Data as of Sep 21, 2026 · Based on 323 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
Brands AI recommends here
Named in 66% of answers
Named in 60% of answers
Best for clients who need flexibility beyond video. It allows users to switch between video, audio, or text-messaging modes, providing a low-pressure communication environment for those significantly impacted by anxiety.
Named in 56% of answers
Named in 49% of answers
Source | Citation share |
|---|---|
 Best teletherapy platformshttps://www.theraplatform.com/blog/534/best-teletherapy-platforms | 3% |
 Managing Video Anxiety During Teletherapy | Mental Health Americahttps://mhanational.org/resources/managing-video-anxiety-during-teletherapy/ | 2% |
Talkspace - #1 Rated Online Therapy, 1 Million+ Usershttps://www.talkspace.com/ | 2% |
 Telehealth- Camera Off? : r/therapists - Reddithttps://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1goyn5f/telehealth_camera_off/ | 1% |
Managing telehealth settings for features – SimplePractice Supporthttps://support.simplepractice.com/hc/en-us/articles/7787591542797-Managing-telehealth-settings-for-features | 1% |
 7 Telehealth Platforms for Behavioral Health | Enghouse Videohttps://www.enghousevideo.com/blog/healthcare/best-telehealth-platforms-for-behavioral-health | 1% |
Turning camera off during telehealth session? : r/therapistshttps://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/zoaidw/turning_camera_off_during_telehealth_session/ | 1% |
 How Does Teletherapy Work? | Psychology.orghttps://www.psychology.org/resources/how-does-teletherapy-work/ | 1% |
Best Teletherapy Platforms for Mental Health Professionalshttps://expert.holanuna.com/practika/best-teletherapy-platforms/ | 1% |
 Looking at Yourself Onscreen May Interfere with Teletherapy | Psychology Todayhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-body-has-something-to-tell-you/202507/looking-at-yourself-onscreen-may-interfere-with | 1% |
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, the key distinction is between **hiding self-view while keeping video on** and **turning the client's camera off entirely**. Both can reduce self-consciousness, but audio-only may change what the clinician can observe. ### Platforms with useful options - **SimplePractice…
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, the key distinction is between hiding self-view while keeping video on and turning the client's camera off entirely. Both can reduce self-consciousness, but audio-only may change what the clinician can observe.
SimplePractice Telehealth — particularly flexible. The client can hide their own self-view while the clinician continues seeing them, and can also turn the camera off. SimplePractice explicitly notes that turning off video can sometimes improve audio quality when bandwidth is limited.
This makes it a good option when the client's main problem is seeing themselves rather than being seen.
The client can also adjust video quality and audio settings.
Zoom — supports both Hide Self View and Stop Video. With Hide Self View, the clinician still receives the client's video; with Stop Video, the clinician no longer sees the client.
Thus, a therapist using Zoom can offer a middle ground: video remains clinically available, but the client doesn't have to watch themselves.
Doxy.me — allows the client to turn their camera off during the session, while retaining microphone/audio and other call controls. It also provides call-quality controls and microphone/speaker selection.
Doxy.me's documentation specifically discusses camera-off sessions, although it recommends video when possible for connection.
For social anxiety specifically, I'd distinguish three arrangements:
| Arrangement | Client sees self? | Therapist sees client? | Potential clinical trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video + self-view hidden | No | Yes | Often preserves the most visual information while removing self-monitoring |
| Client camera off | No | No | Less visual feedback for therapist; may be useful for anxiety, exposure pacing, or accessibility |
| Audio-only | No | No | Maximum reduction in visual self-consciousness, but less nonverbal information |
So if the client's concern is primarily “I can't concentrate because I'm watching myself”, hiding self-view is arguably a particularly useful technical accommodation because it doesn't require abandoning video altogether. SimplePractice and Zoom both explicitly support this configuration.
If the client needs audio-only, the important question isn't just whether the software permits the camera to be off. The clinician should establish whether audio-only is clinically appropriate for that particular treatment and client, and what will happen if the therapist needs visual information or there is a safety concern.
