What is Online Therapy?
Online psychotherapy or telepsychology, is a method to help people who are suffering from any type of mental illness or experiencing any sort of emotional difficulties in coping with life. Problems helped by therapy include a variety of mental illnesses like the impact of emotional trauma, medical illness, feeling of loss, and specific mental disorders, like depression or anxiety. Psychotherapy helps eliminate, reduce or control the troubling symptoms so a person can function and cope better in their day-to-day lifestyle.
The rapid increase in the field of technology has made it possible for one to seek psychotherapy out of the therapist’s office and into whatever location you are connected to the Internet. With just the click of a mouse, you can go online and get have an instant access to a therapist. Using the web for therapy can be convenient for many people, as most people nowadays are comfortable and well-versed in using the Internet. Online therapy helps people receive help without leaving their own comfort zone. And the hassle of navigating through traffic to reach your therapist or interacting with an unfamiliar environment can be easily avoided with online therapy.
Benefits of Online Therapy:
Online psychotherapy is the evolved version of traditional face-to-face therapy. It is a tailor-cut and modified version of in-person therapy and is specially made to cater to the fast-paced lifestyle led by many in the urban areas. It holds a lot of promise and offers a few benefits in comparison to in-person psychotherapy.
- It can be convenient. Online therapy doesn’t disrupt your daily schedule as it can take less time away from the office or your workday. There is zero worry about traffic as there is no need to travel a distance to meet up with your therapist. All you have to do is dial a number or log in to a site, and the session can happen wherever and whenever you are comfortable.
- Certain anonymity can be maintained. We reside in a country that is yet to accept mental illness or seeking therapy as something normal. Online therapy sites allow users to sign up with “nicknames”, offering a degree of anonymity to the people who are embarrassed or uneasy about accessing these services under their real names.
- Compared to traditional in-person therapy, it can be less expensive. There are packages, subscriptions, and special offers available that minimize the overall expense. The online session is a little most cost-effective than in-person therapy as it cuts down the travel costs.
- Online communication is very comfortable for many people, especially younger adults or those who use technology often. More people are using email, webinars, and text messaging to communicate, and it can seem more comfortable or easier than talking to someone in person, especially when revealing personal or private information.
- It can provide access to those who can’t get to an office. In some areas or remote locations like hill stations, the nearest psychologist office could be miles away. People suffering from chronic illnesses or with some kind of disabilities may not be able to drive or easily be able to leave their homes. In these situations, while seeking help online therapy acts as their savior.
- Not a problem for those suffering from social anxiety. Individuals with anxiety, especially social anxiety, are more likely to reach out to an online therapist as interacting with a new person is a herculean task to them. In Online therapy, the pressure of social conduct is off and such people feel a little more comfortable in sharing private information.
Concerns about Online Therapy:
Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of online therapy and whether digital communication has what it takes in helping its patients heal in a proper manner.
- The biggest concern about online therapy is that therapists or psychologists don’t have an opportunity to observe the patient in a live setting-something that is usually integral to an assessment and diagnosis. The tone of his/her voice, body language, and overall demeanor are what provide an educated insight into an individual’s well-being.
- Another concern is the strength of the patient-therapist relationship. A major component of effective therapy involves a trusting relationship between the therapist and the patient. As the entire setup is online a lot of people feel that it is impersonal and ineffective in building that relationship.
But despite these concerns, research done by scholars and psychologists has consistently shown that online treatment can be very effective for many mental health issues.
- In 2014 the Journal of Affective Disorders published a study on “Effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy” and found that online treatment was just as effective as a face-to-face treatment for depression.
- The Journal of Psychological Disorders published a study in 2018 that found that online cognitive behavioral therapy is “effective, acceptable and practical health care.” The study found the online cognitive behavioral therapy was equally as effective as a face-to-face treatment for major mental illnesses like depression, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
- In 2014 a study was published in Behavior Research and Therapy whose preliminary results concluded that online cognitive behavioral therapy was effective in treating anxiety disorders. The treatment provided was cost-effective and the positive improvements were sustained at the one-year follow-up.
Online therapy is growing rapidly and slowly becoming the need of the hour. The Internet is not just for chatting with friends and relatives anymore. Both personal, as well as relationship counseling, can be sorted after online. The availability of easy communication and mental health resources merged together to form what is now known as online counseling is effective to a lot of extent given the fast-paced lives we lead in the current time and scenario.
Feel free to reach out to us for counseling and psychotherapy sessions from our trained psychologists, and psychotherapists.
