Is Online Therapy for You?

When we think of talking therapy: psychotherapy, coaching, counselling and especially hypnotherapy, we think of physically meeting with a therapist, face to face in a quiet space decorated in muted colours where we will talk about, and hopefully find a solution for, our problems. We don’t imagine ourselves sitting at home, the office or hotel room in front of our computer screens. Yet, online therapy is becoming increasingly popular.

Online Therapy

It’s easy to see why. Tech is a part of modern life, especially for millennials, after all where’s the first place you turn when you want to find out how to do something? From building a compost toilet to how to get coffee stains out of the laundry, we ask Google or YouTube. It’s easy and you don’t have to leave the house to do it. That is the power of the Internet.  It gives you instant access to information on almost any topic you can imagine. Which makes it the perfect vehicle for so many things, including online therapy.

Not only that, research studies suggest that online therapy is just as helpful as traditional face to face therapy.

“There is strong evidence that psychological therapy, can be effectively delivered online to treat a range of mental health difficulties.”

In some trials, online therapy has been found to be as effective in reducing symptoms as therapy delivered face-to-face and suggests that online therapy, including via email and video conferencing, can result in client satisfaction with both the therapy and the quality of their relationship with the therapist.

“With only about one-third of those with mental health difficulties obtaining help it’s something we can no longer ignore.”

Online therapy may help overcome some people’s reluctance to seek help, either because of concerns about the stigma of visiting a practitioner or because of a preference to self-manage symptoms. Online therapy certainly offers increased choice and flexibility.

Let’s look at the pros-

• Online therapy affords a strong sense of anonymity and people feel more comfortable opening up and discussing problems when they are online.
• Having to comply with fewer social “niceties” motivates both client and therapist to get to the heart of their matter quickly leading to faster results.
• There are obvious advantages for differently abled people and for those living in remote areas or working away from home.
• Sessions tend to be cheaper than face-to-face therapy.

Let’s look at the cons-

• There may be concerns about how secure and confidential personal information entered online is.
• Some people don’t feel confident about using computers or other technology, so trying to navigate an online service may increase their anxiety levels.
• There are concerns about the varying quality of online therapy.

As you can see the pros far outweigh the cons, especially in consideration of practical factors such as availability, travel, time and financial restrictions.

As a therapist living at the edge of the Scottish Highlands online therapy is not new to me. I have spoken to clients online since the days when we hand to crank a handle to get Skype. Folks living in remote areas simply don’t have direct access to a range of qualified professionals. If there are therapists in these areas, there are only a handful of them and the chances are, they know the client’s family or friends which of course creates an inhibition effect not to mention an ethical conflict of interest. It’s difficult to speak candidly with your therapist when they take tea on a Saturday afternoon with your mother-in-law!!! When you use an online therapist it’s much easier to have a wider variety of practitioners to choose from. Clients I have helped remotely have included those without access to adequate transportation, those who couldn’t drive and needed help with confidence building to learn, couldn’t get childcare, were homebound due to physical or mental health challenges, others who were hesitant to come out to a clinic because of social anxiety or agoraphobia.

Interested?

If you relate to some of the situations mentioned in this article and feel online therapy could help you, you still need to do your research. Always check the therapist’s qualifications and privacy policies and wherever possible get a firsthand recommendation. Many online therapy sites complete this verification process for you as well as giving their therapists additional training on how to work online.

By Vicki Rebecca