How does online therapy help us?

These are the different aspects in which online therapy helps patients.

The fact that online therapy is rapidly gaining popularity is no coincidence. Although technically the only difference between this format of psychological intervention and the usual format (face-to-face) is the communication channel that patient and professional use, this small change produces a "domino effect" that translates into multiple advantages.

However... how exactly does online therapy help us? We will see it throughout this article.

How does online psychotherapy help us?

The emergence of a form of therapy that can be conducted via video call has opened the door to a new way of understanding psychological and psychiatric care services. Today most people living in Western countries have access to the technology needed to take advantage of these services, so it is only natural that online therapy is spreading.

We will now take a look at the aspects of online therapy that are we will look at the aspects of online therapy that are most useful on a day-to-day basisFrom the point of view of patients who opt for this type of service when it comes to having the support of psychologists.

1. It helps to make better use of time

One of the aspects of online therapy that helps people in a more obvious way is the fact that it makes travel unnecessary.

Simply being at the agreed time in a place with an Internet connection and that offers calm and privacy is enough. Thus, patients save time and patients save time and in many cases money as well..

2. Helps to make the sessions fit into the timetable

As a consequence of what was said in the previous section, by having more time available, patients have more time in their day-to-day lives, and that makes it easier to make therapy sessions "fit" into the schedule.

This is one of the advantages of online psychotherapy that is especially appreciated by busy people.It is possible to stop working in the office, go to a reserved room and do the session, and then continue working, for example.

3. Reach more people

Many people cannot travel to the psychologist's office for health reasons: leg injuries, old age, etc.

In these cases, online therapy not only facilitates the process of having professional help every day when there are scheduled sessions with the psychologist without having to ask someone to accompany them and without suffering discomfort when moving, but also, in the first place, allows them to consider receiving therapy in the first place, it also allows them to consider receiving therapy.

4. It provides discretion

It is very important to be clear that in any type of psychotherapy, whether face-to-face or in person, patient information is treated confidentially, as required by the code of ethics of psychologists. However, in addition to having this certainty, there are people who seek extra discretion.

In this sense, online therapy is very useful, since it allows to "go to the psychologist" without leaving home and, consequently, without entering the psychology or health center where the therapist is physically present.. However, as it has become more normalized to go to mental health professionals, this advantage is becoming less important.

5. It favors the continuity of therapy even when traveling.

In therapeutic processes, perseverance and commitment are very important, because no change happens overnight. That is why it is is essential not to interrupt the treatment for as long as it lasts.There is a high risk of going back to square one.

Online therapy helps not to interrupt the treatment, since not even traveling to another city is an excuse not to attend the sessions.

Looking for quality online therapy services?

All the advantages we have seen can make a difference in the mental health field: if you have therapists experienced with the use of this technology, it is very easy to take advantage of its potential.

If you are considering this type of professional support, we invite you to contact our team of professionals. At CITA Clinics we have experts in a wide variety of psychological and psychiatric problems: we specialize in the treatment of addictions, emotion regulation problems, mood disorders and other forms of discomfort common among the population. To see our contact details, access this page.

Bibliographical references:

• Change, D. (2008). The Effectiveness of Telemental Health Applications. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 53: pp. 769 - 778.
• González-Peña, P., Torres, R., Del Barrio, V., & Olmedo, M. (2017). Use of technology in psychological practice in Spain. Infocop.
• Gratzer, D., & Khalid-Khan, F. (2016). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy in the treatment of psychiatric illness. CMAJ, 188(4) pp. 263 - 272.
• Schuster, R. et. al. (2018). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online and Blended Therapy: Survey Study Amongst Licensed Psychotherapists in Austria. J Med Internet Res. 20(12): e11007.