Council for Relationship launches new Online Therapy program
July 27, 2018 | PHILADELPHIA, PA |Nonprofit therapy organization Council for Relationships (CFR) announced today that it will now offer Online Therapy to Pennsylvania clients who may face barriers to traditional face-to-face therapy.
The organization spans 10 offices and 13 community partner sites in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs and is home to over 100 therapists, psychiatrists, and student interns. Over 5,000 clients receive therapy services each year, one-third of whom receive services at low or no fee.
The number of mental health care practitioners in Pennsylvania is below the national average, and even more so in rural parts of the state. According to a report by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania earlier this year, the state has an average of 179 mental health care practitioners per 100,000 people, far below the national average of 214. Council for Relationships Online Therapy allows residents of these rural areas to see a therapist remotely, connecting them with resources that may not otherwise be available. Council for Relationships Online Therapy is available to anyone in Pennsylvania, the state where CFR’s participating clinicians are licensed.
CEO Deb D’Arcangelo commented, “With 86 years of experience, we are pleased to be able to expand our reach to more people across the state of Pennsylvania who are in need of high-quality mental health care. We feel that this is an important development for our organization as we strive to increase access to therapy for all, in Greater Philadelphia and now beyond.”
With Online Therapy, Council for Relationships will be able to offer therapy services to clients who cannot attend face-to-face therapy at the office due to geographical distance or other physical limitations. There are also medical or psychological diagnoses that may be a barrier to traditional in-person therapy, and CFR’s Online Therapy program is an option for clients with such conditions as well. The stigma surrounding mental health is another prominent barrier; Online Therapy is a discreet option for people to get the care they need.
Additionally, Online Therapy allows clients across Pennsylvania to connect with experienced clinicians who specialize in a variety of areas including parenting, grief and loss, depression and anxiety, life transitions, and relationship issues including communication, sexual difficulties and infidelity. Council for Relationships has many clinicians who are specially trained in sex therapy, LGBTQ-affirming therapy, and military culture competent therapy for veterans, military members, and their families. In rural areas, providers with these qualifications and expertise may be few and far between.
Director of Clinical and Business Operations Bill Coffey explained, “As we developed the program, it was important that we not sacrifice quality for convenience. I’m confident that we’ve maintained the high level of care that we are known for in Philadelphia and we are excited to offer Online Therapy across the state of Pennsylvania.”
Online Therapy sessions are conducted using Doxy.me, a secure web-based video software (similar to Skype or FaceTime), which is specially designed for doctors and therapists. More than 35 Council for Relationships staff therapists and psychiatrists have been trained in using the platform and now accepting new clients.
For more information about Online Therapy, visit the Council for Relationships website: councilforrelationships.org/online-therapy/
About Council for Relationships
Founded in 1932, Council for Relationships (CFR) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people from all walks of life improve their important relationships by providing exemplary therapy, educating and training clinicians in the family systems approach, and advancing the behavioral health field through research. More than 60 therapists and psychiatrists and 50 student interns work across 10 offices and 13 community partner sites in Greater Philadelphia to provide high quality counseling, workshops, and training. CFR clinicians work with children, teens, adults and families and represent more than 40 specialties. Council for Relationships provides therapy services to more than 5,000 people each year, with approximately one-third receiving free or low-fee counseling.
Council for Relationships is also a leader in clinical education, training clinicians through our accredited Post-Graduate and Master’s programs in Marriage and Family Therapy and our Sex Therapy Certificate Program. These closely supervised clinical interns provide in-person therapy on a sliding fee scale based on income and no one is turned away due to financial limitations. The Community Partnerships Initiative increases access to counseling services for at-risk populations through 13 partner locations throughout Greater Philadelphia. Operation Home and Healing provides counseling from specially-trained therapists for active service members, Veterans, and their families. CFR’s long-standing research project, Transcending Trauma, applies the studies of hundreds of Holocaust survivors and families to counseling techniques, guiding treatment of individuals and families with complex trauma histories. Through its therapy, education, training, and research efforts, CFR helps a total of more than 5,500 people each year.