Due to the global pandemic and other factors, increasing numbers of clients have started seeing therapists online. While the idea of talking about sensitive, private things this way might seem a little strange or uncomfortable at first, there are many benefits to be enjoyed from chatting with a counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or another mental health practitioner digitally.
Convenience
The first reason to consider booking an online therapy service is the convenience that stems from it. When you choose teletherapy services, you can engage in them from the comfort of your home or office rather than having to travel potentially many miles away.
There are no commute issues to worry about, and you can often select the communication method that suits your needs best, too, such as videoconference, a telephone call, or even text messages or live chat in some cases. All you require is a secure internet connection, phone line, or smartphone to get the help you seek.
Time Savings
Another benefit of choosing online therapy is the time savings you can enjoy. Since you meet with your mental health practitioner remotely, you don’t have to leave your home or office and fight traffic, find a park, locate offices, etc. Over a few sessions, this can add up to significant time savings.
Also, many therapists make more appointment times available outside of typical business hours when they run online sessions. They can fit in extra clients after dinner, on weekends, and so on. In turn, this makes more appointment times available in general, so you should be able to get in sooner and enjoy time savings in that way.
Increased Choice and Availability
When going down the digital rather than in-person therapeutical route, you also get to enjoy increased choice and availability. For example, you don’t need to pick between only those workers in your city or suburb but can instead choose those farther afield.
Pick a person who’s on the other side of the country or even on the other side of the world if you like. This flexibility opens up your options considerably, which is particularly helpful if you want to find a specialist in a specific type of therapy or a niche field.
Furthermore, if you’re interested in online therapy, you don’t need to confine yourself to individual sessions. You can book couples’ appointments or join in with multiple other people for digitally run group sessions. The latter is helpful if you want to join a group focused on a very niche topic or therapy style, which may not have enough attendees to form an in-person group.
Affordability
Many patients like the fact that they can get some cost savings out of seeing a therapist online. For instance, you save on travel expenses such as gas or public transport fees when you can speak with a specialist remotely. There aren’t any parking charges to worry about, either. Plus, since operators who run online appointments often only do sessions from their homes and don’t pay expensive leases or mortgages on physical office space, they can charge less for their services. You may be able to find more affordable therapy options as a result.
Accessibility
People who are physically limited or who are housebound due to mental health challenges such as agoraphobia often find that online therapy sessions are beneficial to them. Some people on the autism spectrum who find public settings and waiting rooms, in particular, to be too much prefer digital therapy, too.
Happily, those with mobility or other issues can speak with a trained professional simply and easily from home, thus providing an alternative to traditional psychotherapy settings.
Improved Consistency
Another plus you might find from selecting online therapy rather than in-person assistance is achieving better consistency with sessions. Since neither you nor the therapist has to travel, there’s less likelihood of appointments being missed or canceled. If you travel for work or vacations, you can still keep your sessions in place, too.
Increased Comfort
If you find baring your innermost thoughts, feelings, fears, desires, etc., to a therapist rather daunting, you might find it less challenging to chat and relax with a professional from your own space. Some people notice that conversations feel more private and secure when they’re completed from home. Plus, others think it’s easier to open up because there’s less physical proximity between them and their mental health practitioner.
Online therapy may be a newer format of care, but that doesn’t mean it’s a less effective one. Next time you need to book a session, it pays to consider this type of appointment to see if it might work best for you.