One practical point: platform capability doesn't necessarily mean every therapist's practice permits audio-only sessions. The clinician's telehealth policies, licensing requirements, payer requirements, and treatment approach can impose additional restrictions.
If you're choosing a platform specifically for a social-anxiety practice, I can also compare SimplePractice, Zoom for Healthcare, Doxy.me, TherapyNotes, and Sessions Health on self-view, camera-off/audio-only, HIPAA/BAA support, recording controls, captions, and connection quality.
For clients with severe social anxiety, the "mirror effect"—constantly staring at one's own face during a session—can trigger hyper-self-focus, fatigue, and heightened anxiety . Fortunately, major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms support hiding self-view or transitioning to audio-only care without sacrificing…
For clients with severe social anxiety, the "mirror effect"—constantly staring at one's own face during a session—can trigger hyper-self-focus, fatigue, and heightened anxiety . Fortunately, major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms support hiding self-view or transitioning to audio-only care without sacrificing clinical connection or quality.
Here is how prominent platforms stack up for supporting these needs:
To ensure the therapeutic alliance remains strong when visual feedback is altered:
Would you like to explore:
For clients with social anxiety, the constant cognitive load of seeing their own face ("mirror anxiety" or nonverbal overload) can severely interfere with the therapeutic process . Fortunately, most major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms and general video tools used by clinicians support hiding self-view or…
For clients with social anxiety, the constant cognitive load of seeing their own face ("mirror anxiety" or nonverbal overload) can severely interfere with the therapeutic process . Fortunately, most major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms and general video tools used by clinicians support hiding self-view or transitioning to audio-only.
The quality of care in these modalities depends far more on the therapeutic alliance and clinical appropriateness than the video feed itself—though moving to audio-only does mean losing subtle micro-expressions and visual body language cues.
The following platforms support these accommodations:
Would you like to explore strategies for discussing these accommodations with a reluctant client , or do you need help comparing the HIPAA compliance features of a specific platform?
For a client with social anxiety, **hiding self-view is usually the least disruptive option**, because the client can remain on video while not having to watch their own face. **Audio-only** can also be clinically reasonable when video increases distress, but whether it preserves the same quality of care depends more…
For a client with social anxiety, hiding self-view is usually the least disruptive option, because the client can remain on video while not having to watch their own face. Audio-only can also be clinically reasonable when video increases distress, but whether it preserves the same quality of care depends more on the clinician, treatment modality, and payer/platform rules than on the software itself.
SimplePractice Telehealth — strong fit for hiding self-view. Clients can explicitly choose “Hide self view” while remaining visible to the clinician. SimplePractice also provides adjustable audio/video quality and audio controls.
This is particularly useful if the goal is “I don't want to see myself” rather than “I don't want my therapist to see me.”
SimplePractice's documentation also supports turning the camera off, although I'd have the clinician confirm that audio-only is appropriate for the particular session and jurisdiction.
Zoom — very flexible for either approach. A client can turn their camera off, or keep it on while selecting Hide Self View so they don't see their own image. Zoom also has settings to automatically join with video off.
For psychotherapy, the important caveat is that the therapist/practice needs to be using a HIPAA-appropriate Zoom setup, rather than treating ordinary consumer Zoom as automatically appropriate for clinical care.
TherapyNotes Telehealth — supports hiding the client's own preview. Its current documentation says the clinician can hide their own video preview, and the platform supports temporarily disabling the camera or microphone.
I'd confirm the patient-side controls with the practice before selecting it specifically for a social-anxiety accommodation.
If the client says, “Seeing my own face makes me much more anxious,” I'd favor video + hidden self-view as the first experiment. It preserves visual information for the therapist while removing the self-monitoring component.
If the client says, “Having my camera on at all makes it difficult to participate,” then audio-only may be preferable. For treatments where facial expression/body-language observation is less central, this may have relatively little impact; for some assessments or interventions, however, the clinician may reasonably prefer video.
One practical approach is to agree beforehand: “You can start audio-only, and you don't have to turn your camera on unless we both decide it would be useful.” That can make the session feel less like a performance.
