Why Online Therapy is Here to Stay

The Covid-19 pandemic has started an irreversible trend toward working together online. Online therapy (or telehealth therapy) has become a staple for millions of Americans. Here’s why online psychotherapy is here to stay.

1. Online Therapy Makes Therapy More Accessible

Psychotherapy is more accessible when you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Transit used to be an obstacle to getting to your therapy session. Obviously, that’s no longer an issue with online therapy. This removes a major obstacle pursuing weekly therapy.

Another way online therapy promotes accessibility and inclusivity is that it gives those leaving in remote areas with limited local resources a viable therapy option. Similarly, it gives a chance to therapists living in remote areas to connect with more clients as well. As such, online therapy tremendously increases the number of clients and the number of therapists who are now able to work together, where physical boundaries would otherwise make it impossible or very difficult.

2. Online Therapy Makes it Easier to Start Therapy

Starting therapy can often feel stressful. Anything for the first time can feel intimating. Therapy can feel particularly intimidating because therapy involves shading lights on the vulnerable parts of ourselves that brought us pain. We have a built-in mechanism to bypass that pain in order to protect ourselves. Starting therapy is being really ready to change because things are no longer working for us. That resolve needs to be sufficiently strong to withstand that initial fear of the unknown.

Starting therapy in a familiar environment – in a safe space, in the comfort of your own home – makes it easier to talk about those sensitive and private topics. Therapy in-person in an office building that can feel impersonal and foreign is no match for talking from your private quarters.

3. Online Therapy promotes our connection to ourselves as emotional beings

Unlike physical therapy for which a physical presence is highly preferable, for mental and emotional therapy, a virtual connection is often as good if not better than in-person presence.

There is something magical about being able to share and build a relationship with someone online, be it a therapist, a co-worker or a friend. It helps us realize that there is much more to us than the physical world and that our emotional and spiritual needs are essential.

Connecting heart to heart with complete sincerity helps us reconnect with ourselves and connect with others in healthy ways.

Summary:

Online therapy is here to stay because online therapy:

1. Makes Therapy More Accessible,

2. Makes it Easier to Start Therapy, and

3. Online does not Hinder the Flow of Emotions and Thoughts

The therapists at Manhattan Mental Health Counseling are caring, compassionate and well-trained in a variety of therapeutic skills and modalities. We are in-network with the following insurance plans: Aetna, Cigna, United and Healthfirst. Our therapists specialize in anxiety, depression, anger management, grief, trauma, life transitions, family issues, couple’s counseling, OCD, career counseling, women psychological issues, including post-natal depression, and addictions, among others. We provide online therapy from the comfort of your own home.

Take a look at our Meet the Team page to see if you feel drawn to any one of our therapists.

More: Tips for Getting the Most Out of Online Therapy