3 Reasons We Love Online Counseling

Someday, when historians are asked about the innovations that changed the landscape of healthcare, online counseling (and other forms of telemedicine) will inevitably be at the top of their list along with antibiotics, x-rays, and the pacemaker. That may seem like a bold statement, but when you stop to consider how much access to quality mental health services is limited by factors such as the limited number of providers in rural areas, it’s not hard to see why we think online counseling is a game-changer.

While as counselors, we’d always recommend a face-to-face therapeutic relationship as your first line of treatment, the harsh reality is that physically sitting on our couch is just not an option for a large percentage of the population. Online counseling allows therapists to ensure our services are available to all everyone, including those faces big barriers to care. Specifically, we believe that:

1.Online counseling offer greater scheduling flexibility than traditional office visits.

Fitting a one-hour therapy visit into normal office hours is a challenge when you’re juggling things like a career, education, family and friendships. Therapists who offer online counseling have a greater flexibility to squeeze in a much needed session when it can be done before or after normal business hours. Additionally, online counseling makes it easy to get a simple question or concern addressed, which often takes less a whole hour of your and your therapist’s time.

2.The anonymity of online counseling encourages greater use of our services.

With online counseling, you don’t need to worry about bumping into your neighbor in our lobby or being spotted walking into our building. This is especially attractive for groups of people (men, teenagers, high-profile members of the community, etc.) who are still highly sensitive to the unfair stigma that can go along with receiving quality mental health care. Of course, security concerns do exist with any type of electronic communication, so it’s important to choose an online counselor who utilizes encrypted services and has safeguards in place to protect your privacy.

3.We are able to better treat diagnoses that can keep people from leaving the house.

Anxiety, depression, trauma, agoraphobia and self-esteem issues are all reasons people struggle to have a productive life outside the safety of their own home. Just as these struggles can get in the way of a job or relationships, they can also get in the way receiving the treatment necessary to thrive. By bringing the treatment to you through online counseling, you’re able to receive the help you need to face the world and pursue your goals.