In a matter of just a decade, online psychology has become one of the most common ways of offering and receiving psychological assistance, a new way of establishing the interaction between the psychologist and the patient or client.
Now… why has it become so popular? In essence, online psychology consists of the same services as always, although carried out through a different medium: the Internet, from which digital platforms can be used to communicate in real time. Is such a simple modification capable of making people begin to use this option en masse in a few years, and see it as something normal?
In this article we will see What are the advantages of using online psychology and how this new tool helps both clients and psychologists.
As I said before, basically the only difference between conventional psychology services and online psychology services is the channel. In one case, the client or patient goes to visit the psychologist at her consultation or the psychologist goes to the client’s home or business to work on site; In the other, both meet an hour away and connect to a communication system through the Internet.
This small differential fact, however, is much more It creates a ripple effect that affects many other aspects of the relationship between professional and client, and many of these effects are positive, beneficial to both. Let’s see what they are.
Customer benefits
These are the different ways in which online psychology provides benefits for the client.
Although in theory psychologists can go wherever the client is, in practice the standard services of most professionals in the sector do not include this option, and if they do include it, it would normally involve paying more than most people would expect. can allow.
That’s why, Normally the sessions in which the psychologist and the client or patient meet are held at the former’s workplace whether it is a psychology office, a private practice or a clinic.
However, this represents a barrier for some people who have many problems getting around, such as those who live in areas that are not very well connected, elderly people or people with motor disabilities.
Online psychology eliminates this obstacle and makes many more people able to access the services of a psychology professional by attending sessions regularly.
2. Allows you to balance schedules better
Due to the advantage that we have seen before, everyone can deduct from their schedule the time necessary to travel to the psychologist’s workspace, which can easily mean gaining an hour and a half a week, and find spaces more easily to hold sessions without interfering with work or home responsibilities.
3. Allows you to choose the professional who really fits what you are looking for
Since, thanks to online psychology, the space between client and psychologist is practically irrelevant, Anyone interested in these services can go to the professional who really offers what they are looking for even if you live more than an hour away by car.
4. A good solution for people who have gone abroad
The possibility of having psychological assistance in the mother tongue It is a positive point to take into account if you live abroad. Especially if in these sessions you have to talk about personal topics or express feelings directly and honestly.
5. Offers the guarantees of in-person psychological assistance
Currently, research indicates that The usefulness and effectiveness of online psychology are comparable to those of face-to-face sessions and that in general there are no significant losses in the quality of the service offered.
This does not mean that it cannot pose disadvantages to some people with specific needs, such as patients seeking therapy against phobias using technological tools that are available in a clinic, but not at home or on their computer, but normally these requirements do not apply. arise.
Benefits for the psychologist
On the other hand, online psychology also offers many interesting advantages to psychologists. These are the main ones.
1. Allows you to work from anywhere
Regardless of whether we are traveling to another country to attend a conference or if we have gone to another city for a few days to work on site in a special case (for example, in-company services for a multinational), online psychology allows us to continue handling the cases of many clients
2. Helps balance schedules
Online psychology provides a little more flexibility when distributing sessions throughout the week For example, thanks to this it is possible to serve clients even if at certain times there is no one at the reception, and even if due to scheduling issues in a phase of the day there is no time to prepare a room in which to meet.
We must not forget that online psychology can be accompanied by an expansive marketing strategy, that appeals to people who live relatively far from where we are but who may be interested in our services This means that the ceiling of potential clientele goes up a lot, and is even potentially unlimited, if we do it well and work hard on communicating what we offer.
Conclusion
The advantages of online psychology mean that this type of service is here to stay As long as there are good communication networks and widespread use of electronic devices connected to the Internet, there will be the possibility of taking advantage of the potential of this channel that keeps us united regardless of where we are. And this can only be good news.
