Five Benefits of Online Therapy
If you asked me back in 2019 whether I would be practicing online therapy almost exclusively, the answer would have been a strong no. I (wrongly) believed that online therapy was impersonal, awkward, or just too complicated to be worth it. Of course, the pandemic made me challenge my assumptions about online therapy. Now, three years later, I still love offering online therapy. Not only is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy in most cases, but there are several underappreciated benefits of online therapy:
Accessibility and Convenience
The most obvious benefit is convenience. I am based in Atlanta, which is known for its traffic among other things. The amount of times that my clients had to take out of their day, not just for therapy, but for sitting in traffic to meet with me, was sometimes overly burdensome. Many of my clients can meet with me during an hour break from work, sometimes joining from their office or parked car.
Choose a Therapist Based on Fit, Not Location
With in-person therapy, you may be limited to just the providers within a 20-minute drive, or along a certain bus route. But, maybe you’re struggling with something like OCD or PTSD, and you want a therapist who has specialized training in this area, regardless of how close they are to your home. With online therapy, you have greater ability to find a therapist whose expertise and style match what you’re looking for.
Fewer Schedule Disruptions
Many of my clients are parents of babies or young children. As many parents of young children know, your schedule can easily be turned upside down once cold season begins (or really at any time of year). While you started the day thinking you may have childcare coverage, all of a sudden, your child’s daycare is calling to tell you to pick up your child. If this scenario sounds familiar, online therapy can be a huge benefit. You can keep your appointment while staying at home with your little one. Even if you don’t have children, but you happen to catch a cold and rather stay in the comfort of your home, you don’t have to sacrifice your mental health treatment to stay home and get the rest that you need.
Continuity of Care
You may have to travel for work, or for fun, or to visit loved ones. Regardless of where you are in the state, as long as you have internet connection, you can keep your appointment. What you may not know is that if you’re working with a psychologist with Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT), you can be seen in an online therapy session in any of the 39 PSYPACT states. This helps to ensure that you don’t have to take unnecessary breaks from therapy for travel, which is especially important when you’re in the middle of treatment for PTSD, OCD, or an anxiety disorder. You can keep working with the same therapist and not lose momentum or progress that you’ve made.
Environmental Impact
Although this is not the most obvious benefit of online therapy for many people, this is a benefit that is personally very important. As someone who tries to be thoughtful of how my choices impact the environment, offering online therapy can be a small way for me and my clients to reduce our environmental impact. Without sacrificing quality of care, less time spent on the road means reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
