Jersey City, NJ Therapists

Telehealth Counseling (Online Therapy) for Jersey City, NJ Residents

At Anchor Therapy, we pride ourselves on serving the Hudson County community including Jersey City, NJ and beyond! We are happy to offer virtual therapy sessions to residents of Jersey City, New Jersey as well.

Finding a Therapist in Jersey City, New Jersey

Let us be honest- finding a therapist can be difficult. When you are searching for a therapist in Jersey City, it is important to look for reliable sources, whether that is meeting with one of our amazing counselors at Anchor Therapy or another fully-licensed mental health counselor. 

If you are considering therapy, from trying to seek help with anxiety and depression to working through relationship issues as a couple, finding a therapist that is the right fit for you is the first hoop you must jump through. 

The bond between you and your therapist will greatly impact your personal growth. In order to get the most out of therapy, you need to feel comfortable with your virtual therapist so you can build rapport and open up to them. 

When searching for a therapist, you can seek to ask questions and do your research. For example, if you are looking for trauma counseling, you can check to see if the trauma therapist you want to work with has experience with this issue.

Clients we specialize in treating:

Is Teletherapy Really Effective?

We know that finding a therapist who is the “right fit” can be hard. Building rapport is important and, oftentimes, many clients believe that telehealth therapy simply does not allow for effective mental health counseling, but that could not be farther from the truth.

Numerous mental health studies and reputable researchers have proven time and time again that virtual therapy is just as effective as in-person mental health therapy. With virtual mental health counseling, more people have access to mental health care than ever before. Whether you choose to jump on a video call or speak over the phone, you and your teletherapist will work together to find the approach that works best for you and your needs.

With online therapy, you have the ability to connect with a therapist from the comfort of your own home. Additionally, you do not have to put in extra work as you would have to do with in-person counseling sessions. For instance, with in-person therapy, you may have to remain flexible to accommodate your therapist’s in-person availability, and/or you have to account for commuting time in your schedule both to and from your therapist’s office.

Online mental health counseling lets you conveniently attend therapy from wherever you are. Just because your location changes, it does not mean that the quality of mental health care you receive changes as well. When doing therapy virtually, you can look into the different privacy policies that numerous video platforms offer to secure your private information. Encryption services can offer you security for your communication with your therapist, but it is important to note that different therapists use different virtual platforms which offer varying levels of security.

At Anchor Therapy, we use Google Meet which is a HIPAA complaint video service. HIPAA compliance is a legal requirement for health care organizations in order to protect the privacy, security, and integrity of safeguarded health information. Our clients’ security, trust, and comfort is our biggest concern, and we maintain complete transparency with our telehealth therapy services.

Is It Hard to Connect with a Therapist Via Telehealth Mental Health Therapy?

One of the biggest myths about virtual mental health counseling is that it is difficult to become comfortable with your online therapist when talking to them through the screen. Clearly, this is not true as teletherapy has been proven to be just as effective as in-person mental health counseling! In fact, we have many clients, particularly teens and young adults, who prefer attending therapy virtually as opposed to coming into our downtown Hoboken office.

Long story short- online mental health counseling works well for people seeking mental health support.

How Can I Connect With My Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Jersey City Through A Video Call or Phone Call?

Life can get busy and overwhelming. You may spend your days rushing from home to work and vice versa, balancing a social life, and possibly a spouse and children. When you are hard-pressed for time, it can feel like the last thing you want to do is put more work in, even if it is work for yourself, such as self-care. So, how can you find time for yourself? The answer is virtual mental health counseling!

With online mental health counseling, you do not have to worry about commute times to your therapist’s office. Instead, online therapy fits into your day- not the other way around.

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were making the plunge and transitioning to online therapy sessions. It is important to make time and space for healing and, luckily, teletherapy is an easy, convenient way to do so. 

If you are thinking “There is no way I can connect with a virtual therapist. I need to have in-person counseling sessions”, we hear you. You are not the only client who feels this way. In fact, this is the primary concern for many clients before they actually try out virtual counseling. After they give it a try for themselves, they learn that it is the same exact thing as in-person therapy sessions and are able to work on themselves in the same way. 

Regardless of what form of therapy you engage in (e.g., in-person or virtual therapy), there is always a transition period. For some people, they may feel comfortable with sessions right off the bat. On the other hand, it may take a few sessions for you to feel connected to your virtual therapist. This is normal to experience when in-person as well. 

If you’re looking for some online therapy tips, continue reading along!

Tips to Connect with Your Virtual Jersey City Teletherapist

If you are looking to make your virtual therapy sessions a bit more seamless, you can try incorporating the following tips into your next therapy session.

1. Find a private, comfortable space:

   When you are doing therapy sessions from the comfort of your own home, you may be distracted with your other responsibilities. Maybe your partner cannot get your baby to quiet down and stop crying, or maybe your dog is rummaging through items he should not be getting into. Whatever the case, it is important to pick a location that is relatively free from distractions. For some people, that may look like taking your video therapy session from your bedroom instead of a shared common space for instance.

2. Optimize connection:

   One of the hardest parts about connecting with other people online, whether that is for a professional call or a virtual therapy session, is ensuring that your connection is good to go. Sometimes, calls go in and out, and it is out of our hands. To try to prepare for your therapy session, you can close out unnecessary apps and windows to make sure you have a solid WiFi, Internet, and/or phone connection.

