The 5 psychological keys that explain the effectiveness of online therapy

These are the main characteristics of online therapy that explain its effectiveness.

On the surface, online therapy sessions, conducted through a digital video call platform, appear to be very different from those conducted face-to-face with the psychologist. The stereotypical image of the patient talking from a couch while the therapist takes notes sitting in a chair a short distance away is practically iconic, and that also makes conversing and interacting from electronic devices potentially shocking as an idea of psychological therapy.

However, beyond these superficial differences, the reality shows us that online psychotherapy by video call is perfectly comparable to the "classical model".. On the one hand, scientific research shows that its degree of effectiveness is the same as when you are in the same room as the psychotherapist, and on the other hand, in a very short time the number of people who have opted for this option at a distance has grown a lot. But... why is this?

The main psychological keys behind the efficacy of online therapy

Every psychological phenomenon is multi-causal; that is, it cannot be explained by looking only at a single fact. The psychotherapeutic process, as a psychological process, is no exception to this, and this means that whether a session goes well or not does not go well does not depend solely on one factor to be taken into account.

This is why the effectiveness of online therapy is not caused by one of its characteristics; here we will see a summary of several of the aspects of this format of psychological intervention that help to understand why it works and is effective a wide variety of problems. There are probably many more, but these are the ones we consider most important.

1. Reducing sources of stress by saving us the commute

The rush, the physical effort to get to the consultation and the fact of managing the travel time well are aspects that can stress us. are aspects that can stress or fatigue us relatively easily. With online therapy, we start the session without these elements that have the potential to wear us out.

2. It offers the possibility of being in a safe and familiar place.

Doing therapy means leaving home or another place that we know well and offers calm and privacy. In this way there are fewer stimuli or contextual elements that distract us or that may unsettle some people who are prone to stress, and in this way it is easier to "dive" into the therapy process from the very first session..

3. The flow of non-verbal communication is not cut off

Verbal communication, based on the non-verbal language of our gestures, grimaces, postures and voice, is very important in the therapeutic process. After all, all the problems to be addressed and overcome with the help of the psychologist are associated with emotions and feelings that are reflected not only in what we say, but also in how we say it.

That is why, psychotherapy professionals must both know how to pick up on these subtle signals that lie beyond words, and adapt to these emotional states in real time. The goal is both to help the patient move toward his or her goals of improvement and self-improvement, and to establish the appropriate psychologist-patient therapeutic bond.

Online psychotherapy by video call is nowadays a format that allows to collect most of the relevant aspects of non-verbal language, thanks to the fast data transmission of Internet services and the good quality of the cameras manufactured today.

4. Discretion is gained

Going to the psychologist is very normalized and it is generally assumed that anyone may need, at some point, to resort to psychotherapy services, but there are still those who prefer to rely on discretion in these cases.

In this context, something as simple as not having to manage the fear that others will "see" us going to the psychologist's office makes the attitude of many people more positive..

5. Most therapeutic tools are still available

Fortunately, many therapeutic resources have their version adapted to online format via video call. This means that the fact that the patient is far away from the psychologist's office is almost never a limitation.except in exceptional cases where the use of very specific three-dimensional materials is required, but in most cases they can be substituted.

Are you interested in expert psychological assistance?

If you are thinking of starting a psychotherapy process or you are interested in having more information about the different psychological assistance services that exist both online and in person, please contact us.

At Avance Psychologists we have been helping people of all ages for more than 20 years, and currently in addition to psychotherapy by video call or in our center located in Madrid, we offer speech therapy, neuropsychology, psychiatric assistance, coaching, couple therapy and family therapy services.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• 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.