Top 5 Benefits to Online Therapy
The benefits of online psychological therapy have long been known prior to the pandemic but since then, the request for online therapy has increased exponentially.
The sudden need to move to remote ways of living meant that online therapy has become a much more widely accepted approach. Although some people have now gone back to in-person therapy, there are still huge numbers of people that prefer to stay online.
So, before we talk about the benefits of online therapy, you may be wondering what we mean when we say online therapy and how it differs from in-person therapy. Services can vary, but in this article we are focusing on the benefits of having your psychological therapy session via video conferencing software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The idea is that the psychological therapeutic approaches utilised are the same as in-person but you will be talking over video rather than in a room with your psychologist and/or therapist.
If you are considering having your psychological therapy sessions online then this article aims to help you to understand how this way of working can benefit you. Having worked online as a Clinical Psychologist for a number of years now, I have seen first-hand how this approach has been helpful to my clients. In my experience, here are the top 5 benefits of working therapeutically online.
Being in the Comfort of your Own Space
An important aspect of psychological therapy is feeling safe to talk about your experiences in life as well as your innermost thoughts and feelings. Being in a private space where you feel comfortable is key. We are much more able to use our words, reflect and share how we really feel when we are calm and relaxed.
Some people might find being in a clinic room more anxiety-provoking or find it more stressful having to navigate transport and other logistics to get to their in-person appointment. Doing your session online can take away all of this hassle and means you can choose to have your appointment in a place, usually where you live, which feels most comfortable for you.
It may also enable you to meet your own needs more easily during the appointment. For instance, you can get yourself a drink in your favourite mug or you can sit in a comfortable position. Whereas with in-person sessions, you may not feel as able to prepare your environment to help you to talk (e.g. where you sit, the temperature of the room) in the same way as you would being in your own space.
You can choose who you want to see
If the psychologist and/or therapist you want to work with is not located where you are then online therapy enables you to be able to access their support and services regardless of distance (note: if they offer online support). This means that if you are moving or live far away from places where you would be able to access high-quality psychological therapy then you don’t have to miss out and can access this support from wherever you are.
Save time and money on getting to and from your appointments
Depending on where you live and the location of your in-person therapy sessions, it can cost you time and money to get to your appointments every week.
Before you know it, you could be travelling longer to and from your sessions than the actual session itself. For some people, they may prefer to have that travelling time to mentally and emotionally prepare for their therapy appointment or reflect on the discussions afterwards. Whereas for people opting for online therapy, they may prefer to spend this time reading their journal notes prior to the session or practicing self- care following the appointment instead of travelling.
Regarding costs, you could also find yourself needing to pay for either public transport or fuel costs and parking on top of your therapy sessions if your sessions are face-to-face. In contrast, having your therapy appointment online is just the cost of the session!
Greater continuity in sessions
As you will be in your own space, there are less likely to be external factors (aside from internet issues!) which prevent you from getting to your appointments e.g. train strikes, traffic. You may find it easier to regularly attend your appointments online which provides for greater continuity in your psychological support.
It also means that if you work remotely in different places, you move regularly or you are spending a significant time away from home then you can continue with your therapy sessions.
For some of my clients, it’s been helpful to have psychological support to navigate any challenges that arose specifically due to moving around. Having our sessions online enabled us to have a regular safe space to reflect on some of these issues and how to deal with them in real-time.
Digital copies of therapy
During online sessions, the same therapeutic techniques are used as if you were face-to-face but using a digital format. In my client sessions, I use screen share and send helpful resources over email.
We also usually have a working document which contains our shared ideas, discussions and strategies we have practiced all saved in one place. This means that you will have easy-to-read copies of our work together which you can refer back to and adding to once our work has come to an end.
Dr Becky Ashton
Book in online!
After reading, you may have a better understanding of the benefits to having your psychological therapy session online and want to take the next step.
At the Online Psychology Hub, we currently offer sessions via video using Zoom. So if you want good quality psychological therapy that is easily accessible to wherever you are then get in touch and we can book in a 1:1 initial telephone call!
Hi! I’m Dr Becky Ashton, a Clinical Psychologist and founder of the Online Psychology Hub.
I believe that when you are feeling lost and stuck, you deserve therapy that is kind, easy-to-access and tailored to you during difficult times.
I’m based in London, UK but enjoy working with people across the UK and worldwide. When I’m not working, you can find me being active, exploring new places and eating homemade cookies.