This modality is having a great reception and more and more professionals are offering it.
In this article we will see what makes many people choose to have remote professional support, and why more and more psychologists are adapting to this service format. In short, we will see what the main advantages of online therapy are.
- We recommend you read: “The 12 most recommended online psychologists”
The advantages of online psychotherapy, explained
Here you will find a summary explanation about the benefits of online psychotherapy (via video call), its strengths and aspects that differentiate it from “classical” therapy in the psychologist’s office.
1. It is more accessible
As online therapy does not require going to the psychologist’s office, it makes things much easier for people who, for whatever reason, cannot move, or find it very difficult. Thus, older people, people with reduced mobility or even people in isolation for health reasons can count on psychotherapy services. As a result, this modality of psychological assistance is able to further democratize psychotherapy.
- It may interest you: “When to go to the online psychologist?”
2. Provides comfort
Nor should we forget that the fact of being able to have the psychotherapy service without leaving home is usually the most comfortable option, since we have more freedom when choosing the place where we can put ourselves. In fact, something as simple as being able to be in the most comfortable chair in the house and directly regulate the temperature of the room is appreciated: it helps to focus on therapy.
3. It allows to have psychologists who live far away
With online therapy it is possible to choose to have the help of psychologists from very distant regions, or even from other countries. This means that there are more options to choose from and as a consequence, people can count on the professional that best suits what they are looking for.
4. It is easier to include in the schedule
One of the advantages of online psychotherapy that is most noted is the fact that, by not having to spend time going to and from the psychologist’s office, we save a lot of time. This is not only nice for obvious reasons, but it saves money and, above all, makes it easier to include psychotherapy sessions in our schedule. This is a feature that is especially appreciated by people who are very busy with their work.
5. Makes it easier to commit to therapy
Much of whether the therapeutic process is successful or not depends on whether the patient manages to fully commit to it, not missing sessions and making an effort to carry out the tasks that have been proposed by the therapist to gradually overcome the problem to be treated.
In this sense, another advantage of online psychotherapy is that it gives very few “excuses” to stop doing these sessions with the psychologist, since there is no reason to interrupt them even when we have gone on a trip. In short, this psychological support format has great potential when it comes to generating commitment and making things easy for patients to reach the end of the improvement process, without throwing in the towel along the way.
6. Provides discretion and anonymity
All psychotherapy sessions are always carried out maintaining confidentiality guarantees regarding the information that patients reveal about themselves: psychologists cannot spread what people decide to share with the professional when talking about their lives and their problems, with except in cases where your life or someone else’s life is in danger.
However, online therapy provides extra discretion, since by not having to go to the psychology cabinet, office or clinic, it is practically impossible for others to know that you are seeing a psychotherapy professional. This is something that not everyone takes into account, since going to the psychologist is very normalized and no longer carries a stigma, but there are still people who appreciate this feature of online therapy.
7. It makes it easier to open up about our problems.
If as patients we carry out psychotherapy sessions at home or in another that is familiar to us, it is easier to relax and open up about the problems we want to overcome.
This can make communication more fluid, since we will be less “on the defensive” in the first stage of the therapeutic process. In addition, it often allows the intervention phase to arrive a little earlier, since being in a place where they feel comfortable and that they know well, patients need a little less time to get used to these sessions. In this way, psychologists find it easier to know the point of view of those who seek our help.
How does it relate to face-to-face therapy?
Basically, all the differences between online and face-to-face psychotherapy can be reduced to one: the communication channel is different . If in one case this is the Internet, in the other it is the physical space of the psychologist’s office.
The level of efficacy is the same, and the therapeutic process is fundamentally the same, although the remote therapy option has some advantages that are worth taking into account, as we have seen.
Are you looking for the help of an online psychologist?
If you are interested in having the professional support of a psychologist who offers online therapy, I invite you to contact me. I am a psychologist specialized in clinical psychology with more than 25 years of experience , and one of the pioneers of distance therapy in Spain.
- You can learn more about my services at www.rizaldos.com.
Bibliographic references
- Change, P.M. (2011). Effectiveness of cybertherapy in mental health: a critical appraisal. Stud Health Technol Inform 167: pp. 3 – 8.
- Change, D.J. (2010). Empirical evidence on the use and effectiveness of telepsychiatry via videoconferencing: implications for forensic and correctional psychiatry. Soc Sci Med 71: pp. 1308 – 1315.
- Derrig-Palumbo, K., y Zeine, F. (2005). Online Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice.
- Gratzer, D. y Khalid-Khan, F. (2016). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy in the treatment of psychiatric illness. CMAJ, 188(4) pp. 263 – 272.
- Skinner, Ardiran; Zack, Jason (2004). Counseling and the Internet. American Behavioral Scientist. 48 (4): 434 – 446.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.