Online Therapy : Online Therapy Counseling And Its Importance
Online therapy counseling is not the same as physical counseling. It is not even a substitute for a normal meeting. It's a different way of counseling. Similarly, the film is not the same experience as a visit to the theater, but sometimes we all prefer one, sometimes the other - and do not consider television/cinema to be a substitute for a live performance. Online counseling and online psychotherapy are therefore new methods of psychological work. They have their major advantages and limitations check here.
I definitely do not recommend anyone who is not close to online communication to force themselves into it and choose this form of counseling just because they want to work with me, for example. In that case, you can certainly find a number of suitable professionals who will allow you to work through the physical meetings that you prefer. The form is important and if you choose the one that does not suit you, it will affect your satisfaction and the effectiveness of the whole consultation, i.e. your ability to find solutions to your problems.
Online counseling is here for an ever-growing group of clients who can benefit from online communication, are accustomed to it, or prefer online counseling - due to distance of residence, workload, personal preference, habit or other benefits, which we will mention below.
Efficiency and client satisfaction
There are no major differences between efficiency and online counseling in terms of efficiency and client satisfaction. Figuratively speaking, ninety-five percent of the factors that contribute to good counseling and solving your problems are the same. They occur equally in both forms of psychological work.
Current studies also show that in all commonly measured factors (the so-called therapeutic alliance, client satisfaction, the feeling of shifting or solving their problem) the two forms of counseling do not differ. It is therefore not true that face-to-face meetings are generally more effective than online counseling or vice versa. Both are equal forms of psychological counseling.
Of course, this does not mean that all clients prefer online or traditional meetings. Similarly, we can find that both steak and goulash are generally similarly popular dishes in the Czech Republic - but it is certainly not true that both taste the same to everyone… On the contrary, I recommend considering personal preference.
Benefits and what new possibilities it brings
Compared to a physical meeting, online counseling has the following advantages:
1. OVERCOMING DISTANCE
Online counseling is also available for those for whom a physical visit would be impossible due to their place of residence. Thanks to it, I can provide consultations to people from all over the country as well as to those who live abroad or travel.
2. SPEED AND SAVE TIME
Clients save time on the way to me and back home, which can be several hours depending on where they live. In the case of busy clients, it is this time that can decide whether or not they will be willing (or able) to consult their problem more regularly. The same applies to people who have to combine work with caring for small children, etc.
3. AVAILABILITY FOR SPECIFIC CLIENT GROUPS
Online counseling is available to those for whom it is difficult to order and come to a physical meeting due to a physical (difficult movement) or mental (anxiety) barrier. Thanks to him, consultation is also possible for people who are tied to the place of residence by, for example, having to take care of small children, sick parents, etc.
4. USE OF NEW CONSULTANCY TOOLS
Online psychological counseling offers many possibilities that can enrich the counseling process in a way that is difficult to implement in a traditional meeting. Research into these forms and their most effective combinations is still in its infancy but is already pointing to a number of effective mechanisms, such as:
We can combine a traditional conversation (using video, audio) with written self-reflection, where the client, for example, the following week summarizes his development, thoughts, feelings, and other experiences in an email. Learn more about this very effective multimodal therapy here. (This is just one example of how we can use online methods. Of course, this combination is not mandatory - whoever wants, can only choose an interview, for example).
When we communicate at a distance, research shows that clients tend to be more active, talk more, and reflect, not leave the communication to the therapist as much as in a personal meeting. This is of course advantageous for the course of counseling or online therapy because teaching clients to actively and effectively navigate their own topics is one of the goals of psychological counseling.