I'm not sure if it was on this forum or if I was talking to someone in my immediate life. There was a discussion about counseling once and since I am a traveling actor I am no where close to a clinic for a stable counselor. Did someone say that there are counselors who do sessions over the phone?? I use to have this counselor in college, i've been thinking about him a lot and he does have his own clinic in my former college town. I wonder what the stipulations or if phone counseling is even possible? How much would something like this cost?
Yes, there are definitely therapists who will do sessions by phone and even over IM or skype, or email (though, phone is usually better). When I was a tour manager, I had my therapy sessions every week by phone (though I'd been seeing the therapist in person for a while before we started doing the phone sessions) and found them just as effective as in-person sessions. It is a little harder for the therapist because much of their ability to help you ocmes from being able to read body language, breathing, facial expression, all of which are harder over phone or skype, and nearly impossible over IM, but it can still be beneficial. Most states technically require that the therapist you're working with be licensed in the state you reside in, but some therapists seem lax about this rule and will work with out-of-state clients. I'd start by finding a therapist where you live, seeing him or her in person when you're in town, and then phone sessions when you're out of town. If you can't find a local one, let me know and I can get you some leads to some therapists that regularly do phone sessions. Costs are similar to in-person therapy ($25-100/session, typically)