3. Be yourself:

   Just because your therapy sessions are now taking place in a different location does not change the nature of therapy itself. You should still be yourself and be open with your therapist in the same way you would do in in-person sessions. That is to say, act naturally! If it helps, you can imagine that you are on a FaceTime or phone call chatting with a best friend. Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, you should be completely honest and open with your telehealth therapist. When you are honest in virtual therapy, not only do you strengthen the overall therapeutic alliance, but it also gives your teletherapist the chance to craft a customized treatment plan for you.

4. Slow down:

   Since you are not in-person with your therapist, you may have a tendency to speed up your thoughts and speaking when in session. This is your friendly reminder to slow down and double-check for understanding. There may be lags in video calls and, with phone calls, you will not be able to see your therapist’s body language and facial expressions. In this way, you may feel like communication is a bit harder so it can help to clarify any thoughts if you feel like it needs any clarity. It can be helpful to make sure that what you are saying is being heard to avoid any miscommunications.

5. Ignore the camera:

   If you get camera shy or prefer in-person sessions, you can simply try to avoid the camera. While this definitely is not needed for every person who engages in virtual therapy, some clients find it helpful, particularly when first adjusting to telehealth therapy sessions. Instead of focusing on the camera or the image of you speaking, focus on your therapist and the dialogue each of you are exchanging.

   
   

Now that you know a little bit more about virtual therapy and what to expect in online mental health counseling sessions, let us get into Anchor Therapy’s services and our therapists’ expertise!

Who Does Anchor Therapy Treat in Jersey City?

Just like in-person counseling, Anchor Therapy offers virtual therapy that can occur in various ways.

Some therapy treatment forms at Anchor Therapy include:

• Individual child therapy (of all ages!)

• Individual pre-teen and teen therapy

• Individual adult therapy

• In individual therapy settings, the focus is between you and your mental health professional. This allows the treatment to be customized to your needs

• Some forms of online individual psychotherapy include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Humanistic therapy

• Mindfulness therapy 

• Family therapy

• In online family counseling, this form of talk therapy involves a mental health professional and the whole family, each family member, or groups of certain family members (e.g., your online family therapist may decide to meet with the whole family for some sessions then break it up with smaller group sessions or individual sessions)

• This form of virtual family therapy focuses on the family relationship and behavioral patterns 

• Couples therapy

• In virtual couples therapy, a mental health professional works with partners in a committed relationship. Virtual couples counseling includes a mental health professional working with both partners together and/or seeing them individually for some one-on-one sessions

• Our couples counselors work with married couples along with premarital couples, non monogamous, and LGBTQIA+ couples

• Some common topics addressed in online couples counseling include:

• Communication styles or problems

• Parenting styles or conflicts

• Sexual difficulties 

• Behavioral conflicts (e.g., addiction, anger management)

• Mental health conditions of one or both partners

• Life transitions (e.g., new job, recent relocation, transition to parenthood, etc)

• Emotional disconnect within the relationship

• Group therapy

• Online group therapy is when there are at least two group members and at least one mental health professional present during sessions

• The clients receiving therapy are able to interact with one another under the guidance of one or more mental health professionals so they can share their respective experiences 

• LGBTQIA+ therapy

• We celebrate those in the LGBTQIA+ community while addressing our clients’ mental health concerns at the same time

• Your sexual orientation and gender identity is directly related to your mental health. Therefore, our LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapists offer mental health support with the care and compassion that you deserve

• Our LGBTQIA+ therapists uplift their clients while also taking into account the systemic, negative influences that those in the community must face, such as homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism

What Mental Health Disorders Do Anchor Therapy’s Fully-Licensed Counselors Specialize In?

At Anchor Therapy, our fully-licensed mental health therapists provide an array of services to clients of all backgrounds. 

Some of the services we offer to residents of Jersey City, New Jersey include:

• Addiction and substance abuse counseling

• Anxiety counseling

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Depression counseling

• Grief counseling

• LGBTQIA+ issues

• Life transitions

• Marriage & premarital counseling

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) therapy

• Play therapy

• Postpartum Depression (PPD) counseling

• Teletherapy

• Trauma counseling 

• And more!

At Anchor Therapy, we understand that, for mental health counseling to be effective, you must work with a therapist who is a good fit for you. When you meet with a therapist who you feel safe with, it is more likely that you will open up to them and be honest with them. 

Personal and vulnerable feelings are difficult to share. Being honest about your feelings requires an immense amount of bravery and trust. Our mental health counselors feel honored that you would be willing to let them in to help you heal and become the best version of yourself again. 

For all of these reasons, this is why the intake process is so important. If you are looking to get started with telehealth counseling at Anchor Therapy today, keep reading!

How Do I Get Started With online Therapy at Anchor Therapy?

Working with us here at Anchor Therapy is easy. We conduct all of our intake coordination via email, and we respond to every client inquiry we receive.

1. All you have to do is to fill out the Contact Form below. Once completing and submitting this form, our Intake Coordinator will get back to you on how we can assist and to schedule an appointment.

2. Based on the information you provided in the Contact Form, our intake coordinator will set you up with one of our amazing therapists. This therapist will specialize in what you are seeking help with, and will understand your needs. If we are not a good fit for you, we still respond to everyone who reaches out to us and will provide you with a referral for someone who can help you in the Jersey City area. 

3. You can now take a step back and take a deep breath knowing that you took the first step in your self-love and healing journey!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT telehealth and online counseling, WE WRITE A LOT OF BLOG POSTS about the topic. CHECK OUT OUR BLOG BELOW!