Can I Do Individual Therapy Online Instead of at the Edina Office?
By Cabot Psychological Services · Published 2026-10-14 · Last updated 2026-10-14
Yes. Individual therapy is available online through secure telehealth for anyone located in Minnesota, so you do not need to travel to Edina for your sessions. Online sessions with Cabot Psychological Services are provided by our licensed Minnesota clinicians and use evidence-based methods, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for concerns like anxiety, depression, and burnout. Our team verifies insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, before your first appointment, and you can book online. If you prefer face-to-face care, the Minneapolis and Edina offices are still open to you.
Is Online Therapy as Effective as Meeting in the Edina Office?
For many adults dealing with anxiety or depression, research suggests online talk therapy by video works about as well as sitting in the same room with a therapist. A 2021 meta-analysis comparing live video and in-person psychotherapy, published in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, found that video-based therapy was, overall, no less effective than in-person therapy.
Much of talk therapy comes down to three things: talking honestly, learning skills, and practicing those skills between sessions. A secure video call keeps all three intact. The federal guidance on telehealth for behavioral health care from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treats video sessions as a standard way to deliver mental health care.
The evidence-based approaches we use carry over well to video:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured method for spotting and changing unhelpful thought patterns.
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) builds the ability to act on your values while difficult feelings are present.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills work focuses on emotion regulation and distress tolerance.
Online sessions are delivered by licensed clinicians on our team. That team holds PhD, LP, LICSW, LMFT, LADC, and LGSW credentials, and Amanda Mulfinger, PhD, LP, is the practice’s President and Owner.
One honest caveat: fit matters more than format. If you feel distracted or unseen on video, tell your therapist, and the two of you can talk through whether switching to in-person sessions makes sense.
Who Can Use Telehealth Therapy in Minnesota?
Anyone who is physically in Minnesota during their session can use our telehealth therapy, whether they live in Edina, downtown Minneapolis, or a small town hours away. Therapists are generally licensed by state, so what matters is where you are at the time of the call, not your home address, as federal guidance on licensing across state lines explains. If you’ll be out of state on a work trip, that can affect whether a session can happen, so mention travel plans to your therapist ahead of time.
Cabot Psychological Services offers telehealth therapy statewide. That matters because many parts of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities core have mental health workforce shortages, and local providers may simply be unavailable. Video sessions let those clients reach a licensed therapist without a long drive.
You need three things:
- A phone, tablet, or computer with a camera
- A steady internet connection
- A quiet place where you can talk freely
This article focuses on adults seeking individual therapy. If you’re a parent asking about online sessions for a child or teen, check with our team first, because age and service type can change what works best.
What Does an Online Individual Therapy Session Look Like?
An online session is a private, one-on-one video call with your licensed therapist that follows the same structure as an office visit. You check in, talk through what is on your mind, and work on skills or next steps together. If you’ve used video calls before, the format will likely feel familiar.
Getting started usually follows four steps:
- Book your appointment through the online scheduling portal and let our team know you’d like a telehealth session.
- Confirm how to join your video session before your appointment time, and ask our team if anything is unclear.
- Set up your space with a charged device, headphones, and a door you can close.
- Join the call a few minutes early to test your sound and video, then begin the conversation.
First sessions usually focus on your history, your goals, and what brought you in. Your therapist asks questions to understand the full picture before suggesting a direction. Later sessions build on that plan, and the plan can shift as you learn what helps.
Practice between sessions works the same online. A CBT thought record, a short written log of a stressful moment and the thoughts around it, can be filled out on paper or a phone and reviewed on camera. Clients in insomnia therapy often keep sleep logs that track bedtimes, wake times, and night waking so patterns become visible, and your therapist can go over those by video just as easily as across a desk.
How do I book my first online session?
You can book online through our SimplePractice client portal (clientsecure.me) without making a phone call. Self-scheduling helps people who are new to the area and don’t have a provider yet. It also helps anyone who feels nervous about calling a stranger to talk about something personal. Once you book, our team checks your insurance, so you’ll have answers on coverage by the time you sit down for that first session.
How can I keep my session private at home?
Pick a room with a door, wear headphones, and tell others in your home that you need uninterrupted time. Headphones keep your therapist’s side of the conversation private, even if your own voice carries.
Small apartments and shared housing take a little more planning. Some options:
- Take the call from a parked car.
- Place a white noise machine outside your door.
- If your video platform has a chat feature, ask your therapist about typing during sensitive moments.
If home never feels private, that’s a valid reason to book at the Minneapolis or Edina office instead.
Concerns Commonly Treated Through Online Individual Therapy
Many of the most common reasons adults start therapy, including anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, and sleep problems, are well suited to online sessions. These concerns respond to talk-based work, skill building, and regular check-ins, and all of those fit a video call.
