Online mental health therapy versus face-to-face therapy. Life Beyond Lockdown
Firstly, mental health therapy comes in many forms. We’d like to make the distinction between face-to-face and in-person. Unless the consultation is by phone or a messaging service, it is always face-to-face whether it is through some form of online video link or in-person when a client has visited a clinic, you are still talking one-to-one, face-to-face. Therapists choose different techniques to train in and each offer varying levels of support for clients / patients.
Online mental health therapy
As we are dealing with matters of the mind, online therapy can be a highly effective way for clients to access their therapist. Online therapy is completely safe and highly convenient. The client can schedule an appointment at a time that suits them and have the session from the comfort of their own home. This can be very useful if clients are experiencing anxiety over leaving their home and going out into the community. It is also appropriate if someone travels a lot or has a very busy schedule, which would mean they wouldn’t have time to have therapy if it wasn’t online. It has been especially important during the pandemic when we have treated clients who are self-isolating, socially distancing or living in unhappy circumstances with others, in the most extreme and dire situations of loneliness and despair. For someone suicidal, online therapy is an immediate source of support which, of course, is vital.
We are trained in and practice an Integrative Therapy Approach. According to a customer / patient’s needs and wishes, we offer a personal programme of: Counselling; Clinical Psychotherapy; SFBT (Solution Focused Brief Therapy), which is a highly effective talking therapy aimed at speeding up the therapeutic process and encouraging the client to find their own solutions, which creates organic and durable results; the very popular CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy); Advanced Medical Hypnotherapy, involving self-hypnosis techniques to empower the client; NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming); Solution Focused Mindfulness, including fast track breathing and anchoring techniques; and the latest research-based and clinically-proven neuroscience.
All of these methods are compatible and ideal for online mental health therapy and all have produced excellent recorded results. The benefit of an Integrative approach is the ability to create a personalised programme for the client, one which they can play a part in creating as the solutions and practices available are described and explained.