What is online therapy?
Online therapy in India means structured counselling sessions with a qualified psychologist, held over a secure video or voice call rather than in a clinic room. The work itself is the same as in-person therapy: you talk through what is troubling you, the psychologist helps you understand the patterns behind it, and together you practise evidence-based techniques drawn from CBT, REBT, DBT, or mindfulness-based methods. Sessions run in English or Hindi, and you join from any private space with a stable internet connection. At Dr Vohra's, psychologists and therapists work alongside psychiatrists, so if a session suggests you would benefit from a medical evaluation or a medication review, the referral happens within the same clinic. Online therapy has reached patients from all 28 Indian states and more than 40 countries through the clinic, which has been in practice since 1998.
Counselling and therapy are often used interchangeably; both refer here to planned, goal-directed sessions with a psychologist, not casual advice. Talk therapy has been part of the clinic's work alongside psychiatry from the beginning, and psychologists and therapists are a core part of the team.
Which types of therapy are available online?
The right approach depends on what you are dealing with and how you prefer to work. After a first session, the psychologist recommends a method, and many treatment plans combine elements of more than one:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): examines how thoughts, feelings, and behaviour reinforce one another, and builds practical skills for changing unhelpful patterns
- Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT): targets rigid, self-defeating beliefs and works on replacing them with flexible, realistic thinking
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): teaches skills for regulating strong emotions, tolerating distress, and handling relationships more effectively
- Mindfulness-based interventions: train attention and present-moment awareness to reduce rumination and stress reactivity
- Couples and family therapy: joint sessions that work on communication, conflict, and trust between partners or family members
What happens in an online therapy session?
The first session is mostly listening. Your psychologist asks what brought you in, takes a history, and agrees goals with you, so you both know what progress should look like. Later sessions are structured conversations built around those goals: examining specific situations from the week, practising techniques, and reviewing what worked. Most approaches involve some practice between sessions, small assignments that turn insight into habit.
You join by secure video or voice call from any private space, in English or Hindi. How often you meet is agreed with your therapist based on what you are working on, and the format can change over time: many patients move between online sessions and in-person visits at the New Delhi clinic as life demands.
Should you start with therapy or psychiatry?
Therapy with a psychologist is a reasonable starting point when the main concern is stress, relationship difficulties, grief, burnout, anger, or persistent worry that has not overwhelmed daily life. A psychiatric consultation is the better first step when symptoms are severe or worsening, when daily functioning has broken down, when a condition such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia may need medical diagnosis, or when medication is already part of the picture. The differences are explained in depth in our guide to choosing between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
In practice you rarely need to get this decision perfect, because at Dr Vohra's the two professions work side by side. A psychologist who believes you need a medical evaluation refers you internally, and psychiatrists refer patients into therapy just as often. If you would rather begin with a medical assessment, see how an online psychiatric consultation works.
How does the Stressometer help you choose?
If you are unsure whether you need help at all, a screening test is a low-stakes way to find out. The Stressometer, developed by Dr. Vohra's Innovation Labs, asks 55 validated questions in about 10 to 15 minutes and returns an instant colour-coded report. Green points to preventive self-care, Yellow to guided self-help with an optional counsellor check-in, Orange to structured therapy with a psychologist, and Red to a psychiatric evaluation. Used this way it acts as triage: instead of guessing which door to knock on, you arrive with a measured starting point. You can take the Stressometer here, or read more about how online screening works.
What can online therapy help with?
Psychologists at the clinic work with adults, couples, families, students, and children and adolescents. Common reasons people start online therapy include:
- Stress, burnout, and difficulty switching off from work
- Low mood and depression, alongside psychiatric care where needed
- Anxiety, overthinking, and persistent worry
- Grief and loss
- Anger management
- Relationship and marital difficulties
- Sleep problems linked to stress or low mood
- Academic pressure and adjustment difficulties for students
Online therapy is not a crisis service; if you or someone near you is in immediate danger, use emergency services first. Therapy is for what comes before and after that point.
How do you book online therapy in India?
Reach the clinic through the website contact form, by phone, or on WhatsApp, and the team will match you with a psychologist and share current session fees, which are not published online. If you would like screening first, the Stressometer route is built into the clinic's wellness plans, which pair the assessment with psychologist or psychiatrist care depending on your results. Cancellations and rescheduling follow the refunds and cancellations policy.