Online Therapy: Pros and Cons
Online counseling is a great way to get all the benefits of good psychotherapy without the hassle of traffic and travel to get to a therapist’s office by a certain time. This is good news for those who are housebound or live in rural areas with no therapy services, or for those who simply don’t have more than an hour at a time to set aside for emotional and psychological support.
What it is?
Video counseling is like skyping with a therapist, via a secure portal. You can have therapy at the touch of a button – literally – making it more convenient than ever to access healthy support around chronic emotional issues that drain and drag you down. You can get help any time, anywhere. All you need is access to internet.
Telephone therapy is what is says it is, you talk with a therapist by phone from the comfort and convenience of, well, anywhere. You don’t even have to shower, shave or make yourself presentable in any way, which can be a relief in itself.
Research consistently demonstrates the therapeutic benefits of talk therapy to actively address and relieve a range of issues, from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and work stress, to trauma, PTSD and a host of others. Research also suggests that online therapy enables clients to get to root issues more quickly, this is thought to be because they are generally more relaxed in a setting that is more personal and familiar to them. They are not carrying the stress of having fought through traffic to get to a new environment to talk about their personal issues.
Therapists who offer online support understand the specific skill set needed to engage with people online. They rely on a more limited set of verbal and non-verbal cues to understand all that a client is communicating. An experienced therapist will ensure you won’t be missing out by not seeing them in person.
Pros
- All the benefits of therapy – greater sense of wellbeing, insight, new skills and connection that brings emotional release and relief, as well as physical benefits of lower blood pressure and cortisol release, and higher endorphins.
- Convenience and comfort makes people more motivated to follow through with the process.
- Absence of office – eliminates potential social stigma.
- No commute issues, reducing costs of both time and money.
- Greater scope of choice for the housebound, those who travel, or live a distance from a therapist
- Research suggests clients in online therapy get to the root of issues faster than face to face
- Couples therapy – both parties can conference in.
Cons
- Will need a reliable internet connection – an unreliable one may interrupt flow.
- Phone coverage needs to be ascertained.
- Convenience is a double edged sword if you need the challenge of getting out of the house
- Can’t see body language cues so easily (this can be mitigated by finding a therapist skilled in online therapy)
Clearly there are more reasons to engage in online therapy than not. The road to a new you could be just a click or call away.
To book a video or phone appointment with Marty Schwebel is easy, simply follow these directions:
Go to, https://newroadscounseling.com/
- Click on the green, “Start here” button
- Choose the “Online Therapy” service and click on the Video Office under location.
- Select the date you want on the calendar
- Select a time highlighted in blue next to the calendar.
- Follow the prompts.
To change or go back at any time click on step 1 or 2 in the left side bar
SOURCES:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-resilient-children/201209/the-benefits-psychotherapy
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/fighting-fear/201306/the-effectiveness-psychotherapy
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies/index.shtml
http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/counseling_via_phone.php
https://psychcentral.com/etherapy/best5.htm
