Online Therapy in Florida: Licensing and Telehealth Rules Explained

The short version for Florida residents

Online therapy is regulated state by state, and what counts is where you are during the session. Florida's telehealth law is section 456.47 of the Florida Statutes.

The law gives a therapist two main routes to seeing someone in Florida by telehealth. One is to hold a Florida license. The other, for a professional licensed elsewhere, is to register with Florida as an out-of-state telehealth provider. The statute also covers a person licensed under a multistate licensure compact that Florida belongs to.

This article explains what the state's own pages say. It is general information for people looking for a therapist, not legal advice. For a question about a specific situation, the Department of Health or the board is the place to ask.

Who licenses clinical social workers in Florida

Clinical social workers are licensed by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. The same board covers marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors.

The board's own page says it has nine members, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate: two licensed clinical social workers, two licensed marriage and family therapists, two licensed mental health counselors and three laypersons. The Department of Health's Division of Medical Quality Assurance serves as the board's main administrative support unit.

Clinical social work falls under chapter 491 of the Florida Statutes, one of the chapters the telehealth law names. The Department's telehealth questions and answers list clinical social workers, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists among the professions that may practice as telehealth providers.

What Florida's telehealth law says

The statute defines telehealth as the use of synchronous or asynchronous telecommunications technology by a telehealth provider to provide health care services. The Department explains synchronous as real-time information sharing. The definition does not include email messages or fax transmissions.

A few parts of the law matter to someone looking for a therapist:

• Same standard as in person. A telehealth provider must practice within their scope of practice and to the prevailing professional standard for in-person care in Florida.
• Separate locations are allowed. The provider and the patient may be in different places during a telehealth service.
• Records. Telehealth services must be documented in the patient's record to the same standard as in-person services, and those records, including video or audio records, are confidential under the Florida laws the statute cites.
• Where care happens. The law treats the delivery of care as occurring where the patient is located at the time, or in the patient's county of residence.

Florida-licensed therapists and registered out-of-state providers

For a therapist who holds a Florida license, the Department of Health is plain: current Florida licensees are able to provide telehealth services to patients in Florida without additional licensure. Its questions and answers add that no additional registration or certification is required.

A professional who is not licensed in Florida may provide telehealth to a patient located in Florida if they register with the applicable board, or with the Department where there is no board, and stay within the scope of practice set by Florida law. The Department says the registration is for practitioners licensed outside Florida only.

How to verify a Florida license or registration

The Department must publish a list of all registered out-of-state telehealth providers. Under the statute it includes, among other things, the registrant's name, occupation, out-of-state license number, Florida registration number and five-year disciplinary history. Checking a therapist takes a few minutes.

1. 1Ask for the name, license type and numberAsk the therapist for the name they are licensed under, the type of license and the number. Ask whether it is a Florida license or an out-of-state telehealth registration. It is an ordinary question to ask.
2. 2Open the state's license searchThe board's website has a Verify a License link that goes to the Department of Health's online license search. The Department's telehealth page carries the same link.
3. 3Search with few detailsThe Department recommends entering as few search terms as possible, such as first and last name only, or the number in the License Number field. For a registered out-of-state provider, choose Out-of-State Telehealth Providers in the Board/Council menu.
4. 4Raise concerns with the stateThe board's website has a File a Complaint link, and describes the Department's Complaint Portal as a way for consumers to find the correct agency for a health care complaint.

Being in Florida, and what happens when you travel

Because the law looks at where the patient is, your location matters at every session, not only when you sign up. A seasonal resident who goes north for the summer, a student home for break, or anyone on a long trip should tell their therapist before the session.

The Department says Florida does not have laws or rules specific to telehealth services outside Florida. A Florida licensee who wants to see a patient located elsewhere must check the laws and rules of the place where the patient is. In plain terms, a Florida license does not automatically cover a session you join from another state.

Many therapists ask where you are at the start of each video session and who to contact in an emergency. The state pages we read for this article do not spell out a step like that, so treat it as common good practice and not as a Florida rule we can point to.

How we can help

Locascio Wellness is an all-virtual practice, and every session is by secure video. A therapist on our team is licensed in Florida as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and sees clients who are physically located in Florida during sessions. You are welcome to ask for the license number and check it yourself. You can read about our team before you choose.

Therapists on our team work with worry, overthinking and stress, which our anxiety therapy page describes. Coverage depends on your plan and your state, so please ask us to verify your benefits. Our insurance and fees page explains how that works.

You can start with a free 15-minute consultation on our booking page. Online therapy is for ongoing care, not emergencies. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services. In Florida, the Department of Children and Families describes the 988 Florida Lifeline as a free support service available 24/7 that connects callers with a trained crisis counselor in their area.

Checking a license is a sensible first step, and a good therapist will welcome it. Once that is settled, you can put your attention where it belongs: finding someone you feel comfortable talking to.