Is Online Therapy Effective?

Photo credit: Christina @ wocintechchat.com

COVID-19 has changed the face of therapy, just as it has changed so much in our lives and world. At the beginning of the pandemic, most therapists had to stop seeing clients in-person in accordance with stay-at-home orders. Many clinicians began to offer telephone or online video sessions in an attempt to maintain their practices. After vaccines began to be administered and restrictions were loosened, therapists began to return to their offices for face-to-face meetings. The delta variant has led many to shut their doors and open their laptops once more. Even amongst vaccinated people, 50-minute conversations in enclosed spaces still pose a risk. 

At the same time, the pandemic has placed significant strain on the psyches of many. A survey conducted by the CDC at the end of June 2020 found that American adults reported elevated rates of substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and mental-health concerns. 

Perhaps you’ve been struggling yourself, and have thought about seeking professional help. If you’re wanting to talk to someone, you might be questioning whether or not online counseling/ therapy is right for you. According to research studies that have been conducted, online therapy is as effective as in-person psychotherapy. It also offers some unique advantages over in-person therapy that you might not have considered.

Research

A meta-analysis published in June 2020 looked at the results of several different studies that had been conducted comparing the effectiveness of online or remote Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (eCBT) vs. face-to-face Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Based on the findings of these 17 different studies, the authors of the meta-analysis determined eCBT to be “at least as effective” as in-person Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in treating symptoms of depression. The authors go on to recommend that “eCBT should be offered if preferred by patients and therapists.” Although these studies only involved one particular kind of therapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), the results are promising. 

Advantages of Online Therapy 

Accessibility

Perhaps the chief advantage to online therapy is that it expands and improves accessibility to services. With online therapy, one is no longer restricted by the need to visit a provider’s brick-and-mortar office in order to access counseling. This is of particular benefit to members of rural populations, who may have limited access to local therapists. Online therapy allows residents of rural areas to connect with a broader selection of therapists who might be better suited to meet an individual’s needs. 

City dwellers can also benefit from the increased accessibility offered by online therapy. Spending time waiting in traffic and finding parking is a familiar headache for those who drive, and public transportation can also be a considerable time commitment for those who don’t. Whether paying for gas and parking or train and bus tickets, these costs add up quickly. Online therapy offers urban residents a potentially huge savings in time, energy, and money in regards to their commute. 

Community and Solidarity

The online format is not only potentially advantageous for individual therapy, but for group therapy as well. Online group therapy provides the opportunity for individuals to come together from different parts of a particular state in order to learn and heal together. For example, someone living in Eugene might be able to join a men’s group being offered by a clinician living in Salem. That same group might include participants from Portland, Bend, and Medford. In this way, virtual therapy creates the potential for togetherness, community, and mutual support that might otherwise have been limited by geographical constraints. 

Therapy from the comfort of your own home

Some people, especially those who identify as Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs), might prefer virtual therapy because they are more comfortable in their home environment. People who are sensitive to environmental stimuli might find it difficult to spend an hour in an office where they can’t control the temperature, the texture of the furniture, lingering fragrances, or ambient noises. When someone isn’t comfortable in the physical space they are in, it can be harder for them to open up.

An episode of NPR’s The Modern West podcast highlights the experience of a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD, who reported that he had benefited from having the ability to continue working with a mental health professional during the COVID-19 crisis via telehealth. A clinician interviewed for the podcast explains that she feels as though it was easier for her veteran clients to feel safe while participating in teletherapy from their homes, and that safety is a cornerstone of the trauma work that she does. She pointed out that her clients had access to their pets during teletherapy, which helped them to cope during sessions while discussing difficult material. She also remarked that her clients had been able to show her physical objects in their homes while speaking to her via video that they had previously mentioned during in-person sessions. The value of this ability to gain a window into a client’s habitat has long been known in the therapeutic community. In pre-COVID times, some practitioners found it helpful to conduct “home visits” with their clients in order to learn more about their day-to-day lived experience and context. 

Will online therapy work for me?

Finding the right fit in therapy is important. This means not only finding the right clinician to work with, but also the right format. You might feel as though traditional in-person therapy is something that you can’t compromise on. You should listen to this instinct. You will find plenty of clinicians who would be happy to meet with you face-to-face, as soon as it is safe to do so again. On the other hand, if you know that you would prefer online therapy, you will find an increasing number of clinicians who would be happy to accomodate you. An important question to ask is whether or not the clinician plans to continue offering online therapy after they begin seeing clients in-person again. Some mental health professionals are eager to get back to face-to-face sessions and might choose not to give clients the option of continuing virtual therapy. Other clinicians will choose to keep their practice exclusively online. If you aren’t sure whether or not virtual therapy will work for you, doing a few online sessions might give you a better idea.

For some people, the prospect of online therapy might never feel like a viable option. Those who are willing to give it a try might wonder how they ever lived without it.