ONLINE PROGRAMS

What is online therapy? The past few years, while we've been trapped inside with a global pandemic, this phrase has been thrown around a lot. In the simplest terms online therapy is just as it sounds, therapy but in an “online space”, which leaves a lot of possibilities.

Whether the therapist uses zoom, a regular phone call, fax machine, or facetime it's all relatively similar. This shift happened in March of 2020 when a raging pandemic shut down the world and forced mental health services to find a new way to help people in an online only world. While the shift allowed therapy to continue helping millions now that we are able to start returning to in person environments the question becomes, is online therapy still a viable and healthy option for patients, or should in person therapy be the only option? The answer is complex, yet simple. Online therapy allows more patients to be helped, lowers therapy costs, and allows specialists all around the world to meet with anyone therefore online therapy should be allowed and encouraged.

Let's talk about accessibility. The word is used a lot, but what does it really mean, specifically when we are talking about therapy. Accessibility is the amount of people that are able to use a good or service despite their disability. In the most basic terms of wheelchair accessible many in person therapies do meet this need. Yet in our modern Covid run world the new main concern on the accessibility front for therapy is keeping patients healthy, especially those who are immunocompromised. This is where online therapy stands out the most as it allows those who would be in danger if they went to a regular in person therapists office receive help. Online therapy also means people who live in remote areas to easily access help. As well as allowing specialists anywhere in the world to help more patients. Georgetown University’s Psychology team researched the benefits of online therapy and said that, “You can connect with specialists who may be in another office or even another part of the state”. Their research later mentions the benefits of finding a therapist fit for you and your needs. This means that rather than limiting your access to the couple of therapists near you, you are now able to find a therapist based on your needs and not geography.

Another added bonus of online therapy like ours is that the companies who offer it are opening up the discussion of mental health. Mental health is a tough topic but one that needs to be discussed more as the more you talk about it the better, we will all be. A couple decades ago talking about going to therapy or the benefits of it was not accepted. Putting your mental health before work or school was frowned upon and seen as weak. While these standards are not gone for good, the more the discussion of mental health is brought to light the more people will learn about it, and the benefits of putting your health first.