By video
What is telehealth therapy?
Telehealth therapy is psychotherapy by secure video with a licensed therapist, from anywhere in California. A 2022 meta-analysis (Greenwood et al., JMIR Mental Health) found no significant difference in symptom severity between telehealth and face-to-face psychotherapy for less common conditions. Use telehealth if you want a licensed therapist without a commute.
The same review cites earlier evidence that telehealth works for common conditions such as depression. Your video sessions are with the clinician assigned to you. Online therapy here is not a subscription platform with rotating providers.
At the office
What is in-person therapy?
In-person therapy is face-to-face psychotherapy with a licensed clinician at a physical office. We have run in-person sessions at our Cerritos office since November 2017, open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM. Choose in-person if you want full nonverbal communication, body-based interventions, or a separate space away from home.
Nonverbal cues, facial expressions, and body language are easier to read face to face.
For EMDR with bilateral stimulation and certain somatic approaches, in-person delivery fits better.
Side-by-side comparison
Telehealth vs in-person therapy side by side
The formats differ in setting, privacy, and the kinds of methods they suit. Your therapist, your hours, and your insurance stay the same either way.
| What changes | In personAt our Cerritos office | TelehealthBy video from anywhere in California |
|---|---|---|
| Setting and access | Our Cerritos office at 17215 Studebaker Rd. | From anywhere in California |
| Getting there | A drive to the office | No commute |
| Nonverbal cues | Full body language and micro-expressions | Camera-limited on video |
| Privacy | The office provides a private, quiet room | Requires your own private room |
| Body-based work | Full EMDR bilateral stimulation and somatic work | Video-compatible methods |
| What you need | A way to reach Cerritos | A phone, tablet, or computer and a private space |
| Your therapist | BothThe same clinician and treatment plan | |
| Hours | BothOpen 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM | |
| Insurance | BothThe same plans we accept, verified before your first session | |
This is a fit question, not a contest. The 2022 Greenwood meta-analysis found no significant difference in symptom severity between the two formats for less common conditions. The table above shows practical differences, so you can pick what suits your life now.
Many people use both. Start online, come in later, or switch back. Your therapist stays the same, and so does your individual therapy treatment plan.
When telehealth fits
When telehealth therapy is the better choice
Mobility limits and caregiving
Video sessions remove the commute barrier for clients managing mobility limits or caregiving. Many clients who kept putting off in-person therapy start online, then shift to the office later once the relationship is established.
Busy schedules and long commutes
A session from your car, office, or home removes the commute many LA and Orange County clients face. If your schedule has no gap for a drive, telehealth fits where in-person cannot.
Rural or distant locations in California
Statewide California telehealth reaches clients where in-person options are limited. Statewide access depends on your plan, and we verify it before your first session.
Social anxiety and waiting-room stigma
Telehealth offers a lower-stakes entry point for clients whose anxiety makes a waiting room itself a trigger. Starting online and moving to in-person later is a common and reasonable path. See our anxiety therapy page.
Starting therapy for the first time
Telehealth that actually feels like talking to a real person is achievable with the right clinician. Many clients find their own space lowers the initial barrier to beginning therapy.
When in-person fits
When in-person therapy is the better choice
In-person therapy fits better when a screen would get in the way of the work. We have seen clients at our Cerritos office since November 2017, 7 days a week. Choose the office if one of these five situations sounds like yours.
Severe or acute mental health presentations
In-person allows the clinician to read physical cues a screen may miss. We are outpatient psychotherapy only; we do not prescribe or provide inpatient, IOP, or residential services. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Body-based and somatic interventions
EMDR with bilateral stimulation and movement-based therapy fit better face to face. A clinician on our team is trained in EMDR. Ask about in-person scheduling for EMDR therapy if this is your preferred method.
No private space at home
Therapy needs a quiet, private room where you can speak openly. Clients in shared housing or apartments where conversations carry often do better at the office. We can talk through your home setup on the intake call.
Young children in play-based work
Young children benefit from sensory materials and the structure of a therapy room. See our children and teen therapy page for more on care in either format.
A clear boundary between home and therapy
Some clients find it hard to enter a therapeutic headspace in the same room where they work or sleep. The office at 17215 Studebaker Rd. creates a physical separation that helps some people go deeper.
How Eye Cue delivers both
Same therapist either way at Eye Cue
Telehealth platforms assign whoever is available. At Eye Cue, your therapist is yours across both modalities.
Call us and we verify your insurance
We accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, Cigna, Aetna, and many others. Whether your plan covers this depends on your plan and medical necessity, and we verify before your first session.
Get matched with one clinician
You are matched with a specific therapist based on your needs and their openings. If the fit is off, we match you with someone else in the practice.
Switch formats without switching therapists
Once matched, attend in person at our Cerritos office or connect by video. Same clinician, same treatment plan, same therapeutic relationship.
