Is Online Therapy
Right for You?
A Texas Therapist
Shares Some Signs
it May Be
Sep 5, 2022 | By: Hope for the Journey
Thanks to Covid, so many services that used to be mainly in-person, now have remote options. Of course, having more options doesn’t mean it’s easier to decide which one is right for you. If the world has been getting you down and you’ve been thinking that it’s time for therapy, read on to see if online therapy might be just what you need.
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Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #1: You’re Busy
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The average therapy session is fifty minutes long and trying to find fifty minutes of uninterrupted time in your day can seem impossible, and that’s before you add in drive time. With online therapy, you can knock out a therapy session on your lunch break or while your kiddos are down for a nap. There’s no need to account for drive time, traffic, and parking. If you’re seeing a therapist remotely, it’s best to be in your home, but if that’s just not possible, talking to your therapist while in your car (your very stationary car), or at work or school (in a private place) is now possible. Your therapist will just need to know where you are in case of an emergency, but the possibilities are endless!
Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #2: You’re Looking for Something Particular
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Texas is the second largest state in the country. You could drive for 8 hours straight and still not have made it across the Texas border. Luckily, online therapy allows you to meet with a therapist anywhere in Texas without having to leave your house. This is especially cool if you’re looking for a specific type of therapist or a therapist that uses a specific type of treatment. For example, while treatment like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has become more mainstream, it’s still difficult to find an EMDR-trained, or EMDR-certified therapist in your area who is actually taking new clients. With online therapy, you’re not limited to only the therapists in your town or city, but any therapist who has what you need anywhere in Texas.
Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #3: Your Home is Your Safe Place
Therapy is hard, and if you’re like me and have found it hard to get out of your pajamas or abandon your pets at home all by themselves, leaving your home is hard too. Meeting with a therapist online means that you don’t even have to get off your couch to get the help you need. You have access to your emotional support pets, your safety blanket, and your comfort snacks so you can feel safe and secure while talking about distressing things. And while there’s nothing wrong with crying, most people are more comfortable crying in their home where they won’t have to walk through a waiting room full of people with swollen eyes and a runny nose.
Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #4: You Need Help Now
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Since online therapy is much easier on your schedule, it’s more likely that you and your therapist will be able to schedule something much sooner. As stated above, you’ll also have a significantly larger pool of therapists to choose from which makes it much more likely that you’ll find a therapist who is accepting new clients while also matching the credentials you want.
Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #5: You’ve Been Hit by Inflation
We’ve all had to rethink our finances to keep up with the climbing costs of everything. If this sounds all too familiar to you, online therapy may be a great option. When you’re meeting with a therapist remotely, there is no driving involved which means you’re not using gas or putting mileage on your car. You also won’t have to use PTO or take unpaid time off work to make it to your appointments. If you have kiddos who can’t just be left alone in a waiting room for an hour at a time, online therapy can also be a solution to have to finding and paying for daycare during your sessions.
Signs Online Therapy is Best for You #6: You Want Effective Treatment
While Covid really ramped up access to online therapy, 2020 wasn’t the first time online therapy was used. Online therapy has been around since 1986 when an online forum was created to answer questions and where people discussed mental health issues. Modern-day online therapy came about in 1995 (Matthews, 2021), which looked very similar to online therapy today. There is plenty of research that indicates online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy (Fernandez et al., 2021).
Let’s Get Started With Online Therapy in Texas
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If online therapy sounds like just what you need to live your best life, reach out to us today. We have online therapists available to help you develop skills and tools to overcome your struggles and thrive. If online therapy doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, we have in-person therapists available at our Round Rock and Austin offices. Our care coordinator can speak with you directly to help find the best fit to meet you where you’re at.
To start online or in-person therapy with Hope for the Journey, please follow these simple steps:
- Contact Hope for the Journey
- Meet with a caring therapist
- Start receiving the support you deserve.
Other Services Offered At Hope For The Journey
Our team is happy to offer a number of services from our Round Rock and Austin therapy offices in person and virtually. Mental health services include therapy for anxiety and depression, domestic violence, sexual assault, PTSD, and EMDR. Our team also provides support for family members of all ages with counseling for teens and young adults, children and tweens, couples, men, and parents/partners. Contact us today to learn more about our team and community involvement!
References:
Matthews, J. (2021, August 13). A Brief History of Online Counseling. Virginia Counseling — Midlothian va and Online. https://www.vacounseling.com/history-online-counseling/#:~:text=Rather%20than%20answering%20single%20questions
Fernandez, E., Woldgabreal, W., Day, A., Pham, T., Gleich, B., & Aboujaoude, E. (2021). Live psychotherapy by video versus in-person: A meta-analysis of efficacy and its relationship to types and targets of treatment. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 28(6), 1535–1549. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2594