Not everyone is comfortable discussing their mental health challenges face to face, particularly early in a therapeutic relationship.  Others feel that they can be more authentic with the safety of a phone call, and aren’t even comfortable with the therapist seeing their body language and expressions (despite those being useful for the therapist as additional cues).

In a nutshell the reasons people prefer Phone / Skype or Hangout therapy are:

1. The safety of relative anonymity (compared to F2F)
2. Convenience: no need to travel to the Therapist’s location
3. Possibility of an impromptu session (when they have a crisis and need support, a quick phone or Skype session can be useful)
4. Willingness of therapists to do shorter sessions
5. Ability to feel comfortable in your own surroundings rather than a therapist’s office