Switch formats when your life changes
Started online and want to come in? Moved across California? You keep your therapist, as long as your plan covers you where you live. Switching formats does not restart the relationship or the insurance process.
Treatment length follows your clinical need
Founder Saqib Iqbal, LCSW, puts it plainly. "No one is pulling the strings. You are in charge of your treatment." No session quota ends your care.
Coverage
Insurance accepted for both in-person and telehealth
Eye Cue Mental Health accepts Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, Cigna, Aetna, and many others for both formats. Whether your plan covers this depends on your plan and medical necessity, and we verify before your first session. See the full insurance list and county details.
Call us at 562-860-2891 with your card and we check together.
In their words
"This therapist has saved my life. Makes you feel great when you walk out of his office. Saqui will also give you tools to continue your treatment on your own time. Highly recommend him for people all ages."
Javier M.Google Review, 5 stars, Cerritos, CA
Individual results vary; this reflects one client's experience and is not a promise of outcome.
Eye Cue Mental Health at a glance: In practice since November 2017 · Sessions 7 days, 8 AM to 10 PM · In-person in Cerritos and telehealth across California
Telehealth across California
Telehealth therapy anywhere in California with the same therapist
If you live anywhere in California, you can work with an Eye Cue clinician by video from home, work, or wherever you feel settled. You keep the same clinician for as long as treatment runs. When it helps, you can switch to in-person sessions at our Cerritos office without changing therapists.
Statewide telehealth depends on your plan. Some Medi-Cal plans are limited to one county: L.A. Care, Carelon, and Health Net Medi-Cal to Los Angeles County, and CalOptima to Orange County. We verify your plan before your first session. See the full insurance list and county details.
In person and online
In person at our Cerritos office
We have seen clients in person at our Cerritos office since 2017 and by telehealth across California. Our office is near the 91 and 605 freeways. Call 562-860-2891 to verify your plan before you start, and we match you with a clinician.
Anywhere else in California by telehealth. See all locations. Eye Cue Mental Health · 17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite 110, Cerritos, CA 90703 · 562-860-2891 · Open 7 days, 8 AM to 10 PM
Good questions
Frequently asked questions about in-person vs telehealth therapy
Still unsure which format fits? Call 562-860-2891 and we will talk it through, no commitment.
Research suggests outcomes are often comparable. A 2022 meta-analysis of randomized trials (Greenwood et al., JMIR Mental Health) found no significant difference in symptom severity between telehealth and face-to-face psychotherapy for less common conditions, and it cites earlier evidence that telehealth works for common conditions such as depression. We still suggest in-person care for severe or acute symptoms and some body-based methods. Ask your clinician which format fits your concerns best.
We accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, Cigna, Aetna, and many others for both formats. Whether your plan covers this depends on your plan and medical necessity, and we verify before your first session. See the full insurance list and county details, or call 562-860-2891 with your card.
Yes. Your clinician stays the same whether you come to our Cerritos office or connect by video. Start online, come in when ready, or switch back. Your therapist and treatment plan stay with you either way.
You join a secure video session from your phone, tablet, or computer. Your clinician connects at the scheduled time, and the session runs like an office visit with the same clinical care. You need a private space at home; if that is not possible, in-person fits better.
Some presentations fit in-person better: severe or acute symptoms, somatic interventions like EMDR with bilateral stimulation, and clients without a private home space. Tell your clinician on the intake call if you are unsure. If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988. Eye Cue is outpatient psychotherapy; we do not provide crisis stabilization or inpatient care.
Both formats are billed through the same insurance plans we accept. Your cost depends on your plan and copay structure, not the delivery format. We verify your coverage before your first session.
Call us at 562-860-2891 to ask about current availability. We match you with a clinician who has current openings. We do not publish a specific wait time because it changes week to week.
Our office is at 17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite 110, Cerritos, CA 90703, near the 91 and 605 freeways. We see in-person clients from Cerritos, Long Beach, Lakewood, Norwalk, Bellflower, Artesia, La Mirada, Buena Park, Cypress, and Anaheim. Clients anywhere else in California are seen by telehealth.
Related care
Therapy services offered in person and by telehealth
This comparison sits under our telehealth therapy service. Every format choice applies to individual therapy, couples counseling, anxiety therapy, and EMDR therapy, with the same clinician either way.
Get started
Start in-person or online therapy with one therapist
Eye Cue Mental Health has offered both in-person and telehealth psychotherapy in California since November 2017. Call 562-860-2891 to check your insurance and get matched with a clinician. In-person at 17215 Studebaker Rd., Cerritos, or by video anywhere in California. Same therapist either way.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) any time.
- 562-860-2891
- 17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite #110, Cerritos, CA 90703
- Open 7 days a week, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM