What are the advantages and disadvantages of online therapy
Advantages and disadvantages of online therapy
There are few areas within the medical field where developments are as rapid as within mental health care. Where a generation ago almost no one went to a psychologist or therapist, this is now the most normal thing in the world.
One goes to a family doctor for persistent headaches and to a psychologist or psychotherapist for persistent gloomy feelings, for example. Both for practitioners and clients, it is very nice that the stigma of mental health care has disappeared. This will improve the quality of care and allow for new methods and forms.
One of the newer developments in psychotherapy is the delivery of online therapy. Client and practitioner do not see each other in a consulting room, but meet online from their own location.
This is a form of therapy that is rapidly gaining popularity. There are good reasons for this. But what are the disadvantages of online therapy and do they outweigh the benefits?
We are happy to tell you for both the advantages and disadvantages of online therapy, so you can make the best choice for yourself.
Online therapy: in your own safe environment
One of the biggest advantages of online therapy, is the ability to do it from the comfort of your own home. This means you don’t have to go out the door and you are in a familiar, safe place during the calls.
Not only does this save travel time and inconvenience, but it also provides the opportunity to attend therapy in the safest place possible: Namely your home.
After the session, you are immediately in your own place and your own environment. This is a great advantage for many people. This is both practical because you do not have to travel and nice because you are in familiar surroundings. In addition, many people are not comfortable leaving their homes precisely because those issues are part of the complaint. These people also benefit greatly from therapy from their own homes.
This does assume that there is a safe environment in which you can attend therapy at home. If your home situation is a major influence on the problem, it may be disadvantageous to attend therapy online from home.
At GGZonline, we offer specialty mental health services.
Online therapy is more flexible and therefore has fewer waiting lists
Waiting lists for mental health care for anxiety or depression, for example, can be considerable. This is not only due to the availability of well-trained psychotherapists. There are also other issues that cause these wait times. After all, a therapist also needs a location where clients can be seen and must take into account client delays and his own travel time.
These types of issues reduce a therapist’s ability to devote hours to real care, as time is lost to practical issues. These issues are less present in online therapy. Thus, by providing online therapy, it is possible for psychotherapists to devote more time to patient care, reducing waiting time.
In addition, we strive for two treatments per week, this will give you faster results!
How good is the quality of online psychotherapy?
This is perhaps the most important question when considering whether online therapy is right for you. The practicalities are clearly well taken care of, but what about the content of therapy? Is an online therapy session just as effective against anxiety or depression, for example?
This answer is already indirectly provided by the fact that more and more people are attending therapy online. If client and therapist find that online therapy does not work, this trend would not continue.
However, this is indirect evidence; fortunately, there is direct evidence as well. A scientific study found back in 2012 that online therapy can be just as effective as regular therapy. In doing so, clients were even more satisfied with the online therapy than the live therapy! These results have been confirmed in dozens of subsequent studies.
Thus, a major advantage of online therapy is the fact that the quality can be at least as good as that of therapy delivered offline.
Online therapy for anxiety or depression at GGZ online
Our therapists have all long recognized the quality and power of online therapy. Because people can follow their therapy flexibly and from their own homes, we experience that people receive our therapy very well.
We are therefore happy to get in touch with you to explore whether we can assist you too. Our therapists are here for you!
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