FAQs
Therapy is the process of discussing your thoughts, feelings, actions/choices with a therapist to alleviate suffering.
Therapy can help you more effectively deal with work, relationships, transitions or mental health struggles you are going through. Each session offers a safe and supportive space to build awareness and gain clarity. Over time, you will be able to identify, manage and improve mental, emotional and behavioral symptoms to restore your quality of life.
Therapy is a dialogue that requires you to be vulnerable, but always at your own pace. Your therapist will get to know you and tailor interventions to the history and specific issues you share. For the best experience, be forthcoming about it being your first time and discuss your expectations, questions and concerns as they come up.
Video therapy has been studied extensively and is as effective as, if not more effective than, in-person therapy in addressing multiple mental health conditions (see one study here). In addition to being effective, video therapy allows you the flexibility to experience therapy in the comfort of your own space without the hassle of travel time, time-off requests or transportation costs. Message therapy, our other online therapy service, operates as a less intimidating gateway to therapy and has been proven to increase the effectiveness of treatment as an add-on service (see study here).
Online therapy cannot effectively address mental health issues that are severe, debilitating or pose safety threats. In these cases, more intensive treatment would be recommended and can include in-person therapy, psychiatric care or treatment programs.
A matching session is an optional introductory service that allows you to speak to a licensed therapist over a video session before starting therapy. Your matching therapist will respond to any concerns, gather relevant information about you and help you connect to your needs, intentions and therapeutic goals. By the end, you will receive an initial therapy plan that includes applicable recommendations about your therapy regimen and a therapist match.
Our standard services include a 15-minute message therapy session and 45-minute video therapy session. Our optional introductory service is a 45-minute matching session (video). If more time is desired, you can extend your session or schedule additional sessions, subject to availability and regular pricing.
The fact that you are in therapy, what you talk about in therapy and the written records that result are confidential and protected by state laws and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Exceptions exist if your therapist determines that you are a danger to yourself/others or suspects that a child, elderly or dependent adult is being neglected/abused.
As with most things, progress is the result of consistent effort and therapy is no different. That being said, clients typically choose to commit to weekly 45-minute sessions for at least one year. Though every person and situation is unique, therapy successfully ends when your goals are met. Your therapist will review your progress with you periodically but ultimately you will decide how long you stay in therapy.
At this time, we do not provide couples therapy or family therapy. Our therapists provide individual therapy, which means they will work with you on an individual basis. At your request, they may be able to speak with your romantic partner or family member(s) but will not provide formal couples or family sessions. In any case, it is advised that you enlist a second therapist for couples or family sessions if you are in individual therapy.
No, you must reside in the state of California to receive services from Recharge Online Therapy.
Your therapist will complete an assessment in your first session and continue to monitor your progress throughout your time in therapy. A diagnosis will only be provided if you meet full criteria for one. If you have questions about your diagnosis, or lack thereof, speak to your therapist at any time.
Sometimes therapy on its own reduces symptoms. However, other times, a combination of therapy and medication is more effective. You can discuss this matter with your therapist and request referrals for psychiatrists in your area.
Therapists cannot prescribe medication but can provide referrals to psychiatrists in your area, if applicable.
As a new client, you will schedule your first session as a ‘new client’ and be prompted to submit payment immediately. Once you have attended your first session, you will schedule your next session as an ‘existing client’ (follow-up appointment). Your authorized payment method on file will be charged 24 to 48 hours after your session. If your first session was a matching session and you decide to continue with us, you will schedule your next session as an ‘existing client’ (first appointment/assessment) and be prompted to submit payment immediately. After this point, you will schedule all future sessions as an ‘existing client’ (follow-up appointment).
We are an out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance. You may be able to seek reimbursement from your insurance company directly. You can read more about this on our pricing page or blog post.
To begin, visit our website and click ‘Portal’ on the menu (next to ‘Schedule Now’), then click ‘I’m an Existing Client.’ Enter the email address you provided us with during your first appointment booking, click ‘Email Me a Link’ and wait for a session link. Once you receive the link, follow it to your session. We recommend you initiate this process 5-10 minutes before your session begins. For more information about entering the portal, refer to Client Instructions.
You are able to book multiple session types with us. This means you don’t have to choose between message and video therapy; you can mix message and video sessions as often as you want to. Additionally, if time slots with your therapist are available, you can schedule multiple sessions at once. Our online system makes it easy to schedule one session, multiple sessions or recurring sessions because you may want therapy more or less depending on what is going on in your life.
In order to provide quality care and protect the integrity of the therapeutic relationship, the use of more than one therapist for individual therapy is not condoned. One exception to this is the optional matching session as your matching therapist’s role is to assign you to the individual therapist best-suited to you. We require that ongoing sessions – message, video or both – be scheduled with the same therapist. If you want to be reassigned, contact us.
You only need to schedule a session as a new client if you are, in fact, a new client to Recharge Online Therapy and it is your first appointment. Scheduling as a new client communicates to us that you need to be onboarded into our systems so you will only ever schedule as a new client one time.
You can only schedule a session online if you are doing so 48+ hours prior to the appointment time. We do not allow online scheduling for same-day or next-day sessions at this time. If you would like to request a same-day or next-day session, contact us. For more information about the scheduling process, refer to Client Instructions.
You must have internet for all sessions. A reliable, high-speed internet connection with a bandwidth above 10-15 mbps is recommended. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Microsoft Edge are all supported; use the most updated version possible. Internet Explorer is not supported. Make sure to enable cookies on your browser.
A laptop or desktop (Apple and Windows), mobile device (iOS or Android) or tablet is required for all sessions. It is recommended that the device be purchased in the last two years. Computers must have at least 2.5 GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM and use Big Sur, Catalina or Mojave (Apple computers) or Windows 11 and 10 (Windows computers). Mobile devices must use at least iOS 13 and Android 7.0.