Online Therapy Can Help You Thrive — How?
Just one year ago, face-to-face felt like the norm. But these days, everything from school to work to artistic projects to socializing has gone virtual. And that included taking care of your mental health.
Online therapy (or teletherapy) has always been an option. In light of the pandemic lockdown, though, it has grown exponentially in popularity.
Of course, this growth has not happened without questions and explorations. Perhaps the most common query: Is online therapy as effective as in-person counseling? Short answer: yes, it is. And it has many advantages.
Pandemic lockdowns aside, it is a choice that can help you thrive. So, consider some of the benefits of online therapy.
How Online Therapy Can Help You Thrive
Privacy
Even in the twenty-first century, some folks still assign a stigma to any kind of psychotherapy. Online counseling counters this difficult trend by allowing you to get help within the privacy of your own home.
You don’t have to worry about running into someone you know on your way to your session. Even more uncomfortable might be seeing a familiar face right there in the therapist’s waiting room with you.
Online therapy removes these and other potential privacy concerns from the mental health process.
Convenience
Getting to and from an in-person meeting almost always involves some kind of commute. This means potential traffic and/or public transportation problems. Being a few minutes late, even through no fault of your own, can seriously impact the quality of a session.
Online therapy prevents issues like this. It cuts down on the time expenditure and reduces preparation time (getting dressed, etc.). It also allows you to choose your personal therapy location and set-up. All of this can add up to putting you in a more open and relaxed mindset.
Accessibility and Scheduling
In-person sessions are very common and have a long history. Even so, not everyone is in a position to choose this option and make it work. Common obstacles include:
Illness
Injury
Disability
Rural geographic location
Executive schedules
Teletherapy is a far more accessible mental health option. Generally speaking, it also costs less, when you consider parking,gas or commuting by public transportation . Once again, this can make the entire process feel more agreeable and positive.
In addition, without the limits of standard office hours, you can work with your therapist to set up a schedule that might have been previously impossible.
Home Court Advantage
You may get along very well with your therapist. You may also feel comfortable in their office. But… there’s no place like home or another familiar setting.
In your safe space, you can be yourself in ways not possible elsewhere. As a result, your therapist gets to see another side of you. They gain the opportunity to see you in your “natural habitat,” so to speak. This will go a long way in enabling productive therapy sessions that will help you thrive.
Virtual Counseling in 2021
The current time period, as challenging as it is, just might be an excellent entry point for trying online therapy. Like most of us, you have already adjusted to a whole new way of doing things. Hence, shifting to teletherapy will feel far more natural in 2021.
You’ve mastered the necessary technology. You are more comfortable with concepts like work-from-home or virtual schooling. Meanwhile, the stress of the past year, it appears, will be with us for quite a while longer. In other words, everything is pointing to this being the ideal time to start addressing all that anxiety by getting-help-from-home.
Get All Your Questions Answered!
Like anything and everything else that feels new these days, online therapy may involve an adjustment period. If you'd like to get your questions answered and take a giant first step toward healing, reach out today to ease your mind.