The traditional therapy requires you to meet the therapist in person for communicating your health issues and get your prescription. If you have a secure internet or phone connection, you can conduct therapy over the phone to get treatment of your mental health. One of the best platforms for this non-traditional therapy is video conferencing.
Now that non-traditional therapy over the phone is gaining popularity, it has assumed many names such as online therapy, teletherapy, internet therapy, telemental health, and distance counseling. There are, of course, some blind persons who don’t feel comforted without listening to the empathetic words of the therapist. Otherwise, over the phone therapy will give economical, and successful result if you consult a trustworthy and licensed telehealth professional.
Reasons for Choosing Online Therapy!
You have several means of communication, such as phone, video, text, email, or WhatsApp. These means provide all facilities to a patient or his closers ones to communicate all possible information related to the health issues and understand the recommendations of the therapists. There is the least chance of any communication gap. People under the following situations can go in for online therapy
- Those who are unable to go out of home because of pre-occupation or have transportation problems
- Those who are traveling
- Those living in remote areas
- Those who have busy schedules
- Those who have limited mobility
- Those who want to maintain privacy and confidentiality in passing on their personalized information
You can depend on online therapy for mental health issues such as anxiety, spouse relationship issues, depression, stress, food and eating issues, parenting issues, and Obsession and Compulsion (OCD). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also can be handled effectively through online therapy. But, depending upon the means of communication you are adopting, visual feedback may not always be available. You should not go in for online therapy for the following types of persons.
- Having acute psychological or emotional issues
- Having schizophrenia
- Having suicidal thoughts
- Having severe depression
- Having a bipolar personality
- Who are not comfortable with this non-traditional medico-technology a do not want to share their matter over the phone or the internet
Choosing the Right Telehealth Provider!
You should be very selective while going in for online therapy. If you share your private information with the wrong person, you may fall victim to identity theft or other kinds of fraud. Therefore, you must ensure that the therapist is licensed and registered with the competent authority. Get the name, qualification, specialization, and license number of the therapist.
You can get this information from the designated directories. You can search by state and alphabetical names of the telemental health professionals. They may also have their website wherein they provide more detailed information concerning their experience, methods, philosophy, and service charges. You may also search for reputed sites that provide online reviews.
You may keep in mind that a mental therapist who provides offer practical face to face treatment may not necessarily be good at offering the same kind of services online. It is the method that makes the difference. Moreover, the therapist may be lacking the equipment, mental awareness, and communicational ability that are essential for online therapy.
In this regard, some governmental and non-governmental organizations are organizing training programs for standardizing teletherapy and building service-specific professionals. Besides their fees, you should confirm the mode of payment, whether case-to-case basis, weekly basis, or monthly basis. Last but not least, you should clarify any concerns you have concerning privacy and confidentiality.
Imitations and Ethics!
- Lack of rhetoric and clarity of verbal communication is the major downside of online therapy. Even in video conferencing, the therapist may miss observing individual important body languages such as the nervous foot-tapping, dilated pupils, or twitching.
- Confidentiality issues
- Lack of insurance coverage
- Delays caused due to use of equipment
- Lack of skill with the technology
Conclusion!
Presently, thousands of websites are providing online mental health services. For the reasons mentioned above, many people are conducting therapy over the phone. But, it is pertinent that, before conducting the same, you should take into consideration, all pros and cons as enumerated above. Once you are clear of what you want, you may go ahead with this real-time healing treatment.