Online Therapy in North Carolina: Video Sessions Statewide

Online therapy in North Carolina with NC-licensed therapists, by secure video from anywhere in the state: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington, Asheville or a small town two hours from the nearest practice. Our Cary office’s in-person times are currently full, so new North Carolina clients start by video. Medication management is available by secure video too, with Gina Ashman, MSN, MHA, PMHNP-BC. Most people are seen within a week.

To start, contact us or check your insurance. Online therapy in North Carolina covers our individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, teen therapy and trauma and EMDR therapy services. We also offer online therapy in New York, Florida, Colorado and South Carolina, plus five more states (full list below).

Who You Can See Online in North Carolina

Three North Carolina-licensed clinicians see clients by video:

• Taylor Friend, MS, LCSWA (Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate), who works with trauma, couples, children age 10 and up, teens, and people living with chronic pain. She uses DBT skills, is Gottman-trained (Level 1), and offers premarital and discernment counseling. She is also a military spouse.
• Tamara Wright, LCSW, whose work is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy and a strengths-based approach. She sees individuals and couples, and offers whole-family sessions.
• Lisa Abrotsky, LMFT, the founder of the practice, who works by video only and offers EMDR in North Carolina. She is trained in EMDR, not certified.

When you reach out, we match you on what you want help with, the hours you can manage and your insurance, rather than handing you a list of names.

What We Help With by Video

• Anxiety, stress and burnout
• Depression and low mood
• Trauma, including EMDR with Lisa
• Couples therapy, marriage counseling, premarital and discernment counseling
• Family therapy and whole-family sessions
• Teens and children age 10 and up
• Grief and life transitions
• Living with chronic pain
• Military families

How Starting Online Works

You call (984) 201-0494 or send a message through our contact form. If you want, we check your insurance first and email you the result within a couple of hours. Then you book an intake, which is a 45 to 50 minute video session, like every session after it. All you need is a private space, a phone, tablet or computer with a camera, and a steady connection.

North Carolina licensure has one firm rule: you must be physically in North Carolina during each session. A session from your car in a Raleigh parking deck works. A session from your sister’s house in Virginia does not, so tell us when you are traveling and we will reschedule. Please don’t join while driving.

Why Video Works for So Many North Carolinians

North Carolina is a big state with therapists clustered in a few metros. Video means a family in Johnston County, a nurse coming off a night shift in Greenville, or a couple in the mountains can see the same clinicians as someone five minutes from Cary. It also removes the I-40 commute from a 50-minute appointment, which is often the difference between keeping a weekly session and quietly dropping it.

Video is not the right format for everything. If you are in crisis or need more support than a weekly session can give, we will say so and help you think through the right level of care. There is no set number of sessions.

Not sure which kind of help fits? Call (984) 201-0494 or contact us and describe what is going on in a sentence or two. You do not need a referral.

Couples and Families Online

Couples can join from the same couch or from two places in North Carolina, which helps when one partner travels for work or the two of you keep different shifts. Taylor Friend and Tamara Wright both see couples. For families, a parent can join from the office while the rest of the household is at home. Our pages on marriage counseling in Raleigh and online teen therapy in North Carolina go into more detail.

If your partner frightens you, hurts you, or controls your money, phone or movements, joint sessions are not the right step. If you are in danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.

Insurance and Fees in North Carolina

North Carolina plans we are in network with: Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (including UMR plans), Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Tricare East. Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted. Benefits differ from plan to plan, so send your details through our insurance verification form and we will email you what your coverage looks like within a couple of hours.

Self-pay is $125 per individual session and $175 for couples, family or EMDR sessions, each 45 to 50 minutes, and $200–$250 for an extended 90-minute individual, couples or EMDR session. You can pay with an HSA or FSA card, and if you have out-of-network benefits, we will give you a superbill to submit. Self-pay clients can also ask for a Good Faith Estimate before starting. Our guide to what online therapy costs walks through the numbers.

Online Therapy Questions

Can I see someone in person in Cary instead?

Our office is at 150 Preston Executive Drive, Suite 201, Cary, NC 27513, but in-person times there are currently full. New clients start by video, and you can ask about in-person availability later.

Do you prescribe medication in North Carolina?

Yes. Gina Ashman, MSN, MHA, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, offers psychiatric evaluation and medication management by secure video anywhere in North Carolina, for children, teens and adults. ADHD medication is non-stimulant only. Medication visits in North Carolina are in network or in process with Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Tricare East, and we verify your plan before your first visit. Some medications carry additional requirements for remote prescribing, and the rules have changed several times in recent years. If you already have a prescriber, we are glad to coordinate with them, with your permission.

Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?

For many people and many concerns, video works well, and it uses the same approaches as in-person work. Whether it suits you is something we can talk through at intake.

Do you see children online?

Yes. Taylor Friend sees children from age 10, and teens. Our page on online teen therapy in North Carolina explains how sessions work for parents and teens.

Does Tricare cover online therapy in North Carolina?

We are in network with Tricare East in North Carolina. When you fill in the verification form, put your group number, plus the sponsor’s active duty number if you have one, in the Group Number box.

If you are thinking about suicide or feel unsafe, call or text 988 at any hour, or call 911. Therapy is not an emergency service.

Where We Work

We see clients in person in Wellington, Florida, and Cary, North Carolina (Cary’s in-person times are currently full). We are licensed in twelve states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. You can read about the clinicians who work here.

More on This

• Therapy in Cary, NC
• Trauma therapy and EMDR in Cary
• Marriage counseling in Raleigh
• Therapy in Charlotte
• Grief counseling in North Carolina
• Online teen therapy in North Carolina