Mental health professionals are more essential than ever in New York City, and those offering telehealth may be uniquely positioned to bridge the gap in care.

New York City is home to a vast and diverse population, with mental health needs that mirror its complexity. About 1 in 5 New York City adult residents experience mental health challenges each year, and major depressive disorder remains the leading cause of disability. Certain populations face even greater risks: young adults aged 18-34, Hispanic residents, and individuals earning less than $25,000 per year report higher rates of anxiety and depression, for example.

Despite the clear need, too many New Yorkers go without the mental health care they deserve. According to the city’s health department, 14 percent of adults “reported an unmet need for mental health treatment in the past year.” Limited access to care and resources, high costs, and lingering stigma are common barriers.

If you offer telehealth already, or want to start, now is the time to expand your reach. A thoughtfully managed telehealth practice can meet a critical need in the region while helping you build a sustainable and client-centered business.

Here are practical strategies to help you launch telehealth services, streamline your processes, and grow your practice in the NYC community.

Find Tech Solutions That Put Patients First

Choose a telehealth platform that is easy for patients to use. Your clients won’t care about fancy tech if they can’t figure out how it works.

When selecting telehealth tools, think like a patient: intake forms need to be easy, appointment reminders should arrive on time, and session access should work on the first try. Your best bet is to find a browser-based solution that doesn’t require patients to download yet another app. Look for HIPAA-compliant platforms that offer everything you need without making your clients jump through hoops.

Some EHRs, such as Valant software, keep the telehealth experience easy for providers, too. Valant lets you launch sessions directly from your calendar, access patient charts during visits, and document as you go, without switching between platforms.

Remember to invest in solid hardware and a strong internet connection, because nothing kills the therapeutic moment like a frozen screen or choppy audio.

Create a Great Patient Experience

Telehealth treatment should offer an experience every bit as positive as in-person therapy. When choosing your tools, consider accessibility and convenience. This might include:

• Group therapy options
• In-session chat capabilities
• Virtual waiting rooms
• Call-in flexibility for patients with unreliable internet
• Captioning tools
• Audio-only options

All of these features can boost engagement and expand your service offerings. Valant supports group therapy with up to 30 participants, which opens up possibilities for peer support groups and other group-based modalities that are particularly effective for certain populations.

Treating Patients Across State Lines

Back when mental health treatment was in-person only, licensure in your own state was all you needed. As a telehealth provider, however, you must be licensed in every state where your patients are physically located during sessions. This is an absolute nonnegotiable.

When you’re uncertain about specific state requirements, don’t guess. Check with your state licensing board or consult resources like the Center for Connected Health Policy, the Federation of State Medical Boards, or the American Telemedicine Association. For psychologists, the PSYPACT compact can simplify the process of multi-state compliance.

Requirements are constantly evolving, so stay current on the latest regulations.

Support Your Team (Even If It’s Just You)

Telehealth changes how you work, but it shouldn’t compromise the quality of care you provide or leave you feeling drained at the end of the day. Look for integrated tools that let you take notes during sessions, auto-fill documentation, and track outcomes without switching between multiple platforms. You can also use tech features to shrink your busywork. Built-in assessments with automatic scoring, like the PHQ-9 for depression or GAD-7 for anxiety, can speed up documentation while supporting data-driven treatment decisions.

Build buffer time between sessions and minimize tech-related frustrations wherever possible. A telehealth platform that gives you simultaneous access to patient records and real-time documentation helps reduce those after-hours admin tasks that contribute to burnout.

Maintaining Quality

Running a virtual practice doesn’t mean accepting lower standards. Your patients deserve the same level of care they’d receive in person—and the data should prove it. Use standardized assessments to track progress over time and incorporate outcome measures into your treatment planning.

Be ready to support clients who need in-person care when telehealth isn’t enough. If you offer telehealth alongside a physical practice location, you may handle many of these clients yourself. But if you’re telehealth only, you’ll need to build relationships with local providers, crisis teams, and higher levels of care. This is important when you’re serving a large, diverse population.

Clear escalation protocols and referral processes should be part of your infrastructure ahead of time.

Grow Through Marketing

Serving a population of diverse New Yorkers requires you to get clear about what you treat. Are you focused on treating anxiety, depression, and stress—some of the most frequent mental health concerns in the city? Are you interested in helping those with relationship issues? Trauma survivors? Members of marginalized communities? Professionals experiencing burnout? The more specific you can be, the easier it becomes to reach the right people.
Next, update your website, online profiles, and directory listings to clearly indicate that you’re a telehealth provider. Include location-specific language that signals where you’re licensed to serve patients, so that the right clients can find you. Simple changes like these can improve your visibility with your target audience.
To make sure you draw the right clients, track metrics such as patient retention rates, session attendance, and new patient acquisition trends. That should help you see when you’ve hit the “sweet spot” of advertising your services well.

Streamline Your Process

Some providers choose to offer telehealth only, with no physical location. Even though that eliminates the complexity of maintaining office space, you still can’t wing it on business operations if you want to grow your practice. You need reliable systems for scheduling, billing, intake, and internal communication.
A robust EHR platform can centralize these tasks and eliminate the need for multiple tools and duplicative work. The less time you spend on administrative tasks, the more time you have available for patient care—and in a fast-paced environment like NYC, that efficiency can be the difference between growth or stagnation.

Clear role definitions, shared calendars, and secure collaboration tools become even more important if you have a distributed team. Data security is a top priority; use platforms that support HIPAA compliance and encrypt communication across all channels. Having consistent protocols makes everything run smoother and makes it easier to bring on new team members when you’re ready to level up.

Grow Your Practice

A well-run telehealth practice offers high-quality services. It maintains satisfied patients and builds sustainable operations that meet the needs of its regional community.
As more people seek convenient access to mental health services, many will turn to providers who offer telehealth options. The infrastructure you build today sets you up for long-term success in a market that desperately needs what you have to offer.

The opportunity is there. The need is real. Now it’s up to you to grow your practice so that you can make an impact in your community.