There are several benefits to therapy, especially traditional therapy, and I am not saying that eCounselling is a much better option, but there are certain advantages to eCounselling which the traditional method can’t compete with.
Let me recap what traditional therapy session entails. It’s a face-to-face therapy session with a trained and licensed psychologist once a week for 50 minutes to 1 hour. You go to their office, pay and go back to your life. Next week, you return.
What is eCounselling
eCounselling is you signing up on a website and getting assigned a psychologist. Everything is online. All your sessions are text based, audio-based or video. The pricing model is cheaper and you pay a monthly fee depending on the package you have chosen. If you choose a once-a-day check-in package with a therapist then its usually cheap. If its twice a day check-in by a therapist, then its slightly more expensive and, a plan which has daily check-ins by therapist and also includes a full hour video session or an audio session, then cost goes up further.
Essentially, its all up to you and what you decide. Let’s take a look at the benefits of eCounselling and what it entails.
Cheaper
eCounselling is cheaper – where you may be paying $150 per session in traditional in-office therapy, prices for eCounselling start from $150/Month or less. See the difference already?
Yes, there is a catch; its text based.
All-Day Access
On the upside to text based, eCounselling gives you the convenience of messaging your therapist all day long! It furthermore gives you the opportunity to form your thoughts better or if you are one those who prefer to get it out as soon as you want, then too, this is a great way to get things off your chest because your private therapy room is open 24/7.
This of your therapist as a friend with a professional edge.
Mediums of Communications
If you are thinking that eCounselling is just text based, then no. eCounselling services offer text-based therapy sessions as well as audio mode. You can use audio recordings and videos to communicate with your therapist.
Its like iMessage or WhatsApp. You can send audio message as well as text and if you like you record a video and send that across.
On top of this, most eTherapy services offer live-therapy sessions as well which is great because you are still in your comfort zone and don’t need to travel anywhere to speak directly to your therapist. You can schedule an audio call via your secure platform or schedule a video call.
What’s the catch here? Its slightly more expensive.
Say Bye to Commute
No need to walk or drive to your therapist, if you have an internet connection then your therapist is just a few clicks away. eCounselling services sometimes have an app in addition to web interface, if this is the case, then your mobile device will keep you connected at all times. This is perhaps one of the greatest benefits of eCounselling
Avoid the Stigma
How many times have you not seek help because you were afraid of what might people say when they see you walking into a psyche clinic?
With eCounselling, no one can find out about your therapy sessions because it’s all online and you set your own time and your own pace. Keeping your therapy a secret from an abusive partner can be tough too, and eCounselling can certainly help you avoid uncomfortable conversations and further hurdles.
Rescheduling / Cancelling
Being humans, we are sometimes not in the mood to talk, and with eCounselling this is not a problem.
eCounselling takes the hassle out of cancelling and rescheduling sessions with your therapist for free because you are in charge of your sessions.
If you are going on a vacation or have taken seriously ill, simply put your account on hold or talk to the rep so you are not charged for the time you’re away on vacation or sick.
Change Therapist
It’s a common problem to not get along with you therapist. If this is your case as well, then you can simply contact the service representative and tell them you want a different one.
Perfection is part of this world and we must not forget that and hence should not even seek it. So eCounselling is the same. It’s not a perfect solution but its doing the best it can to serve those who it can.
Problems will come and we either learn from them or we avoid them. Psychologists are just one such batch of professionals who have the ability to help us understand or make sense of things when we are close to our problems.
If you are looking for online psychologists there are plenty of psychological help centres which can assist you in pairing up with a mental health professional.