $175 for couples or family therapy. Extended 90-minute sessions are $200 to $250. Self-pay clients can ask us for a Good Faith Estimate of expected costs before starting.

Online Therapy Questions

Do I have to be in Florida for my session?

Yes. You can be anywhere in the state, at home, at work or staying with family, but you need to be physically in Florida when the session takes place.

Can couples do online therapy from two different places?

Yes. Partners can join from the same room or from separate devices, which helps when work schedules don’t line up. Both of you need to be in Florida at the time.

Can I have a session from my car?

Parked, with the engine off and nobody else in the car, yes; many people use a lunch break this way. Never while driving.

Can I get medication online in Florida?

Yes. Sima Alavi, our psychiatric nurse practitioner, offers medication management by video in Florida, and she can work alongside your therapist.

Do you see teens online?

Yes, ages 13 to 17. A parent or guardian completes the intake, and the therapist will explain how privacy works for teens before you start.

How soon can I start?

Most people are seen within a week. Call us at (561) 288-0377 or use the contact form.

More on This

• Depression Counseling in Florida
• Grief Counseling in Florida
• Postpartum Therapy in Florida
• BPD Therapy in Florida
• Online Teen Therapy in Florida
• Medication Management by Telehealth in Florida