It was the year 2020 which saw the spread of COVID-19 all across the world. People were locked down inside the home and all that was getting accepted was the “new normal”. Experts started brainstorming ideas on how to provide the services to people by following the COVID protocols. Right then, online therapy started gaining its pace!
Way before this, the effectiveness of online counseling and therapy was a topic of debate and still is; however, having a limited scope of offline therapy at the present is giving more space and opportunity to online therapy. So now the question is, does it work? Is it worthy to take therapy online when people are distressed because of several factors of the pandemic? This blog aims at answering these questions and can help one decide whether to go for online therapy or not.
There were various studies done before the pandemic arrived on whether online therapy works. Surprisingly, it was found that it is as effective as face-to-face therapy. Studies were specifically focused on the treatment of affective disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and others.
Besides, online therapy has potential advantages in comparison to offline therapy. These include:
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Accessible to remote areas/ the areas that do not have such facilities
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Cost-effectiveness
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No traveling involved
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Easy to schedule sessions
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Time-saving
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Limited to no involvement of a third party
However, certain concerns come along with online therapy, like technical glitches, dealing with severe mental health disorders such as psychoses, and lack of accessibility to adequate non-verbal cues or body language.
In this difficult time, when the world is dealing with the pandemic and its after-effects, online therapy is something that’s adding value to the wellbeing of the human race. Experts are trying to come up with innovative solutions to remove or reduce the issues that are associated with online therapy.
Hence, the conclusion that has been reached is, yes, online therapy is effective! The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that by October 2020, 70% of the countries have adopted online counseling and therapy to promote mental health among people. Today, many have fought with the stigma associated with mental health and reached out to online portals for professional help. Ultimately, mental health is wealth!
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Ms. Sharmistha Halder is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.