Home Health Weighing the Benefits Vs. Risks of Online Therapy

Weighing the Benefits Vs. Risks of Online Therapy

by Dustin Cortright

Everyone goes through hard times and find themselves in critical situations from time to time. When you find yourself in these situations, your first step should be to talk to someone. It is better to talk to someone about your issues rather than to keep them bottled up. But, finding the time to talk to someone, especially a professional, is hard these days. Your time is valuable and making weekly or bi-weekly appointments seem impossible. However, thanks to the advent of new technology, these problems don’t exist anymore.

The availability of online therapists has made it easier for people to access mental health services. The pros are essentially endless. However, while there are many advantages, there are also disadvantages to using online therapy.

Advantages of Online Therapy

The first benefit that comes to mind when speaking about online therapy is that it can be used discreetly. When you go out to visit an office or clinic of a therapist, many people can potentially know that you are suffering from a mental illness. This is what’s known as stigma. With e therapy, you have the ability to keep your issues to yourself, while also having the ability to stay anonymous with your therapist. That’s right – you don’t need to provide your real name. If you are interested in using this type of therapy as your primary care provider, consider the services detailed on E-counseling.com for further assistance.

Also, online therapy is helpful for those who are not able to visit a therapist in their community or city. Many mental health offices are far away from people. It is said that roughly half the U.S. population don’t have access to professional therapy services in their location.

Weighing the Benefits Vs. Risks of Online Therapy

source: zemsib.com

Additionally, many people hesitate to talk face to face or feel shy to discuss their problems, even if they know that the person sitting adjacent to them is a professional. Sadly, most people are uncomfortable speaking with a stranger in person. With online therapy, however, you can feel free to open up about your issues over text-based support (and even phone calls).

Disadvantages of Online Therapy

Everything comes with some pros and cons.  As beneficial as e therapy may be, there are some disadvantages too.

  • The major drawback is speaking over text or even a phone call can’t completely describe how badly you suffer from your problems. There is an absence of facial cues.
  • Even though it’s 2019, there are plenty of people with a spotty internet connection. If you don’t have a good internet connection, this type of service will be worthless.
  • There’s not enough research yet to suggest that this type of therapy is truly helpful. Although millions of people use it, there are no long term studies showing the significant impact of this type of service.

Process of Online Therapy

Therapy is used to console patients who are suffering from anxiety, depression, stress, and several psychological issues. Online treatment is similar to common/regular treatment. The only difference is that it is processed via electronic media – such as Skype. And, the process is simple. You sign up for an account, fill out a short questionnaire, pay a small fee and then you are good to go. Once you have an account, there are several ways in which you can communicate with your therapist.

Weighing the Benefits Vs. Risks of Online Therapy

source: aier.org

  • Live Chat: This process can help you to talk to any therapist over a text-based system. We don’t recommend this, as responses are almost always not in real time.
  • Email: Yes, email is still a thing. We’ll leave it at that.
  • Voice Calls: In this method, you can call and talk about your problem over the phone
  • Video Chat: With a video call, you have the ability to see your therapist. This, in turn, eliminates one of the aforementioned disadvantages: the absence of facial cues. Your therapist will in fact be able to see your facial expressions. This is likely the best way to get treated if you use online therapy.

Whatever the case may be, make sure to take into account all of the advantages and disadvantages prior to signing up for an account. It may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a shot.

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