7 answers to your questions about online psychology

It is common to have questions about online therapy. Let's take a look at the solutions to these doubts.

If you have come this far to read this article, perhaps it is because you have unresolved questions or concerns about how psychologists who practice online psychotherapy work. Perhaps you have asked yourself before reading this article... how do they work? How does it work, is it reliable, how much does it cost, is it effective?

From here on I will try to clarify and give answers to these questions about the services that the psychologists we do by Internet.

Most frequent questions about the psychotherapy online

Perhaps you are thinking that you need to go to psychotherapy, and you think that you could do it online, from the tranquility, intimacy and comfort of your house.You will be able to start a psychotherapeutic process online, without having to make any displacement and without having to face a waiting room.

But as it is something new and unknown to you, it can generate many uncertainties, so you will ask yourself some questions to be sure before deciding to start an online psychotherapeutic process. Perhaps some of the questions you may have are the following.

1. What are the online psychology sessions like?

These sessions usually work through videoconferencing, from platforms that facilitate video calls.. The psychotherapy session can be carried out without image, only with sound, by audio-conference or by telephone; also without image or sound, only written in real time, by chat or even by delayed email.

In any case, I only recommend online psychotherapy only by videoconference, I consider it to be the most effective way since it is the one that achieves the best results.

2. How do I pay the price of online psychotherapy sessions?

Surely you have made a purchase online, because in the same way that you pay for online purchases, you can also pay your psychologist online. At present there are many electronic payment gatewaysor sending and transferring money (such as Pay Pal), and payments can be made through them.

Other alternative means of payment can be bank transfers, bank deposits or money transfers through Western Union.

3. Are the psychotherapy sessions completely online or is it sometimes necessary to be in person?

Psychological therapy can be completely online, since both diagnosis and treatment can be carried out by video call and payments as we have just said through Internet payment gateways, or by transfer or deposit in account.

You should know that psychology, unlike other health disciplines such as medicine, does not require physical contact with the patient, it is not essential to have physical contact with the patient to make a diagnosis, nor to carry out the psychotherapeutic intervention; therefore it is only necessary to do it through videoconferencing.

4. Is it reliable to do therapy with an online psychologist?

I could tell you that you can also trust a psychologist who works in person. After all, the only thing that changes is the way you communicate with the psychologist.

As a psychologist who works online, I can accredit my university degrees both as a graduate in psychology and as a Specialist in Clinical Psychology.

Of course you can find some fakes or impostors, but that can also happen in person and in that case you will have to denounce them to the authorities for professional intrusion. But what you will usually find is that we are the same psychologists who have face-to-face consultation who now also carry out online psychotherapy.

Anyway, nowadays you can consult the digital footprint, prestige of the therapist and opinions of other patients of a psychologist before deciding to start a psychotherapeutic process.

5. How much does an online psychotherapy session cost?

I am one of those who consider that both the price of online and face-to-face psychology sessions should be the same, due to the fact that the psychologist provides the same work.

You will have seen that there are more or less economic rates. This will depend on the training, the experience and the prestige of the psychologist, and the same happens with the sessions that are done in person.

What does turn out to be more economical is in relation to the time and the pertinent transfer to arrive at a consultation of the psychologist in person.

6. What do you think about free online psychology?

There are many people who come to certain web pages that offer free online psychologist. Unfortunately these supposed services of psychology are not reliable neither deserve in any case your confidence, they are a fraud. Going to the psychologist's office is not free, just as the plumber or the lawyer is not free.

The psychologist is a professional who charges for his work, like any other profession. We cannot give free serviceWe, like everyone else, have to make a living from our work.

Perhaps there are psychologists who work and their services are free or subsidized because they are part of a program financed by a Public Administration, by a Charitable Foundation or by an NGO. In these cases I do not have the disadvantages mentioned at the beginning.

7. Will online psychotherapy be effective for me?

I would say that at the same level as the psychotherapy that we do in person is effective. The techniques and therapies that support the science that we use in face-to-face psychotherapy sessions to treat and help people with psychological problems are the same as those we use online. The only difference is the way they are delivered to the patient..

I hope I have answered your questions about online psychotherapy. It is a viable option, not the only one, that you should not discard without knowing its benefits and effectiveness.