Pros and Cons of Online Therapy / Counselling methods.

Lost, disheartened, dismayed.

What is this facade? I don’t know anymore. I walk up to my parents with dull brown eyes and ask for their guidance. They have no clue as to how they can be of help. Months go by, my dilemmas stay. I am lost. I do not know which way to go.

I saw a pamphlet today, it said “Counselling services provided.”

I decided to call the number and schedule an appointment in the following week. I was excited. I expected my life to finally get back to its normal pace.

But alas! Covid-19 had struck the world and ruined my hopes for a better tomorrow.

I was alone again. I did not understand this digitally dominated, tech-driven way of seeking help.

Imagine the amount of people who’s mental health has suffered in this global pandemic, where they haven’t been able to receive the help they so desperately need.

Yes, we do have online counselling and therapy available, but is it really effective?

Does it really work for everyone effectively compared to online counselling?

Let’s find out.

PROS OF ONLINE COUNSELLING

Online counselling undoubtedly has quite a few pros of its own. Let’s look into some

PROS OF ONLINE COUNSELLING VS OFFLINE COUNSELLING.

Saves time: (PROS)

Imagine waking up in the morning, having to get out of bed and freshen up, make time for the other work you have to tend to along with making time to go see a therapist or a counsellor while trying to dodge the heavy traffic. Seems like a task in itself, doesn’t it?

This is why online counselling is often considered to be more convenient since you can connect to your counsellor anytime and anywhere. Even in the comfort of your house. You can easily connect with them over text messages, voice calls or video calls – whatever works best for you.

No travel cost: (PROS)

Most people living in metropolitan cities might or might not own a vehicle which gets them from place to place. Often, people may not own a vehicle and might find it difficult to afford travelling to see a therapist or a counsellor.

Online counselling solves this problem. While good counsellors and therapists themselves are quite expensive since they charge you session wise, it is heavier on the wallet when you have to pay for the travel as well. Especially if you get stuck in traffic while travelling in a meter-run vehicle, you might find yourself paying more than the usual amount.

Very good for remote areas: (PROS)

In remote areas like villages, or even areas situated on the outskirts of towns and cities, it is much easier for people to gain access to such services. It is very difficult for people from these areas to firstly, find a counselling centre, and secondly, find a way to get to it. Thus, online facilities may prove to be very beneficial to them.

This is extremely helpful since it promotes the normalisation of therapy and counselling and breaks the age-old stigmas around it. People see other people and learn and grow more mature in their outlook towards these social stigmas and eventually, we may be able to reach a stage in our lives when we won’t be afraid to admit that we need therapy or counselling. It is something extremely normal and needs to be made more common among people.

Easily accessible for people with physical limitations: (PROS)

Mobility can be a big issue for people who are physically limited or homebound. It may be difficult for a physically challenged person to commute to a therapist or counsellor and thus, in such situations, online services prove to be extremely beneficial for them. This actually goes both ways, a practising therapist could also find it difficult to set up to accommodate his/her patients. Thus, online practices prove to be beneficial in both these settings.

Another huge advantage of online therapy is that people tend to feel way more comfortable in a familiar setting, thus, it makes it extremely easy for them to be more vulnerable and it makes it easier for their counsellor or therapist to understand what problems they may be facing.

Every coin has two sides. The same way, even online counselling has its CONS which proves to be the pros for offline counselling.

Let’s have a look at them.

CONS OF ONLINE COUNSELLING

It is easier to communicate face to face.

As humans, we are extremely expressive. Everything we do or say, our body language, our expressions, they all mean something. The tone of our voice or the simple gestures that we make, all of these things make it easier for us to communicate and express ourselves accurately. Online therapy robs us of a vitally important means of communication. Without being in the same room, face to face, talking in person with someone, it makes it very easy for the client to misunderstand the therapist/counsellor and for the therapist/counsellor to misunderstand what the client is saying.

Lack of trust.

In all of these settings, a person is literally pouring his/her heart out and bringing up parts of himself/herself that nobody else knows of. It is extremely important for the client to be able to completely put their trust in the person that they’re seeing. This is a little difficult in online therapy. We naturally tend to trust people who we meet in person way more easily than people who we meet online. This may or may not stand true for everybody. Hence, even in this case, online therapy/counselling may not be very effective.

Internet problems.

Everyone may not have access to high-speed internet services such as WiFi or unlimited mobile data. This may cause the server to crash or for the audio/video of both the sides to lag or glitch. This causes a lot of disturbance which makes it even tougher for the client to open up and for the professional to understand what their clients are going through. It may also cause frustration which may lead to further mental health issues.

Lack of privacy.

Everyone does not live in large, lavish houses. People may have a lack of privacy in their home settings, especially teenagers which makes it extremely difficult to be open and vulnerable during online therapy/counselling sessions. There may be various interruptions and this is extremely unhealthy and makes the entire session absolutely futile.

Lack of confidence or discomfort.

Everyone is not comfortable with their appearance or their voice. Some people hate the way they look on cameras and hate the way their voice sounds digitally. Thus, it is weird for them to be able to fully open up in an online therapy or counselling session.

A personal anecdote: A girl in my online lectures felt extremely insecure when the teacher asked us to keep our cameras turned on, she did not speak for the entirety of the class and made sure her face isn’t visible during the class. Later, she admitted that she felt uncomfortable and insecure and that is why she couldn’t fully participate in the class.

These are some of the pros and cons of online and offline therapy/counselling.

At the end of the day, my message to all my readers would be to reach out and get help if they feel they need it. Do whatever works best for you, be it online or offline, but make sure you get the help that you need. It is always different for everyone and these points are highly subjective.

Stay strong and remember that you are loved.