The Importance Of Online Therapy In The Face Of The Coronavirus Pandemic
In times of crisis due to COVID-19, the social and health emergency should not make us lose sight of the fact that health is not only reduced to preventing and curing physical conditions observable in the human body; in fact, it is not even limited to the absence of pathologies.
Health includes well-being as something global, and that implies that we cannot forget something as important as mental health, especially in contexts capable of making us face very difficult and stressful situations, as well as uncertainty.
Luckily, in recent years a form of psychotherapeutic intervention has been consolidated that adapts very well to our needs during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s about online therapy, which has come to stay and which, although before the appearance of this pathogenic agent it was already becoming popular rapidly, with the appearance of COVID-19 it has become essential. Let’s see why.
The reasons why online therapy is essential in times of COVID-19
These are the main reasons why online therapy is an essential resource in the face of the pandemic.
1. Its effectiveness is equivalent to in-person therapy
The first aspect to take into account is that Changing the communication channel does not cause the effectiveness of the treatment to be lost.. It is true that there are some specific cases in which online psychotherapy is complicated or practically impossible due to logistical issues (for example, when it is necessary to use resources such as Neurofeedback or Virtual Reality with special glasses), but where it can be carried out without limitations. materials, this form of intervention in patients is as effective as the “traditional” one carried out face to face with the therapist.
The first great advantage of online therapy is obvious: if it is not necessary to leave the house and travel to the psychologist’s office, the risk of contagion of that period of time invested in “going to the psychologist” is reduced to zero.
This is a great benefit for people at risk from COVID-19 and also for those who live with them, including here people who need to be almost always available to support their elderly, their sick, etc.
3. It implies a lower cost
Especially in times of economic crisis, many people and families highly value the idea of having a form of psychotherapy offered at a lower price than in-person therapy. As online therapy involves a lower cost for psychologists and health centers, this is usually It is also reflected in what the client pays.
On the other hand, having the security of being able to pay for all therapy sessions is also associated with greater commitment to treatment, and consequently, a lower dropout rate and better final results.
4. He does not understand geographical limits
These weeks, something that in any other year would have seemed almost straight out of a science fiction novel is a real possibility: lockdowns applied to regions and even entire countries.
Given the need to stop the spread of the virus, in several cases people’s mobility is greatly limited and even those who can go out may encounter several obstacles: problems when sharing a car, changes in the frequency of public transport or security. of these vehicles, etc. With online therapy, none of this matters.
In a situation in which the limitations of trying not to get infected greatly reduce our freedoms, Most people want everything they have to do throughout the week to be as simple as possible.. In this sense, online therapy is ideal, because it does not require too many intermediate steps nor is it difficult to make the schedules fit, as we do not have to invest time in traveling or making sure that we will find the place, arrive on time, etc.
You just have to schedule a first session, make the payment as indicated, and connect to the video calling platform when the time comes. As long as we have an Internet connection and we have a quiet place that allows us to be alone, we don’t even have to always do the sessions in the same place.
Are you looking for psychotherapeutic assistance?
If you are interested in having professional psychotherapeutic support, count on us. In Advance Psychologists We have been treating patients for more than 20 years, and currently offer both in-person and online therapy. Among our team of mental health experts we have accredited professionals with specialties in adult psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychotherapy, couples therapy, speech therapy, psychiatry, neuropsychology, coaching, and more. On this page you will find our contact details and more information about the way we work.
