How To Be An Online Psychologist? 7 Practical Tips
The emergence of online therapy in the world of psychological assistance has made more and more professionals interested in knowing the potential of this tool to work.
This is not surprising, given the multiple advantages that online psychotherapy offers to those who know how to take advantage of the characteristics of this channel. However, positioning yourself well in this type of service can be somewhat complicated, because although the service offered is fundamentally the same, the medium is totally different.
So that… How to become an online psychologist? Let’s see what are the main steps to take.
The path to becoming an online psychologist is not excessively long, but it has its complexities. It is not simply about announcing this service and improvising video calls with clients who request it, because by doing this we are wasting a large part of its potential, as we will see. Taking advantage of the options of this format is a process that, in part, requires a preparation and marketing plan on our part.
1. Acquire the right equipment
The technical requirements to offer online therapy are not very difficult to satisfy, but in any case it is essential that you do not neglect this section. Not only do you need to have a good and stable Internet connection; In addition, the camera and microphone you use must be good, so that interference does not detract from the quality to the experience of talking to a psychologist and is as similar as possible to what it feels like to talk face to face. Don’t underestimate the value of seeing and listening in detail to what a person to whom you express your concerns does and says.
Beyond bank transfers, Online psychotherapy services are sometimes associated with other payment methods, such as Paypal. It is important that you know how it works, since not doing so could make you lose opportunities.
3. Familiarize yourself with the technical aspects of the video call
Video calling (or videoconferencing) is the default mode in which online psychotherapy sessions are carried out. Therefore, obviously, you must know how to take advantage of it, and what digital platforms to use to establish these calls
4. Adapt your marketing plan to include online therapy
If all you do is indicate on your website that you do online therapy, you will be wasting a large part of the potential of this type of service.
What you should do is position yourself as an online psychologist beyond your website ; Since now you can have patients from practically anywhere, you must make yourself known in places where there are usually people predisposed to go to the psychologist through online psychotherapy services. Doing this is not easy, and in fact whether you do it well or poorly will greatly influence your chances of being successful or not.
5. Know the different types of services
To know how to use the Internet as a means to serve clients, it is necessary to take into account that people interested in your services They do not have to always ask for the same type of hours and dedication and adapt to this.
As a psychologist, for example, I offer two types of online psychology services: remote consultation, in which specific doubts are resolved by email, and online psychotherapy itself, which is carried out through video calls.
We must not forget that there are many people who do not operate perfectly in the use of the Internet or computer programs in general.
Therefore, as an online psychologist, you must do what is necessary to that this line of services you offer is very accessible and that it does not pose totally unnecessary obstacles, something that can fall into if we do not pay attention and do not stop to think from the point of view of someone not familiar with our website. Small errors in internal linking or the design of your page can mean that you miss out on many opportunities to establish contact with new customers.
In the same way, you must know all the characteristics of online therapy to resolve the doubts and reluctance of new patients, which implies, once again, putting yourself in their place and not assuming that they know everything you know.
7. Monitor your results and your online visibility
It is very important that you keep track of both the number of patients who come to you asking for online therapy sessions, and the number of people you reach from your social networks. This way You will have information practically in real time about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to reaching your potential audience It makes no sense to bet everything on word of mouth if you are precisely offering your services in a digital environment in which you do not depend on physical proximity and you can reach all the people connected to the Internet and who speak your language: take advantage of the potential of online sphere.
