If I asked you to picture in your mind what a therapy session looks like, you would probably imagine a client laying down or sitting on a couch and a therapist sitting next to them taking notes. Up until a few years ago, this was what most talk-therapy looked like. Teletherapy or virtual therapy became increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was the only option for many people who needed to receive mental health care. I have experienced virtual therapy both as a client and as a clinician, and frankly, I’m a big fan. In addition, studies show that when comparing retention rates and outcomes, teletherapy is as effective as in-person therapy (Lin, Heckman, & Anderson, 2022). In no particular order, I’ve compiled a few reasons why I enjoy teletherapy from a client’s perspective.
10 Reasons to Consider Virtual Counseling:
1. It can be less intimidating to be vulnerable with a new therapist from the comfort of your own home as opposed to a strange place.
2. There’s no traffic and no parking when you are doing virtual therapy.
3. You can wear pajamas to therapy or show up in a “messy” way without worrying about other people seeing you
4. If you have children, it’s easier to sneak away to a quiet room or ask a partner to watch the kids while you take a 50min virtual session. And if your kids break into the room while you’re in therapy, well, you wouldn’t be the first.
- This is also helpful for parents of newborn babies if they want to have therapy without the hassle of taking the baby out of the house.
5. If you don’t live near your therapist, teletherapy can help keep you connected. Whether you travel in-state for work (or fun), or you found the perfect therapist, but they live out of town, you can still connect virtually.
6. If you wake up on therapy day and you feel awful or didn’t sleep well, you can ask your therapist for a virtual session instead of in-person. That way you won’t be charged for a late cancellation, and you won’t get your therapist sick.
7. You can show off your pets to your therapist or maybe see your therapist’s pets.
8. If driving conditions are unsafe, you don’t have to leave your home.
9. You can squeeze in a therapy session in the middle of the day if you work from home or have the privacy to do so at work. And don’t worry, due to confidentiality, we can’t tell your boss.
10. Couples in long distance relationships can meet for therapy together as long as they both live in Texas (or the state in which your therapist is licensed).
11. (Bonus) When you are visiting your parents and have teletherapy you can pretend you’re in a true crime documentary and returning to the scene of the crime.
If you already have a therapist, you can ask them about their policies around virtual therapy, and if it might be right for you to incorporate some amount of virtual therapy into your sessions. If you don’t have a therapist and you want to get one, maybe starting virtually feels easier than starting in person.
Be well,
Gianna
References
Lin, T., Heckman, T. G., & Anderson, T. (2022). The efficacy of synchronous teletherapy versus in-person therapy: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 29(2), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.1037/cps0000056
Gianna Colera, LPC-Associate, LMFT-Associate, Supervised by Nicole Richardson, LPC-S, LMFT-S
