Confused About the Laws & Regulations for Online therapy? You're Not Alone!!

Researching the laws and regulations for online therapy can be a daunting task because they vary from state-to-state and there might be different standards for different mental health professionals if there are separate licensing boards for different professions in that state.  Most licensing boards consider the physical location of the client at the time a session takes place to be the service location, which means that you typically need to be licensed in the state where you client is physically located at the time of each online session.  Because there are no universal standards from state-to-state you should also research regulations in the states where you are licensed, where your client lives, and the location from which your clients will participate in an online session.  Some states have carve-out exceptions that allow clinicians licensed out-of-state to temporarily provide services to an existing client, some do not.  Each state can have their own carve out exceptions.  Some states also require therapists to fulfill set training requirements before they can legally offer online services in that state. 
 
Laws and regulations online practicing online therapy are rapidly evolving, even under normal circumstances, so you should research the laws and regulations before your start to offer online services and regularly check them for updates as you continue to offer online therapy services.