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It has several names: e-therapy, telepsychiatry, cyber-counseling, but whatever moniker we ascribe to it, the concept of online therapy is gaining popularity. Is online therapy right for you?
The answer is maybe. In fact, probably.
What may be at first glance an unsatisfying answer is an opportunity to explore mental health in general and the various types of online mental health counseling.
Whether online or off, clinical mental health counseling is, for many people, a means of achieving and maintaining good mental hygiene and positively engaging with the world.
Let’s explore how online therapy works and the pros and cons of engaging with a mental health professional online.
How Online Therapy Works
In 1986, Cornell University launched “Dear Uncle Ezra,” an online mental health counseling forum credited as the first computer-based counseling platform. Rudimentary by today’s standards, Dear Uncle Ezra was anonymous and asynchronous.
As technology grew, so did the capabilities of online mental health counseling. Today, people can access a licensed, professional therapist in a variety of online formats, from text and video chat to email or a simple phone call.
Far from the nameless, disjointed nature of Dear Uncle Ezra, people can now form the kind of intimate relationships required of quality clinical mental health counseling with a licensed mental health practitioner.
To an increasingly digitally savvy population, accessing mental health services online may be the best of both worlds, offering flexibility and a more familiar environment for therapy than traditional office visits.
The Pros and Cons of Online Therapy
Like physical health, we define our mental and emotional health on a spectrum. There are the blues and there’s clinical depression. Most mental health issues are like a low-grade fever. Not debilitating but dragging you down, a warning sign of an underlying issue. For many, online counseling can help.
Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental illness, affecting 40 million Americans over the age of 18. But anxiety issues are also among the most treatable. Online therapy is often a good treatment option for mild depression, anxiety and stress, relationship issues, parenting issues, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Online therapy isn’t for everyone, however, or appropriate for every situation. In the case of acute mental disturbance or urgent situations that carry the risk of imminent physical or emotional harm, contacting a crisis hotline is the best course of action.
Pros of Online Mental Health Counseling
The benefits of using an online platform for addressing mental health issues include:
- Increased accessibility: Online therapy is accessible to more people than traditional in-office treatment.
- A good option in remote areas: Accessibility is a particular benefit in remote areas far from in-person facilities.
- Flexibility: Online counseling options offer flexibility in time and space. Schedule sessions around your schedule and interact wherever you are most comfortable.
- Affordability: Many online therapy options are less expensive than traditional in-person treatment.
- Good for people with communication problems: Test-based options for long-term therapy open avenues for problems speaking with strangers.
Cons of Online Therapy
- Not for crisis situations: Call a crisis hotline if you need urgent or immediate help.
- Possible privacy concerns: Face-to-face visits in a therapist’s office offer a more controlled environment built on a foundation of privacy. Online mental health sessions are by their nature more susceptible to less secure environments.
- May not be covered by insurance plans: You may have to pay out-of-pocket. Do the math to make sure it makes sense.
- Potential ethical and legal considerations: As the sector grows online, mental health legal and ethical issues evolve to meet the change. Be aware of what these issues are.
What COVID-19 Teaches Us
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 brings the discussion of mental health and online therapy into stark focus. Forced “social isolation,” economic hardship, and the threat of an unseen enemy have intensified the “low-grade fever” of chronic stress many of us feel.
The speed and scale of changes brought on by the pandemic are major risk factors for those with anxiety and depression. It has focused attention on our collective mental health while increasing demand for online treatment options. Our shared isolation may lead to a better understanding of mental health.
We Need More Mental Health Practitioners
Reducing the stigma around mental health issues is arguably one of the main benefits of online counseling. To that end, the increasing use of online therapy apps and services benefits everyone, whether they use online platforms or not.
As demand continues to rise for clinical mental health counseling, so too will the need for trained, compassionate practitioners. The Online Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program from New England College prepares students for a rewarding career as a mental health counselor.
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May 07, 2020 at 06:46AM
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Is Online Therapy Right for You? | Clinical Mental Health Counseling - NEC News & Events
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