What is online therapy?
During the COVID lockdowns many services were moved online. Therapy was no different. Although online counselling has been around for many years, many counsellors only offered in-person sessions pre-pandemic. Just like so many others, counsellors were forced to adapt and embrace online therapy. Despite some intitial caution, more and more therapists and clients have been discovering the benefits of online therapy.
Online therapy is very similar to traditional in-person therapy, except the therapy occurs remotely over the internet via a live video link. It will be held over a secure platform such as Zoom, Skype or Whereby. Clients can connect using a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or phone. Otherwise counsellors usually have the same set-up online as in person. For example I hold weekly sessions at the same time each week, with each session lasting 50 minutes.
A new way to connect
But is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy? Well, the research suggests that yes it is. Humans, like other animals, cant exist without some form of relationship. We are born from others, learn how to live from others, and crave relationship in some way or other. We’re also extremely adaptable to new situations. So it is no surprise to me that we can still form really deep and affecting relationships online. This shows my age but I remember using chat rooms and messenger services to connect with other strangers in the dial-up age of the internet! That was just via text but it often felt like you made real friendships.
So as well as being just as effective as face-to-face therapy, online therapy arguably has the following additional benefits:
- Accessibility – Sometimes it is difficult to travel to and from an appointment at the same time each week. This could be because of childcare, a disability, public transport, parking, fitting it around other commitments and so on. These days most of us have access to the internet and a phone or laptop can make joining online much easier.
- Convenience – It can be simply more convenient to join online therapy. You can join from anywhere in your house, or anywhere in the world. It may also be more cost effective. Either because of saving money on travel, or sometimes therapists offer online sessions cheaper than they would in-person sessions.
- Safety – As well as feeling more comfortable joining online counselling from your own home, in the age of COVID it can be safer too. It means you do not need to leave the house if you’re unwell or vulnerable to illness.
- Privacy – Sometimes waiting in a therapists waiting room can feel really awkward. Especially when you’re not feeling great and there are others waiting there too. Using online therapy instead can offer a sense of privacy. If you share a laptop or other device with others and you’re concerned about privacy, you can always use an anonymous/private session in a web-browser for the therapy, and clear your cache and cookies afterwards.
- Therapeutic benefits – As well as the practical benefits above, it can also be therapeutically valuable to hold sessions online. Clients often feel more at ease in their own home, and find themselves less inhibited speaking to someone online. There can also be unintended benefits to any interruptions e.g. from a partner or housemate, child or pet, drilling next door and so on. While it’s best to try to minimise disruption, anything like that can be an opportunity to talk about how you relate to others or other themes that emerge. As the relationship between client and counsellor is the most significant contributing factor to effective therapy, this can all be extremely valuable.
Everyone is different
Although there are many benefits to online therapy, it may not be for everyone. It might be difficult to find a private space at home to talk to a counsellor online. For example if someone is experiencing domestic violence, or simply in a busy house-share with limited space. Not everyone is comfortable using technology to connect to others, and sometimes clients may prefer the traditional face-to-face option.
If you are interested in exploring online therapy then feel free to contact me to discuss more.