Despite the fact that many insist on demonizing new technologies as an invention that will cause the end of social relationships, the truth is that, if we use them correctly, they can be very helpful. They are already being used for medical treatments that improve the quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients and psychology has embraced new technologies to be able to access more people and solve their emotional problems. This is how online psychotherapy is presented to us.
How online psychotherapy works
- Online psychotherapy responds to the new needs imposed by the transformation of society. According to experts, it is just as effective as traditional psychological therapy and, in many cases, with better results. The patient can receive the treatment without leaving home through different means such as the telephone, via email, chat or videoconference.
- In addition, the psychologists accompany the communication with multimedia materials, exercises and bibliography, which the patient can review at home at the time they consider appropriate. It is a model of psychological therapy that still presents many reluctances, especially for those people who consider that a virtual relationship cannot replace the benefits of physical contact.
- However, there are many people who are less intimacy and more free to express their feelings when they are behind the computer screen, because being face to face can more easily bring out their fears, phobias and insecurities. Thus, from the security that this type of online communication produces, they are sincerer about their problem, which obviously facilitates treatment.
Advantages of online psychotherapy
- But security and tranquility are not the only advantages of online psychological therapy. Many people feel ashamed of their psychological disorder, which prevents them from discussing it even with professionals. For this, the Internet is the best ally, given the anonymity it provides, thus eliminating the fear of being judged. In the event that the patient needs to treat a phobia, online therapy is also more effective, since he can receive the treatment from the safety of his home.
- We find more advantages in the fact that online psychotherapy can be accessible to a greater number of people who, otherwise, could not have adequate treatment. This is the case of people with mobility problems, people who cannot leave their homes because they are in the care of relatives or all those who live far from urban centers.
- In addition, online psychology is the best option for those very busy people who do not have time to go to the psychologist’s office, since this type of therapy has longer hours than a traditional psychologist and no time is wasted traveling. As if that were not enough, it seems that online psychotherapy is also cheaper, which reinforces its advantage of being accessible to everyone.
