Let’s slow it down and talk about one of the questions I get asked more than almost anything else right now.
Telehealth or in person? Which one is better?
The honest answer is: it depends. And I say that not to be evasive, but because I have a pretty unique vantage point on this. I am both a therapist who works with clients in both formats, and someone who has done both myself.
What I’ve Seen as a Therapist
As a therapist, I have seen both settings do something the other cannot quite replicate. In-person sessions have a quality to them that is hard to put into words. There is a felt sense in the room, a kind of shared presence that matters in deep trauma work. The walk from the parking lot, the ritual of sitting across from someone in a dedicated space, the absence of your kitchen or your inbox just a few feet away. All of that creates a container.
But telehealth has opened up access in ways I genuinely value. Some of my most meaningful clinical work has happened on a screen. Clients I would never have been able to reach because of geography, health limitations, or impossible schedules. That matters. Depth does not require proximity.
And honestly? I have seen breakthroughs happen in both rooms. Real shifts. The kind of session a client will remember years later. It has not been one format over the other. What I have noticed is that when the setting matches what someone actually needs in that moment of their life, the work tends to go deeper. Both work. It really does go both ways.
What I’ve Learned as a Client
As a client, I lived in telehealth for years. Through COVID. Through the postpartum months when leaving the house felt like too much to ask. Honestly, it was a gift. I did not have to find parking. I did not have to arrange childcare to the minute. I could process something hard and then just be home.
But something shifted for me in 2026. I started wanting to go back in person, and I noticed I was not alone in that. There seems to be a collective exhale happening right now, people reclaiming the rituals of physical space. I started going to my own therapy in person again, and what I found was something I had forgotten: the container. A room that is not my office. A space that holds only this. There is something about being somewhere that exists only for that hour.
The Better Question Isn’t Which Is Better. It’s Which Is Better for You.
So here is what I actually think: the better question is not which is better in general. It is which is better for you, right now, in this season of your life.
If you are a new parent running on three hours of sleep, telehealth is not the consolation prize. It is the right answer. If you are doing deep trauma work and you keep getting distracted by your laundry pile visible in the background, maybe it is time to try an office. If you live in a rural area or have a chronic illness, telehealth might be the thing that makes therapy accessible at all.
My suggestion: if your therapist offers a hybrid model, try both. Give each a few sessions before you decide. Your nervous system will usually tell you something.
Telehealth and In-Person Therapy at Sunray Psychotherapy
We are actually seeing this shift in real time at Sunray Psychotherapy. The demand for in-person sessions has gone up enough that we now have two offices in Valley Village, and we just opened a new location in Santa Ana. We also offer telehealth across California, Florida, Idaho, and Virginia, so wherever you are, there is likely a way to work together.
Ready to Find the Right Fit?
SunRay Psychotherapy offers depth-oriented therapy for complex trauma, intergenerational trauma, and high-achieving adults — in person in Valley Village and Santa Ana, and via telehealth across California, Florida, Idaho, and Virginia.
Explore Trauma Therapy, Inner Pressure, Cultural Dynamics, or Complex Family Dynamics — or book a complimentary connection call.
