The Benefits of Online Therapy

There are many benefits to online therapy, but also some drawbacks. Studies that compared online and in-person therapy for the same type of therapy found similar rates of effectiveness. It is important to figure out what works best for you rather than just relying on what the research says is effective.

When it comes to tele-counselling, there are different formats for online counselling. Counselling can be done in person, through various video platforms, by telephone, or through text or chat programs. In both in-person and video counselling, the therapist and client can still see each other and observe non-verbal forms of communication. With telephone counselling, you can still communicate through vocal tones and words. With Text and chat-based counselling, the counselling is based on words and is more prone to misunderstandings. I generally find that it is more difficult to create a therapeutic alliance with my clients with more forms of communication that are removed. In-person and video counselling are similar in effectiveness, and which is more effective for a person depends on personal aspects and preferences.

I have described some of the benefits, considerations, and challenges of online counselling below. Please note that most of these are based on video counselling rather than telephone and chat-based counselling.

Benefits of Online Therapy

More Convenient & Accessible

A person can access online counselling from their own home. This helps people who have trouble getting out of the home or have busy lives and have a hard time finding the time to travel to and from appointments. You are generally able to find a comfortable place to sit at home to attend your counselling sessions.

Online therapy can often be squeezed into an hour during your day, such as your lunch hour. Occasionally, you can also have shorter appointments if that is all you have time for.

Often, you can have comfort items with you

Often, you can have a counselling session in a comfortable room in your home, and you can have pets or other things with you that can be calming and enable you to be more present in the session.

Finding a provider that fits your needs

Effective counselling often means a good fit between client and counsellor. You want a counsellor who has the skills and techniques to work with the issues and challenges that you are bringing to therapy. The counsellors in your area may not have the skills to effectively work with your issues, but when you have online counselling, you can have a greater selection of counsellors to choose from.

Establishing a Therapeutic Relationship

A lot of people have found that they have been able to secure a good therapeutic relationship through online therapy. Therapists have found different ways to deepen a therapeutic relationship when not in the same room as the client.

Attunement and Body Language

With video therapy options, a therapist can still read a lot of the information that they would if it were in person. This is not the case for telephone or text-based therapies, where the therapist cannot observe the face and shoulders.

More flexible, customizable

If you have trouble finding privacy at home, you might want to talk to your therapist while walking or in a park on your smartphone. If you have chronic pain, you may be able to sit in positions that are more comfortable than if you attended counselling sessions in person. Often, there is a lot of flexibility and adaptations that can come with an online therapeutic experience.

Reduced Stigma and Increased Confidentiality

There is reduced stigma because people do not see you walking into a therapist’s office or see you in a waiting room. There is also increased confidentiality because you are not seen attending therapy. This means that you are in control of who finds out that you are attending therapy.

The rules around privacy and confidential client information for online therapy are strict and part of the ethical framework of therapeutic associations. Therapists are expected to use encrypted programs for therapy sessions, so what you say in therapeutic sessions should be as private as you are able to make it on your end (secure network, private space where others cannot overhear, etc.).

Making Online Therapy Better

Creating more privacy

There are ways to increase the privacy of your therapeutic sessions. If you are afraid of being overheard, you can use a white noise machine between you and the door. You can also find a quiet, private space for your sessions in a car, a large closet (clothes and fabrics also help to dampen the sound), a large pantry, or a bathroom, if necessary.

Reducing Distractions

Work with others to create boundaries around your therapy sessions so that there are fewer interruptions and distractions.

What are some of the Challenges with Online Therapy?

Certain Mental Health Conditions

People with intellectual disabilities and schizophrenia are among those who would be more appropriate to be seen in person.

Personal Preference

Some people prefer meeting a therapist in person and have trouble connecting over video. If that is the case for you, you might want to pursue in-person counselling.

Technical Difficulties

When using technology to access counselling, there is a chance that the technology will fail (Internet/power outages, device malfunctions, etc.). Usually, the therapist has a plan for technology issues.

What is best for you?

While there are a lot of benefits to online therapy, what is best for you depends on your personal preferences and what is important to you. Most research that has compared online and in-person therapy has found no difference between the two. Researchers have compared in-person versus online therapy in multiple modalities (EMDR, DBT, CBT and Cognitive Processing Therapy) and have not found a difference in effectiveness. Whatever makes you more comfortable and you feel you can stick with is probably the best option for you.