If you tell me which country/state the client and therapist are in and whether this is individual CBT, exposure therapy, or another modality, I can compare the current platforms specifically for audio-only support, HIPAA/privacy, and clinical functionality.
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, I’d distinguish **hiding self-view** (the therapist still sees the client) from **turning video off entirely** (audio-only). Both can reduce self-consciousness, but they have different clinical implications. Platform | Hide self-view | Audio-only / camera off | My take --- | ---…
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, I’d distinguish hiding self-view (the therapist still sees the client) from turning video off entirely (audio-only). Both can reduce self-consciousness, but they have different clinical implications.
| Platform | Hide self-view | Audio-only / camera off | My take |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimplePractice Telehealth | Yes | Yes | Strong choice for routine psychotherapy |
| Doxy.me | Yes | Yes | Strong choice, especially for easy client access |
| Zoom | Yes | Yes | Technically excellent, but clinical/privacy setup depends on the therapist's account |
| BetterHelp / Talkspace | Varies by therapist/app/session | Availability varies | I wouldn't choose based on platform alone; confirm the specific clinician's setup |
1. SimplePractice — probably my first choice if the therapist already uses it. Clients can hide their self-view while the therapist continues seeing them. They can also turn their camera off while retaining audio. SimplePractice specifically notes that disabling video can actually improve audio quality when bandwidth is limited.
2. Doxy.me — particularly good for a low-friction experience. The client can hide their own preview and independently turn the camera off. Doxy.me also has an audio-only mode that can keep a session going when video isn't practical, and its system automatically adapts quality to the connection.
3. Zoom — excellent controls, assuming the clinician's organization has configured it appropriately. Zoom explicitly supports Hide Self View, while leaving the client's video visible to other participants. The client can alternatively stop video completely and continue with audio.
For social anxiety, self-view off + video on can be a useful middle ground. The client doesn't have to constantly monitor facial expression, appearance, posture, etc., while the therapist still has access to visual information.
If that's still too activating, audio-only can be entirely reasonable for some psychotherapy sessions—particularly when the treatment doesn't depend heavily on observing facial expressions or other nonverbal behavior. It can also make the interaction feel more like a conventional conversation.
One important caveat: "quality of care" isn't determined by the platform alone. The therapist should decide whether audio-only is clinically appropriate for that particular session and client, while maintaining appropriate privacy, emergency procedures, and documentation.
If you're selecting a platform specifically for a social-anxiety practice, I'd rank SimplePractice and Doxy.me ahead of generic consumer video platforms because their telehealth workflows are designed around clinician-patient care.
**Virtually all major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms (including** **[Zoom for Healthcare](https://zoom.us/healthcare), SimplePractice , and Doxy.me** **) allow clients to turn off their self-view or completely disable their video for an audio-only experience without sacrificing clinical quality of care.**…
Virtually all major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms (including Zoom for Healthcare, SimplePractice , and Doxy.me ) allow clients to turn off their self-view or completely disable their video for an audio-only experience without sacrificing clinical quality of care.
Clinical research shows that audio-only and video modalities maintain comparable effectiveness for anxiety treatments when rapport is established. Hiding self-view eliminates the "zoom fatigue" and constant self-evaluation loop that triggers social anxiety, while audio-only options lower the barrier to entry for highly anxious individuals.
| Platform | Self-View Hiding | Audio-Only Support | Clinical Quality Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom for Healthcare | Yes ("Hide Self-View") | Yes (turn video off/audio on) | None; high-definition audio/video streams remain stable. |
| SimplePractice | Yes (via client/video settings) | Yes (disable camera feed) | None; integrated seamlessly into clinical workflow. |
| Doxy.me | Yes (minimize/hide tile) | Yes (audio-only toggle) | None; lightweight browser connection. |
If you'd like, I can provide:
Let me know how you'd like to proceed.
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, the key distinction is between **hiding self-view while remaining on video** and **turning video off entirely**. Both can be clinically reasonable, but the latter is more dependent on the therapist’s approach and the treatment goals. Based on current platform documentation: -…
Yes. For a client with social anxiety, the key distinction is between hiding self-view while remaining on video and turning video off entirely. Both can be clinically reasonable, but the latter is more dependent on the therapist’s approach and the treatment goals.
