Online therapy offers access to mental health treatment to people in rural or remote areas. Those who live in rural areas may simply not have access to any other type of mental health treatment because there are few or no mental health offices in their area. Online therapy offers an equally effective option for mental health support as in-person therapy. People seeking therapeutic support for anxiety, depression, and other common mental health needs can use virtual or in-person therapy as support.
Another literature review of studies on online CBT found that it leads to a significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Online CBT was also found to be as effective as face-to-face therapy in treating panic disorder. Online CBT was also significantly effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobia. If you have anxiety about going to see a therapist, an online session may be less overwhelming.
You can cuddle up with your favorite blanket and a cup of tea during your appointment. All the studies we've seen suggest that telehealth is as effective as face-to-face therapy, and satisfaction levels remain very high, Dr. Whether or not online therapy may be right for you depends on your condition and the severity of your symptoms. Amwell makes it easy to switch states to consult providers and book appointments elsewhere, an advantage for those who travel frequently and want to plan therapy sessions for when they are in different states (the law requires licensed therapists to provide therapy only to patients in the states where they are licensed).
Online therapy may require you to research the privacy policies of video and messaging platforms to protect your information. Because of social distancing requirements, most therapies are now conducted through online video chat programs, rather than a traditional in-person meeting. While some therapy applicants may appreciate a more informal presentation, Benetato suggests that if the therapist presents itself in a way “that makes you doubt your ability,” those seeking therapy should request adjustments for future appointments (or consider changing providers). There is no difference in patient satisfaction depending on whether the therapy is done online or in person, and for any of the methods of receiving therapy, the results are better the more sessions a person attends.
If you have reliable access to the Internet, online therapy gives you relatively quick and easy access to treatment that otherwise wouldn't have been available to you. The duration of the online CBT sessions was between 8 and 15 weeks, which is considered a short period of time in therapy. Because the site determines where you are through the location of your computer, it's impossible to schedule out-of-state therapy sessions in advance or plan future therapy sessions while you're traveling to another state, even if you change your status in your profile. Unlike in-person therapy, online therapy allows you to connect with a licensed therapist or counselor using any device that has an internet connection, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
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. People who are unable to leave their home for a variety of reasons, such as physical or mental illness, may find online therapy a useful alternative to traditional face-to-face psychotherapy settings. However, the only study that directly compared the effectiveness of online CBT with that of face-to-face CBT found that the two methods of therapy were equally effective in reducing depression.
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