The Complete Guide To Getting Started With Online Therapy
Online Therapy Is Crap! Change My Mind...
Online therapist appointments have been around for many years, but due to the pandemic, this method has become more common. Everything indicates that online sessions are here to stay, although some are still hesitant. So buckle up, turn on the webcam, and get ready to get therapied the hell up!
My mom always used to say that something good always comes out of everything bad, and the pandemic has brought many problems to many people around the world (Myself included, I was going to go to a Harry Styles concert, damn you COVID!) And Clearly, there are all the economic, social and health problems that this brought about, which are also nearly as bad as missing my concert *cries*. So in the spirit of my mom's words of wisdom, I tried to see the bright side to all of this. I watched a lot of new series, exercised, and furthermore, people around the world began to realize the importance of mental health.
But how can we go meet a psychologist if we can't get out of our homes? Damn you again COVID! Luckily, we are in the time where we can do everything online: grocery shopping, watching movies, spending time with our family, I even attended a wedding via Zoom lol. So the therapists (thankfully) have caught up with the technology and began reinforcing the online sessions. Imagine being able to re-watch Friends for the tenth time and then have an appointment with your therapist without having to get out of bed, that's the dream!
However, not everyone got on board that train right away. Like the moms who told us not to talk to strangers on the internet, many people were not very confident in this way of receiving therapy. Although this way of accessing a mental health professional has become increasingly common and has helped many people (myself included), some still need a push to be encouraged to do so. Therefore, I am going to tell you about my experience receiving online therapy and I will try to the answer I had when starting my online therapy journey.
What Therapists Say
Not only do I have the privilege of being able to tell you first-hand about the experience of receiving assistance online, but I can also tell you about the experience of a psychologist who offers therapies in this way. My best friend, an excellent psychologist who is on the ball about new technologies, has been working from her house in this way for some time now, even before the pandemic. Obviously, in the last year, these appointments have doubled or even tripled.
Before I started writing this, I chatted with her for a while about her experience on the other side of the screen and she told me some interesting things.
First, she mentioned that several major outlets have done studies and surveys about online therapies and that almost all of them have shown that this is an effective method and that in general, most people like it. Then she spoke about how she now has patients from various countries, but in the majority, they are people of the same nationality as hers who emigrated to the interweb with her. Many people who go to therapy feel more comfortable with therapists from their own country, as it makes them feel more confident, but it is often difficult for them to find them when they have moved to other parts of the world. Online therapies have made this easier for them, since it does not matter where your therapist is, as long as there is a decent wifi connection.
Then she mentioned that it has been much easier to work with children and adolescents, since being in the comfort of their home, receiving therapies has opened the door to sectors of the population that are more reluctant to go to a professional, and it also makes it easy for them this task to parents who want their children to receive help.
After that, the conversation drifted and we started talking for hours about what good new shows are on Netflix right now. But generally, you get the idea.
Online Solutions For Real Problems
From my perspective, online therapy has been a resounding success, and I can say this after having received face-to-face therapy in the past.
My first therapist moved to another country several years ago, so we couldn't continue. I started going to therapy again months ago and this will no longer be a problem now. Does my therapist want to go live in Korea? Good for me, see you at 3AM om the zoom meeting, sweetie. And even though she only lives an hour's drive from me, it would currently be impossible for me to regularly go to her office due to the quarantine. I know that one-day things will improve and I will be able to drive there, but my anxiety does not wait until there is no curfew, so I feel much more comfortable knowing that I can talk to her at any time.
On the other hand, the ease of not having to depend on a fixed schedule of consultations, but that we can both talk about the best time to meet by video call. A quick email asking “Hi, are you available early tomorrow? I just watched The Notebook ... yeah, again, and it was too much” and voila, you can both work based on availability. But keep in mind that being able to access your therapist at any time, does not mean that you can text her at any time, you must respect their working hours. They are also people and have their own lives.
I have talked with several friends about this topic, and I have compiled the most common questions that those who are not yet 100% convinced of online therapy tend to have, (me included at one point in time) here are some of them:
The Ultimate Online Therapy FAQs
Is it more difficult to create a psychologist-patient relationship?
This is the main reason why many of us do not like the thought of online therapy, is that they feel that it will never be better to talk to a machine than human interaction. I can personally tell you that I had the same concern, but by the second or third appointment, I completely forgot that my therapist was not really here with me, and I think being in my own home made me feel more comfortable to open up with her.
Can any problem be treated?
Yes, a psychologist unlike other health professionals does not have to touch us, or put paddles on our tongue or hit us with a small hammer on the knee to give us a diagnosis. They just need communication and bonding. Any mental illness such as anxiety or depression can be treated online.
What do I need to attend online therapy?
Not much more than you would need for a normal work Zoom meeting. A comfortable environment, an open mind and internet connection (and I would recommend having a tissue box nearby).
The advantages of online therapies are numerous. You save time and money, you have more options to choose from, you are in the comfort of your home, etc. We are in difficult times, we must take care of our mind as much as we take care of our body. Mental health can be a video call away.
Mindsmatter is written by Bola Kwame, Mauro Herrera, Emma Buryd and Jack Graves.
De-stigmatizing mental illness one day at a time.
Photos courtesy of visuals on Unsplash
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