Based on current platform documentation:
I'd rank the options:
One important clinical point: audio-only isn't automatically "lower quality," but it can change what the therapist can observe. For social-anxiety treatment, visual cues can sometimes be therapeutically useful, particularly if exposure to being seen is itself part of treatment. On the other hand, forcing video too early can increase avoidance, distress, or dropout. A useful compromise is camera on + self-view hidden, followed by a collaboratively planned progression toward more video exposure if and when clinically appropriate.
If you're choosing a platform for actual clinical practice, I'd also check HIPAA/BAA arrangements, therapist licensing, documentation, insurance compatibility, and whether the clinician—not just the software—supports audio-only sessions.
For clients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), seeing themselves on a screen triggers constant self-focus and self-judgment, often draining the emotional bandwidth needed for therapeutic work.[](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7411446/)…
For clients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), seeing themselves on a screen triggers constant self-focus and self-judgment, often draining the emotional bandwidth needed for therapeutic work.
Fortunately, most major HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms and general telehealth tools support hiding self-view or transitioning to audio-only. Quality of care is rarely compromised by these adjustments—in fact, for social anxiety, removing the distraction of self-monitoring often deepens engagement.
If you'd like, I can:
Let me know how you'd like to proceed!
For clients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), seeing themselves on a screen triggers a hyper-focus on self-evaluation and appearance, which significantly spikes anxiety and interferes with the therapeutic process.[](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7411446/)…
For clients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), seeing themselves on a screen triggers a hyper-focus on self-evaluation and appearance, which significantly spikes anxiety and interferes with the therapeutic process.
Virtually all major, HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms support hiding self-view or shifting to audio-only , and clinical consensus shows that quality of care remains high as long as it aligns with the client's treatment goals.
Platforms Supporting Self-View Hiding & Audio-Only
Does Audio-Only or Hiding Self-View Lose Quality of Care?
Would you like help exploring:
For a client with social anxiety, the key feature is not just “teletherapy,” but whether the platform supports **lower-pressure formats** (audio-only, phone, live chat, messaging) and whether the therapist is comfortable adapting the modality. A good clinician can usually provide effective care without requiring the…
For a client with social anxiety, the key feature is not just “teletherapy,” but whether the platform supports lower-pressure formats (audio-only, phone, live chat, messaging) and whether the therapist is comfortable adapting the modality. A good clinician can usually provide effective care without requiring the client to watch themselves on screen. Research generally finds that video is not inherently required for effective psychotherapy; the therapeutic relationship, evidence-based treatment, and consistency matter greatly.
Here are platforms that are generally more accommodating:
| Platform | Audio-only option | Self-view control | Fit for social anxiety |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterHelp | Yes — offers phone sessions in addition to video and messaging | Depends on device/platform settings; clients can often hide their own video preview through device settings or use audio only | Good for clients who want a gradual approach (messaging → phone → video if desired) Healthline Psych Central |
| Talkspace | Yes — supports audio/live sessions and asynchronous audio messaging | Video is optional depending on plan; live sessions can be audio-based | Strong option for clients who prefer less exposure; messaging can reduce performance pressure Talkspace Talkspace |
| Doctor On Demand | Primarily video-based for therapy visits; audio availability may depend on provider/workflow | More limited because the service emphasizes face-to-face visits | May be less ideal if avoiding video is a priority Doctor On Demand |
| Local therapist using a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform | Often yes (phone sessions or audio-only telehealth may be available) | Usually more flexible because therapist can adjust settings | Often the best fit if the client wants a specific accommodation |
For social anxiety, I would prioritize:
A therapist might structure care like:
This can preserve treatment quality while reducing unnecessary distress. The client and therapist should decide together whether moving toward video is a treatment goal or whether audio-only is sufficient.
One important question when comparing platforms: “Does the therapist I’m matched with regularly treat social anxiety and support audio-only sessions?” The individual therapist’s approach often matters more than the platform itself.
