What Are the Pros and Cons of Online Therapies during COVID-19?

On the verge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was likely to face a serious mental health crisis. The panic and the stress caused by disease lead to mental health issues. During that time, therapy is the best solution, but we can’t make face-face therapy sessions. Hence people ended up with online therapists. 

What is Online Therapy?

Online therapies, also known as e-counseling, e-therapy, or teletherapy, involve offering mental health services and their support to people suffering from mental health issues via the internet. This type of therapy can occur through email, messaging, online chat, video chat, and voice call by psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, counselors, and other social workers. During COVID-19, online therapists gained immense popularity in the isolating environment.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Online Therapies?

Let’s explore some of the pros and cons of online therapies that helped people during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Pros 

• Online therapy is considered one of the best options for remote areas as people in those remote areas do not have any access to mental health services. Hence opting for online therapy will save their time and effort.
• Online therapies provide the best accessibility to people who have a mental illness, physical illness, and disabled peoples.
• It is the most convenient way. Because you will be able to attend your counseling from your own home, and you also get to schedule your counseling hours according to your preferences. 
• Online therapies are affordable, and they are likely to cost less when compared to direct visits.  
• Online therapy is the most accessible because people may feel comfortable talking to friends and family about their physical condition but not their mental condition. 

Cons 

• Keeping your information private is one of the major concerns in psychotherapy. Still, we cannot get that assurance when it comes to online as the information is shared online.
• If you have a serious psychological illness, then online therapy will not be your savior. As online therapies have some limitations, they are not effective in complex situations like giving face-to-face counseling.
• You can receive online therapy from anywhere worldwide, but it is important to understand your therapist’s qualifications and details before starting your therapies. 
• Psychotherapy involves monitoring body language, facial expressions, and vocal signals, but there will be a lack of intimacy and intricacy during online therapy.

Online therapists are qualified to explore the patient’s psychological sequela of social isolation, job loss, fear of contagion, grief, and anxiety. They support patients through major life changes throughout the pandemic.