Over the past couple of years and especially during the pandemic online therapy has been
used by more and more people than ever before.
There are so many benefits for seeking help for your mental health by speaking to a therapist
or mental health professional online but like most things there are also negatives too which
we will be taking a look at in todays video the pros and cons of online therapy.
Authentic Mental Health is sponsored by BetterHelp, if you want to try online therapy and speak
to a mental health professional who can diagnose you and help you click the link in the description
box down below.
Let’s start by taking a look at the pros of online therapy.
You can get help from the comfort of your own home - This is one of the biggest pros
for online therapy, before to get help you would have to go to a therapist office, see
someone face to face and talk to them about how you’re feeling.
Most people with anxiety like myself don’t like speaking or meeting new people especially
to talk about how we feel!
If you struggle with mental health disorders like depression or even agoraphobia where
you can’t physically leave your own home then before online therapy existed it was
difficult to get or seek help.
Online therapy allows you to feel comfortable in your own home, you can be wearing your
pyjamas if you really want to whilst getting help for your mental health!
Anyone can access help - Online therapy offers access to mental health help for everyone,
people who live in rural or country side areas might not of been able to get help before,
there might not be a therapist or mental health professional where they live or the closest
one lives 2 hours away, driving long distances to seek help is a burden for anyone.
Online therapy gives people quick and easy access to help that they might not of been
able to get otherwise.
Online therapy is affordable - Most states in America require insurance companies to
cover the costs of online therapy just like they would with traditional face to face therapy.
Therapist who only help patients online also have a lot fewer overhead costs than a normal
therapist does such as having to rent an office space for patients therefore if you don’t
have insurance online therapists are usually a cheaper option to seek help than seeing
someone face to face.
Wide range of therapist to choose from - With online therapy you can pick who you want to
see, if you find a therapist who you don’t particularly like or feel is helping you,
you can easily change therapists online as there are thousands of online therapists out
there to choose from
Reducing the stigma - Theres no denying there is a massive stigma attached to mental health
and mental illnesses, some people are put of seeking help face to face due to this,
online therapy allows them to feel stigma free as nobody will see or know they are seeking
help with can bring them comfort.
Let’s now take a look at the cons of online therapy
Some states don’t allow out of state providers - In the US many states don’t allow out
of state psychologists to provide their services to anyone who is out of their state, they
would need to have a licence in both their own state and your state.
This may limit who you can and can’t seek help from especially if you live in a small
state.
Confidentiality - Like anything online we all worry about our information being hacked
into or leaked, since online therapy is online there is a chance all be it a small chance
your information maybe compromised.
Unreliable technology - Obviously online therapy is online, if there’s a storm in your area
and the power into your home has been affected you won’t be able to seek help online for
a period of time, you may also have an old computer/laptop of a slow internet connection
which might make online therapy annoying.
Difficult responding to a crisis - Most online therapists are distant from their clients
which make it difficult to respond quickly and effectively if a crisis is happening
Not appropriate for serious mental health disorder or illnesses - Online therapy is
extremely beneficial for disorders such as anxiety or depression but if you have a serious
addiction or have a more severe mental illness online therapy may not be the best form of
treatment for you.
Have you ever tried online therapy before?
Did online therapy help you, did it not help you?
Let me and others know in the comments section down below.