Can digital counselling ever be as effective as face-to-face therapy?
Everyone knows what is counselling or therapy. Digital counselling is just availing counselling through online platforms like websites and mobile apps. Everyone uses apps for most things today and it is the same for counselling and therapy. You get it right through a mobile app or website.
So how does it work?
Usually, it’s all done through one of the other mediums like chat, audio, and/or video calls. It’s through secure mechanisms or through third-party apps for communication.
Does it work?
The efficacy of such platforms will vary and depend on a few factors including the kind of experts that they have on-board. There is a lot of research that points towards the fact that online or digital counselling is particularly useful for strengthening brain signals and proving effective in PTSD etc. And a different study has found that online counselling can work as equally well as antidepressants for mild to medium depression. That said there are many platforms that have published their own research and they seem to be quite promising as well.
Pros:
These are the advantages of using online or digital counselling as opposed to face-to-face therapy:
• You don’t have to spend time to travel to your therapist. You can do it from the confines of your home or office or anywhere else.
• These professionals bring a fresh perspective to your situations. And can get immediate support as opposed to setting up appointments for the future.
• They are professional so they know their boundaries and are not invested in your issues as opposed to friends and colleagues.
Cons:
On the flip side while there many advantages to getting online digital counselling, there are a couple of cons to it as well.
• The experts may fail to pick out on visual cues that you are providing in a chat-based or audio-based platform.
• Connectivity issues may cause an interruption in your sessions.
So there are not too many cons to it right now. And with passing time the technology will keep getting better so you can expect very stable connections as we go forward.
Will it be really effective?
As mentioned there is plenty of evidence and research that suggests digital counselling is as effective as therapy. However, that being said there are some tips that one should follow to make sure to get the maximum benefit out of online digital counselling –
1. Stick to one platform and fixed therapist if possible. You can try out a couple of them in the beginning and once you find your comfort stick with that.
2. Do not miss your sessions just because you can reschedule them again easily. Therapy works best if you follow your schedules properly.
3. Do the work given to be your therapist diligently? Do not skip out on the tasks or homework given by your therapist.
There are many platforms and apps out there which provide good counselling and therapy. Some of the are –
Aurum :
It’s one of the best online counselling apps globally. They have their own unique programs on stress, anxiety, depression management, and others. They have a good panel of psychologists and counselors and have experts for different areas of counselling. The experience of counselling is wonderful and all this at probably the most affordable prices you will find online.
Reading and writing is also a therapy that works, read our article How to reduce the complexity of life and How to train your mind
Talkspace:
Its an online counselling app wherein you can sign up and connect with a professional counselor over chat, audio, or video. There is no need to go and visit a counselor now you can just connect with one over this platform.
Besides there are other apps like Ableto, Betterhelp, Woebot, Joyful, etc.
In conclusion, we would just like to highlight the fact that online counselling is one of the best options for you if you are looking to get expert help for your life issues. So do not hesitate and get the help you deserve. The efficacy of these digital apps is well established. There are millions of people who are using them today. So you can go on and use digital counselling right away.
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