An online therapist really works - here are the 5 benefits
There was a time when you went to the psychologist they called you “crazy“. The taboos tarnished the true objective of this profession. Nowadays many people go to psychology consultations in search of tools that help them cope with their problems. However, there is a question that is always floating around, “Is seeing a therapist in person better than seeing an online therapist?”
Although we are surrounded by technology, we are still reluctant to use it in some ways. An online therapist may sound good at first but we may doubt if they will really be effective. Will it be just as if you were in a face-to-face consultation? Will it work just as well? Let’s try to answer some of these questions.
Choosing an online therapist gives you the ability to attend therapy without having to leave your home.
1. An online therapist offers you flexibility
Imagine that we have a problem with emotional dependence, but there is no therapist nearby who specializes in this. Thanks to technology, we can have a session with someone who we know will truly understand us and give us the right tools.
In the same way, we will normally have more chances of finding a time when the specialist’s schedules match ours. That way we will not have to give up anything or ask for a day off work. Nor can we say “I don’t have time” or “my schedule does’t allow it.” In this way, an online therapist is ideal for all those people who have difficult schedules, a busy agenda or travel a lot.
In addition, an online therapist allows us to have sessions from home or from a place where we feel protected. This is very important, because the goal is for us to feel comfortable and relaxed. It is also an advantage if we live in a remote location, suffer from agoraphobia or have reduced mobility.
2. It’s way cheaper
A lot of people confuse technology and new things with being more expensive. However, this is not the case. Because we do not have to have a location for the session and we can access it from any device (computer, tablet, mobile), it’s cheaper.
This is not only because of how much we save on transport, but the therapist saves money too. You do not need a waiting room, a clinic or a suitable place. The therapist, if they wish, can attend to us from their own home, so the price will always be lower.
Although the price of an on-line consultation is much cheaper, the quality of the service is just as good.
3. There are many options for communication
We may resist trying this form of consultation because we are too embarrassed to talk to an unknown person through an electronic device. This may seem very artificial and distant.
However, an online therapist can offer different ways of contact. For example, via email or phone call. There may also be the possibility of an interactive consultation through a video chat.
What really brings the on-line session closer to face-to-face is when you speak via Skype or any other platform that allows audiovisual communication with the therapist. Whichever method we choose, the quality of the service will always be the same.
4. There is continuous follow-up for the therapy
The positive thing about seeing an online therapist is that it does not matter if we go on a trip or if we have to move for some reason. For example, if our work requires almost constant mobility, it’s not a problem and we won’t have to have a psychologist in every city in the world.
The therapist can continuously monitor our case without our changes getting in the way. Wherever we are we can continue carrying out the sessions we need without having to cancel or postpone them. This benefits us since we will not have to sacrifice our welfare for circumstances that force us to change our place of residence.
In this sense, many people who are going to live outside their country have difficulties expressing themselves in the new language in that new country. Perhaps they can express themselves in it, but they have the feeling that they cannot give their messages the same nuances as they could in their mother tongue. An online therapist can also be a great option for these people.
You can contact your online therapist regardless of where you are.
5. It increases realiability
Maybe it will be hard for us to tell our problems to someone we don’t know. Therefore, accessing an online therapist and having multiple options to contact can help a lot. Do we prefer to maintain communication via email or phone call?
We decide the means and the way in which we can rely on our therapist. It may be easier for us to express what happens to us through writing or just talking on a telephone. We choose the form of therapy that best suits us as well as the best means of communication.
Not having to go to a face-to-face consultation may help people who are afraid when someone knows that they have problems.
Have you ever worked with an online therapist? The quality of the therapy can be very similar, but it has the advantage of adapting to your needs. It’s a more convenient way of going to a consultation, flexible and cheaper. Now you can choose how you want to communicate with your psychologist to express what is going on without having to worry about the barriers that you might have come up against before.