Are you wondering whether online therapy is an option for you?
These days, travelling, living outside the city or being in lockdown isn’t a problem when it comes to getting psychological help.
Day after day, more patients are seeing the success of online psychology worldwide. This therapeutic method is a concrete opportunity for patients who need therapy and who, for some reason, don’t want to or can’t travel — because of physical limitations, distance, personal preference, or reasons related to their difficulty, such as fears, phobias or insecurities.
Online psychological therapy has been a bridge during the period of isolation we’ve had to face during the pandemic. Thanks to it, hundreds of people were able to continue their treatment and/or others got the support they needed.
Likewise, some people have been deciding to seek help remotely because of the deep psychological aftereffects this health crisis has caused worldwide.
Personally, I’ve not only been seeing patients remotely for 17 years, but I’ve also received therapy sessions myself when I’ve needed them.
Both situations have brought excellent results.
The whole process starts with a call or a message someone sends me, and we set up an appointment to answer the questions and doubts that come up.
Thanks to technological advances, these days it’s very easy to connect quickly and securely to hold sessions without needing to attend the practice in person. It’s done free of charge through apps like Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or FaceTime from your mobile phone, tablet or computer.
Many patients are glad because it saves them the trip, especially if we meet at peak times or early in the morning. Also, if they’re travelling or on holiday, they don’t have to postpone, interrupt or abandon therapy. Remote therapy is your ally in these cases.
I’ve even talked with patients before a medical exam they’re afraid of, before boarding a plane in cases of phobias, etc…
Besides being just as effective as in-person therapy, remote therapy has the following advantages:
No travelling
Sometimes, travelling to the practice can involve certain inconveniences such as: not finding parking, time stuck in traffic, travel time, not having a vehicle. Not being able to get a taxi — if it’s raining everything gets even more complicated.
Discretion and anonymity
First of all, we should make clear that, whether you take part in in-person or online sessions, the treatment is confidential and therefore private. Even so, when sessions are online, no one will see you walking into the practice and, of course, no one has to know you’re in therapy if that’s what you want. This format also means patients don’t have to ask for time off work to attend their therapy. This is a big advantage for those who want to keep it discreet.
Continuity
A work trip, a holiday, an illness or even a change of address won’t be a reason to stop therapy. You can do it as long as you have your laptop or your phone at hand!
You save time and get more comfort
In travel, waiting rooms, parking. And the best part is you don’t have to get ready to go out. You can do it from home, from your bedroom — some patients even do it from their car! What matters is that you’re comfortable, while you have a cup of tea.
Equally important in my case as a therapist: since I’ve lived in different countries, my patients have been able to continue their therapy thanks to technology!
Key points of online psychology
During these sessions, the same communication process takes place as in an in-person session. The fact that psychological therapy is remote doesn’t mean it’s less effective.
In short, the patient’s “physical absence” from being in the same place as the therapist, during an online session, in most cases stops being a disadvantage and becomes a real benefit for the therapeutic treatment. The reason is that, in some cases, it even encourages honesty and openness.
However, it’s essential to make sure the online therapist has the practice, the same qualifications and skills as an in-person therapist. Because, besides being held to the same standards, they also use the same methods of help.
Online psychology stops you putting off treatment
It’s clear that many people want to, and know they need to, go to therapy, but have put off starting treatment — the advantages remote help offers might be the motivation they need.
Does your first meeting with a psychologist make you anxious?
Although it’s normal to feel anxious about your first appointment with a psychologist, online psychotherapy lets you hold the meeting with the specialist in a comfortable place of your own choosing. This is the first tool that going virtual gives us, to reduce the anxiety you might feel about taking that first step. So, having the option of getting treatment at home, at work or wherever you feel most at ease, has led to an increase in consultations.
In situations like the Covid-19 crisis, carrying out remote therapy lets the client be at home or in whatever safe place they prefer, supporting the patient’s peace of mind and increasing their openness to therapy and its positive effects.
The effectiveness of online psychology
I have more than 30 years working with patients who’ve had different kinds of trauma, who struggle to process grief, who have relationship problems, etc. For this, in my in-person or remote therapies I use approaches such as: Sensorimotor psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, Neurofeedback, Somatic Experiencing (SE), Gestalt Therapy and Dan Siegel’s Interpersonal Neurobiology, among others, with excellent results.
Most of my patients present with:
— Anxiety disorders linked to phobias, such as panic disorder and agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
— Psychological difficulties caused by the pandemic and the social isolation it has produced
— Eating disorders, such as body dissatisfaction, excessive worry about weight, bulimia and anorexia
— Depression and insecurity
— Prevention and follow-up of addictions such as drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.
— Areas such as psycho-oncology, reconstructing irrational thinking, support for chronic illness, sexual dysfunction, insomnia, relaxation, being overweight, emergencies and disasters, domestic violence and work-related stress.
Whatever the reason for receiving virtual treatment, it requires the same commitment as in-person treatment, both from the patient and from the therapist.
Remote therapy often supports the patient’s peace of mind, increasing their openness to therapy and its positive effects.