When you walk into a psychotherapists’ office, there is an air of comfort waiting to greet you. You meet a stranger and tell them what is distressing you. It seems difficult to tell someone you met just now about the things which are close to you. But it’s a mental health professional and the level of comfort they have been trained to create, that helps a client open up and talk. They are trained to create a judgement free environment where you are allowed to be yourself without scrutiny and can really talk to a person without covering anything up.
Making all of that happen via a video call or telephone call is complex for the mental health professional and the client. But due to the uncertain times and the pandemic, more and more services are forced to take place online instead of happening in real time. All of this has subsequently led to the rise of teletherapy, where therapy sessions happen through various online platforms. You would have to book an appointment with a mental health professional and then at the scheduled time, the mental health professional would join you on the said online platform.
We can’t say if the benefits of teletherapy outweigh the detriments. We will leave that to you to decide through the information provided.
Why it makes sense?
It keeps you safe and indoors – One of the virtues teletherapy has is the way it promotes safety of clients and the professionals from the deadly pandemic. Patients who are immuno-compromised or who tend to fall ill quickly also acquire a safe route to conduct therapy which may have been impossible for them before.
Doesn’t require you to travel – Traveling for hours could exhaust the patient in case the mental health professional’s office isn’t located close by. Teletherapy eradicates the need to travel and makes it more comfortable for clients who don’t live close by.
Less intimidating – Partly due to the small size of the screen and partly due to personal reasons many people feel less diffident and more at ease in front of a camera. It also helps the mental health professional really see into their clients world and understand them.
Why it can be difficult ?
Technical barrier – Some people are more tech-savvy, while others fear technology and are intimidated by it, which makes conducting online sessions difficult for them. Depending on how you find technology, the session could go really fruitful or something that you can learn with your therapist.
Privacy concerns – There is also the sense of privacy which for some could become an issue. Privacy in the therapist office is much regulated by the therapist. However, with online platform the privacy is not necessarily in therapist hand. Though the software claim to be end to end encrypted, they are not controlled and regulated by the therapist. Similarly, doing sessions from home has been a issue with many patients who live in a less supportive environment. Many adult patients don’t tell their family members that they are in therapy or seeking professional help. They can be afraid of someone barging in while they are in the middle of discussing a confidential matter.
Dynamic environment – Teletherapy puts some restrictions on the therapy process. When you are in an office, a mental health professional uses multiple cues which consist of paralanguage like posture, gestures, pitch, body language to bring out more of the patient and to understand patients better. On screen, these cues are less easily accessible to both the therapist and the patient.
A different way of bonding – Many people feel like they need to interact in person first to be able to form that connection and to be able to feel comfortable around someone else. Therefore, before pandemic time, few face to face sessions where mandatory before moving online sessions due to high mobility of the patients in professional spaces or lack of availability of a professional in their local areas. Many people find in person way of physical connection more useful. However with unprecedented circumstances like pandemic many are able to adapt to the connection through the screen.
Teletherapy is a sort of therapeutic space that has become a viable option for many, given the limitations of the pandemic. Mental health professionals are also updating and devising ways of making the teletherapy space more conducive by creating comfortable and more attuned spaces for clients. Having said that, some people may be apprehensive of the procedure. It could be a good idea to discuss with a professional to further discuss what may work for you!