Online psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and couples therapy for people in Maryland, by secure video with John J. Hartman, Ph.D., FABP, under PSYPACT.
Online therapy for people in Maryland, by secure video. John J. Hartman, Ph.D., FABP, is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified psychoanalyst whose practice is based in Washington, DC. Under PSYPACT, the interstate compact for telepsychology, he works with people anywhere in Maryland, from Bethesda and Silver Spring to Baltimore and Annapolis. Every session is held by video. The commute is the only thing that goes missing.
Yes, by video. Maryland wraps around the District on three sides, and plenty of people cross that line twice a day. For therapy, nobody has to. Maryland takes part in PSYPACT, so a session can run with you in Rockville, Towson or Frederick and Dr. Hartman at the other end of a secure video link.
Dr. Hartman trained at Harvard College (A.B., magna cum laude), the University of Michigan (Ph.D., clinical psychology) and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Psychoanalysis, a training and supervising psychoanalyst at the Florida Psychoanalytic Center, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida, and the author of six books. He is a licensed psychologist in Washington, DC (license PSY200001229), Florida and Michigan, and is authorized under PSYPACT (authorization APIT, Mobility Number 11223) to provide telehealth psychological services in participating PSYPACT jurisdictions, including Maryland and Virginia.
I have over 50 years of experience working with patients from adolescence to old age in individual psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and couples therapy.
PSYPACT is the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact: an agreement among participating states that lets a psychologist licensed in one of them practice telepsychology with people in the others. It is administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the association of the licensing boards themselves. Maryland takes part. So does Virginia.
Dr. Hartman is not separately licensed by Maryland's board, and under the compact he does not need to be. His authority to work with someone in Maryland comes from PSYPACT, through authorization APIT, Mobility Number 11223, which rests on his existing state license. Any psychologist's PSYPACT authorization can be checked on the PSYPACT website, psypact.gov.
The compact looks at where you are, not where your mail goes. You must be physically in Maryland, or in another participating jurisdiction, while the session takes place. A session from your kitchen table in Silver Spring is covered. So is one from a hotel in Virginia. Travelling somewhere else? Say where you will be and confirm availability for that location.
Maryland's own board is not pushed aside. The Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists keeps its say over psychological practice with people in Maryland, and a psychologist working under the compact follows the rules of the state the person is in.
Psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and couples therapy, all by video. I am trained in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Rather than managing symptoms alone, we use the relationship that develops in therapy to understand the individual conflicts (often originating in childhood) that underlie the difficulties you experience today.
Psychoanalysis is the deepest form of the work: frequent sessions that allow lasting patterns to emerge, be understood, and change. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is weekly or twice-weekly therapy that applies analytic understanding to anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and the conflicts underneath them. Couples therapy is for marital, relationship, and sexual conflicts: understanding the patterns two people build together, and how to change them.
I treat a wide range of conditions with psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy: depression, including suicidal feelings; anxiety and panic; self-esteem; relationship conflicts; sexual issues; personality disorders; and difficulties with work and school. The National Institute of Mental Health describes psychotherapy, or talk therapy, as treatment that helps a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
All sessions are held by secure video: online therapy, online psychotherapy, and online psychoanalysis, with the same depth as the consulting room.
What you need is modest: a computer, tablet or phone with a camera, a stable internet connection, and a room where you will not be overheard for fifty minutes. The software is secure. Your side of it is a door that closes. The American Psychological Association's guidelines for the practice of telepsychology ask psychologists to protect confidentiality, use secure technology and know the law of the state the person is in, which is exactly what the compact settles. The APA's overview of telehealth covers what care by video involves.
One rule comes from the compact rather than from clinical practice: be physically in Maryland, or another participating PSYPACT jurisdiction, during each session. Home in Bethesda, a desk in Baltimore, a summer week on the Eastern Shore: all Maryland, all fine.
Booking starts with a free 15-minute consultation, by phone or email, about what brings you and whether working together makes sense. Then we schedule a first session and start the work. Hours are by mutually agreed arrangement, generally Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Washington and Maryland keep the same clock, Eastern time, so there is no arithmetic.
In my experience, yes. I have practiced by video for years, and the depth of the work carries. Many patients find that speaking from their own home makes it easier to be candid, and the saved commute makes frequent sessions realistic.
Research agrees. A 2021 meta-analysis in Clinical Psychology Review pooled 57 studies with 4,336 people and found that video sessions produced treatment effects largely equivalent to in-person care (Batastini et al., 2021). Equivalent, not better. Nobody needs to oversell a screen.
Individual sessions (50 minutes) are $325 and couples sessions (90 minutes) are $475. The first 15-minute consultation is free. A sliding scale is available; ask whether you may be eligible. Sessions are private pay, and if your plan covers out-of-network mental health care, you may submit my bills to your insurer for reimbursement.
Reaching out is often the hardest step. Call (813) 787-2048 or send an email to arrange the free consultation. No judgment. Nothing to prepare. Just a conversation.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911. This website is not monitored for emergencies.
Not by Maryland's board, and under PSYPACT he does not need to be. He is a licensed psychologist in Washington, DC (PSY200001229), Florida and Michigan, and holds PSYPACT authorization APIT, Mobility Number 11223, which allows telehealth with people in participating jurisdictions. Maryland is one of them.
Just be there. The compact works on your physical location at the time of the session, not on where you live. Whether you live in Maryland, work there or are visiting, a session is fine as long as you are in the state while it takes place. Virginia takes part too.
We simply talk. You tell me what brings you in: there is nothing to prepare and no right way to begin. I will ask about your history and what you hope for. By the end, we will discuss whether working together makes sense. If I am not the right fit, I will help you find someone who is.
Yes. Couples therapy by video is for marital, relationship, and sexual conflicts: understanding the patterns two people build together, and how to change them. Sessions run 90 minutes and are $475. Each of you needs to be in Maryland, or another participating PSYPACT jurisdiction, during the session.
Yes. Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, Columbia, Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick, the Eastern Shore: a video session is the same from any of them. What matters is that you are somewhere in Maryland at the time, with a private room and a steady connection.
The first 15-minute consultation is free and carries no obligation. All sessions are online by secure video, for people in Maryland.
Call (813) 787-2048 Prefer to write first? Email Dr. Hartman