Technology does not stand still: progress has reached psychotherapy. More and more people are moving from the usual face-to-face consultations to online meetings with specialists. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of this format.
Most studies show that online and face-to-face therapy are equally effective in relieving symptoms, especially when different types of anxiety, stress, and depression are treated in the class.
Thus, a 2018 meta-analysis found that the results of 1400 patients who underwent cognitive behavioral therapy were equally successful regardless of the meeting format.
A 2020 study looked at the effectiveness of “brief” therapy when the client needed to set goals and solve specific problems. To do this, college students with mild to moderate levels of anxiety underwent online or offline therapy – in the end, both methods were found to be equally effective.
It turns out that online therapy is as effective as face-to-face? Yes, but not in all cases. In a severe crisis, mental disorders, trauma and suicidal intentions, replacing face-to-face meetings with virtual work may not have the expected effect.
Benefits of Online Therapy
- saving of time You do not need to take into account the time for the trip to the therapist and back.
- No attachment to location – thanks to this, it is easier for residents of small towns to find a specialist, even if he is from the capital. In addition, you can not interrupt therapy due to moving to another city, business trip or vacation.
- Can be practiced from home – being in a familiar place creates a sense of security and comfort, which allows you to reduce tension and remove some psychological barriers in a conversation with a therapist.
- Confidentiality – complete anonymity in both formats of therapy is guaranteed only by the conclusion of an agreement, but at least you will not intersect with people in the waiting room.
- Convenient work with information – you can record sessions and review them later, as well as exchange files and links with the therapist.
- Cost – not always, but often online classes are cheaper than face-to-face, as a specialist can save on office rent.
- Suitable for the “first step” – many people, especially those with social anxiety, sign up for a psychotherapist, but do not reach him. On the Internet for the first time to seek psychological help is not so scary.
- Emergency Assistance – how to make an appointment and get an urgent consultation is often easier online.
- Choosing between consultation formats Now online therapy is available not only via video calls, but also via phone calls and chatting. Who is more comfortable!
I switched to online therapy in March last year, just when the total lockdown began – it was a forced decision. The effectiveness, of course, was primarily affected by the imposition of many problems: a difficult break with a loved one, learning difficulties, worries about the coronavirus. But I lacked a comfortable safe space.
If I lived in my own apartment and in conditions where I could go out and take a walk at any time, then maybe I would exist quite calmly in online therapy. But I live in an apartment with my sister and cannot be “alone” with a specialist. So now I will look for a specialist for face-to-face therapy, so that during the conversation I feel that he is confidential.
A funny detail: initially, my psychotherapist received at home, in her office. During online therapy, she worked from a room with a different wallpaper – with purple spirals. And I was terribly uncomfortable during the session, I felt tired. Only at the final session did I realize that a significant part of my discomfort during therapy was played by these stupid wallpapers – they made my eyes ripple and my head started to hurt.
Technical problems should not be discounted either. When you talk about your experiences in tears, and your interlocutor asks every two minutes: “What?”, “Everything is frozen, can you repeat it?”, This is a serious hindrance. Because there are things that are difficult to pronounce once, and even more so twice …
Anastasia, 22 years old
Disadvantages of Online Therapy
- Technical difficulties – here everything depends not so much on people, but on the work of the Internet, laptop and phone. Intermittent communication and noise can reduce the effectiveness of the consultation to zero.
- Discomfort for the older generation – for them, the use of phones and laptops is not as natural as for young people, so it can be unnerving and annoying.
- No psychotherapist’s office – it is primarily important for people with family problems who are looking for a safe place.
- Few techniques available – due to remote consultation, the psychotherapist will not be able to use art therapy, psychodrama, play, sand and body-oriented therapy.
- Difficulty making contact – it is more difficult for the psychotherapist to capture the signals and body language of the client when he sees him at best through the camera, and then not completely – for example, a change in posture, movement of the legs may go unnoticed.
- Dependence on a specialist – it is characteristic of consultations by correspondence, when the client can at any time share his feelings and questions with the psychotherapist, without waiting for an appointment and without trying to figure it out on his own first.
Still, it’s good to have plenty to choose from. Everyone can independently decide on the format that will meet the most important requests. In addition, there is no need to stop at just one. Both types of therapy can be successfully alternated, choosing the option that will be convenient and useful for you here and now.