In many cases, online therapy offers the same quality of care. Several studies have found that teletherapy is as effective as face-to-face sessions in treating a variety of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. Online therapy offers the ability to connect with a therapist from the comfort of your own home. Face-to-face therapy allows you to bring your mental health needs into a supportive but neutral space.
Research has found that online therapy can be effective in treating anxiety, depression and trauma. There is no difference in patient satisfaction depending on whether the therapy is online or in person, and for any of the methods of receiving therapy, the results are better the more sessions someone attends, 10 If you are interested in finding a therapist, you can use this website to search. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, contact someone here for help. More research is needed on the effectiveness of online therapy for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other types of mental illness.
You don't have to have a clinically diagnosed condition to benefit from talking to a professional, and online therapy can provide you with an easy way to get started. However, the only study that directly compared the effectiveness of CBT online with face-to-face CBT found that both methods of therapy were equally effective in reducing depression. However, another review of 19 studies found that online CBT was superior to placebo and was on the waiting list, and as effective as face-to-face therapy for the treatment of anxiety. There is no difference in patient satisfaction depending on whether the therapy is online or in person, and for either of the two methods of receiving therapy, the results are better as a person attends more sessions.
Some people may feel more comfortable undergoing therapy in a digital environment, especially younger people who are more familiar with these methods of communication, but other therapists and patients alike may take more advantage of therapy that uses more direct human contact. Due to social distancing requirements, most therapies are now conducted through online video chat programs, rather than a traditional in-person meeting. The duration of the online CBT sessions was between 8 and 15 weeks, which was considered a short period of time in therapy. Hosted by editor-in-chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares the pros and cons of online therapy.
In an online therapy session, your counselor or therapist will work with you to evaluate the problems you are facing and help you overcome your difficulties. Counseling online and found that a significant proportion of university students in Malaysia would prefer to receive mental health counseling online. Online therapy may require you to investigate the privacy policies of video and messaging platforms to protect your information. Whether or not online therapy is right for you depends on your condition and the severity of your symptoms.
