The short answer: Therapy is treatment: a clinician assesses what's going on with you, builds a plan, and adjusts it as you go. A self-paced course is education: the same lessons for everyone, done on your own time, with nobody tracking how you're doing. If you're tired and stretched but still basically yourself, a course may be the right fit; if you've felt not like yourself for more than two weeks or your thoughts scare you, start with therapy.
You've got my course page open in one tab and my booking page in the other. One is a fraction of the cost of the other and you can start tonight. The other means talking to a stranger about the thing you haven't said out loud yet. You're hoping someone will just tell you which one you need.
I made both, so let me try.
What therapy is
Therapy is a relationship with a clinician who is paying attention to you. In a first session I'm assessing what's actually going on: is this exhaustion, anxiety, depression, a birth that's still replaying, perfectionism that stopped working, or some combination? Then we build a plan around that, set what "better" would look like in your words, and check progress as we go. When something changes, the plan changes. When you can't see your own pattern, I can. You can read what a first session is like if you've never done this.
What a self-paced course is
A course is me teaching. The New Mom Program has the explanations, exercises, and meditations I wish someone had handed me in the first months, organized so you can do a lesson at 10 p.m. with a baby on your chest. It's for understanding what's happening and learning tools, on your own time, for a lot less than therapy costs.
What it can't do: notice that you're worse this week than last. Tell you whether what you're feeling is depression. Adjust when the standard advice doesn't fit your situation. Pick up the phone. Nobody is on the other end of a course, which is the whole reason it's affordable.
Side by side
| Individual therapy | Self-paced course | |
|---|---|---|
| Who's guiding it | Me, in real time, responding to you | Me, recorded, the same for everyone |
| Is it treatment | Yes: assessment, a plan, progress we track | No: it's education |
| Best for | "Something is wrong and I want help with it" | "I want to understand this and learn some tools" |
| Clinical assessment | Yes, from the first session | None; you decide what applies to you |
| Interactivity | Two-way: you talk, I respond, we adjust | One-way: you watch, read, and practice |
| If you're getting worse | The plan changes, and I can coordinate with a prescriber (I don't prescribe) | Nothing changes unless you reach out for more help |
| Schedule | Booked sessions, in person or video | Any time, in any size piece |
| Cost and access | 50-minute sessions, in person or video, out of network; see fees and insurance | One-time purchase; see the course overview for current price and what's included |
How I'd actually decide
Ask yourself how you're doing, honestly, not how you'd describe it to your mother-in-law.
If you're tired and stretched but still basically yourself, still laughing sometimes, still able to enjoy things in flashes, the course may be exactly right, and you can always step up later.
If you've felt not like yourself for more than two weeks, if you dread the mornings, if you're crying in the car or snapping at everyone or having thoughts that scare you: that's something to treat, and a course will not treat it. Start with therapy. You don't need to diagnose yourself first, and you don't have to prove that self-help failed before you're allowed to see someone.
If you're having thoughts of not wanting to be here or of harming yourself, don't wait for a course or a booking. Call or text 988 now, or call 911 if you might act on them.
If the thoughts are the part that scares you, here's more on scary postpartum thoughts and how to ask for help. If a difficult birth keeps replaying, here's more on birth trauma recovery.
When a self-paced course is a good fit
A course is a real option in its own right. It tends to fit when:
- You want to understand why you feel the way you do, and you'd like to learn that privately first.
- You mostly want information and tools, and you're still basically yourself.
- Your schedule is unpredictable and booked appointments feel impossible right now.
- You're waiting for a therapy opening and want something useful in the meantime (and you'll reach out sooner if you get worse while you wait).
- You're already in therapy and want practice between sessions.
The first lesson is open, so you can see whether the way I teach works for you before buying.
Both is fine
Plenty of my therapy clients also work through the course between sessions. It gives us shared language and saves session time for the things only a session can do. You're never required to buy the course to see me, and buying it doesn't make you my client; those are two separate things.
Online therapy is not the same as an online course
These get mixed up a lot, so it's worth saying plainly. Online therapy is therapy: a live session with a licensed clinician by video, with the same assessment, plan, and progress-tracking as sitting in an office. An online course is pre-recorded education. If what's stopping you is getting out of the house with a newborn, video therapy may solve that without giving up the treatment part.
I offer virtual therapy in Texas and many other states through PSYPACT, and in-person sessions in North Austin. Here's how virtual therapy works, and what the research says about whether online postpartum therapy works.
If money is the barrier
Say so. The honest options are: check whether your plan reimburses out-of-network therapy (many PPO plans do, and I provide monthly superbills), ask your insurer for an in-network perinatal specialist, or start with the course and the free resources in my resource library while you sort out the rest. Any of those beats staring at two tabs for another month.
If you're not sure what's free, the postpartum support options guide walks through hotlines, free support groups, and how to find a perinatal specialist. The Postpartum Support International HelpLine (call or text 1-800-944-4773) can also help you find free and local options. And how superbills work explains the out-of-network reimbursement process step by step.
Still not sure? That's what the free 15-minute consultation is for. I'll tell you which one I think you need, and I'll mean it even when the answer is the cheaper one.
You don't have to be "bad enough" to benefit from support. Many of the moms I work with aren't clinically depressed at all. They're dealing with the everyday stress of becoming a mom, and therapy helps with that just as much as it helps with depression or anxiety.
If you can't keep yourself or your baby safe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Call or text 988 for crisis support. Neither a course nor a consultation is an emergency service.
Sources
- National Institute of Mental Health, Perinatal Depression
- National Institute of Mental Health, Psychotherapies
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Frequently asked questions
- Is a self-paced course the same as therapy?
- No. A course is education you work through on your own; nobody is watching how you are doing or adjusting anything. Therapy is a clinician assessing your situation, building a plan with you, and tracking progress. Only therapy can tell you what is wrong and treat it.
- How do I know if I need therapy or just a course?
- Tired and stretched but still basically yourself: the course may be exactly right. Not yourself for more than two weeks, dreading mornings, crying in the car, or having thoughts that scare you: that is something to treat, and a course will not treat it.
- Can I do the course while I’m in therapy?
- Yes, and many clients do. It gives shared language and saves session time for the things only a session can do. Buying the course is never required to see Dr. Rundle, and it does not make you her client.
- Is online therapy the same as an online course?
- No. Online therapy is a live video session with a licensed clinician, with the same assessment, treatment plan, and progress-tracking as therapy in an office. An online course is pre-recorded education that's the same for everyone. If leaving the house with a newborn is the barrier, video therapy can solve that without giving up the treatment part.
- Can I use a self-paced course while I wait for a therapist?
- Yes. A course can help you understand what's happening and practice some tools while you wait for an opening. It isn't treatment, though, and nobody is tracking how you're doing, so if you feel worse while you wait, reach out to your OB, midwife, or primary care provider sooner. In a crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.
Dr. Jana Rundle
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