Concerns our team treats that commonly lend themselves to online sessions include:
- Anxiety, including worry and fear that interfere with daily functioning
- Depression, including persistent sadness, low mood, and loss of joy
- Burnout and work-related stress
- Grief and bereavement
- Insomnia and sleep difficulties
- Anger management
- OCD, using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a method where you gradually face triggers without performing compulsions
- Life transitions
When you book, let our team know what you’d like help with so they can confirm the service is available by telehealth for your situation.
Trauma-informed talk therapy can happen online. If you’re interested in a specific method such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), ask our team whether it is offered by video for your situation.
Some services may need an office visit or a direct conversation first. Psychological testing and evaluation, autism assessment, and neuropsychological evaluation often involve formal testing steps, so ask our team how a specific assessment is delivered rather than assuming it can or cannot happen online.
Whether you meet online or in the office, we can’t promise a particular outcome. Therapy outcomes depend on many factors, and your therapist will talk honestly with you about progress as you go.
Will Insurance Cover Online Therapy Sessions?
In many cases, yes. Minnesota’s telehealth law generally requires state-regulated health plans to cover telehealth services in a similar way to in-person care, but every plan has its own details. Self-funded employer plans and out-of-state plans can follow different rules, which is why checking your specific coverage matters.
Cabot Psychological Services accepts a broad range of insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. That breadth of coverage is rare among private psychology practices. Our team verifies your coverage before your first appointment, so you aren’t left to sort out benefits alone.
When you book, one question clears up most confusion: “Does my plan cover telehealth sessions the same way it covers office visits?” The answer tells you whether your online and in-office sessions are likely to cost the same under your plan.
Why Online Sessions Can Beat the Drive to Edina
For a lot of people, online sessions remove one of the most common barriers to therapy: getting there. Commuting, winter roads, and packed workdays all add up, and each one is a reason to cancel.
Winter is the clearest example. Edina winters bring ice and short daylight from November through February. Limited daylight is a documented driver of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a pattern of depression tied to the darker months, and it can deepen low mood for people already struggling. Those same months are when skipping a drive is most tempting, so telehealth can help keep sessions steady through those weeks.
Getting there is also harder without a car. Edina is a car-dependent suburb, and clients in Loring Park, Whittier, or Stevens Square who rely on public transit may find telehealth, or our Minneapolis office, much easier to reach than a trip to Edina. Clients outside the metro can reach our licensed team without driving into the Twin Cities at all.
Then there is time. A session from home or a quiet office room skips travel on both ends, and for someone already stretched thin by burnout, that saved travel time can decide whether therapy fits into the week at all.
When Is Coming Into the Office the Better Choice?
An office visit is often the better fit when you cannot find privacy at home, when face-to-face contact helps you open up, or when a service such as formal testing needs to happen in person. Neither format is the “real” version of therapy. The right one is whichever helps you show up and speak freely.
Cabot Psychological Services has two office locations, one in Minneapolis and one in Edina. Multiple clients have independently described the office culture as warm, crediting the human connection they felt at every step as much as the clinical skill. For some people, being in the room with that kind of warmth makes it easier to talk, and that is reason enough to come in.
Some people like a mix of both. Ask whether your therapist offers in-person and online sessions so you can switch based on the week.
| Online may fit best when… | In-office may fit best when… |
|---|---|
| Travel, winter roads, or transit make getting to an office hard | You cannot find a private, quiet space at home |
| You live outside the metro or far from Edina | Face-to-face contact helps you open up |
| Your schedule leaves little room for a commute | A service such as formal testing needs to happen in person |
| You feel comfortable and focused on video | You feel distracted or unseen on a screen |
Online therapy is not emergency care. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.
Choosing the Setup That Fits Your Week
You do not need to come into the Edina office for individual therapy. Telehealth is available anywhere in Minnesota, and the Minneapolis and Edina offices remain open to you if privacy, comfort, or a specific service makes in-person sessions the better match.
When you’re ready, you can self-schedule through our online booking portal and let our team know whether you prefer online or in-office sessions. If your needs shift later, your therapist can talk through whether a different format would fit better.
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Cabot Clients Say
"Sessions with Amanda are empowering."
Sessions with Amanda are empowering. She is a deeply kind therapist who has helped me to process, heal, and develop as a person.
"I have been a client of Cabot since the inception in 2010"
I have been a client of Cabot since the inception in 2010; my experience with the therapists and administrative staff have always been positive. I trust them and have referred both family and friends to Cabot and all have come back thanking me for the referral and have benefited from the caring and compassionate work of the Cabot staff.
"Cabot provides a welcoming and safe environment"
Cabot provides a welcoming and safe environment for those who may be struggling or need additional support. Each time I come for an appointment I am welcomed with a smile and hello not only from my therapist but others who pass through the waiting room.
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