Why is online therapy increasingly popular?

Time passes and, with it, our way of understanding both mental health and the way in which it should be cared for by professionals also changes.

One of the aspects in which this is clearly seen has to do with the emergence and consolidation of online psychotherapy. If a little more than a decade ago the possibility of offering support to patients through the Internet seemed an eccentricity, today it is part of the daily work of many psychologists. In fact, it is an upward trend.

What is this about? Throughout this article we will see what are the reasons why online therapy is increasingly popular, receiving increasing attention from both patients and professionals.

• Related article: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

Why has online therapy grown in popularity?

Anyone who has been in contact with the world of applied psychology will have realized that, at least in the case of Spain, it has produced a notable increase in the number of psychologists, psychotherapy cabinets and health clinics offering psychotherapy services on-line.

It is a phenomenon that has emerged in recent years, and that it does not have to do simply with the crisis produced by the pandemic and the confinement of 2020; While the latter has helped accelerate the trend, online therapy has quickly gained ground on its own merits.

This is partly due to something that has made its existence possible: the development of video calling technologies. Until recently, although it was technically possible to make these kinds of connections with other people through via a computer, the signal was too weak or slow for communication to be fluid. This allowed us to talk for a few minutes, but the errors in the transmission meant that the images had little detail and that on many occasions this or the sound suffered stops.

Therefore, the differences between a face-to-face conversation and one carried out through one of these virtual platforms were evident, and who Participating in them had to spend a certain time and effort in "deciphering" what the other wanted to say because of the lack of non-verbal information and, sometimes, verbal.

But in recent years, the number of people with access to a good Internet connection has made it possible for millions of people to avoid such technical obstacles; in this context, already it is possible to verify the usefulness of online therapy without obtaining distorted results due to poor transmission of data due to technological limitations. And from this, they have been able to appreciate the advantages of online therapy.

What are the advantages of resorting to online psychotherapy?

From our perspective as professionals of psychology, the beneficial aspects that explain the increase in popularity of the offer and demand of online therapy are, mainly, the following.

1. Gives the possibility to save time

With online therapy, patients save the time used to travel to the center where the psychologist attends in person. This is not only more convenient and cheaper; what's more, makes it easier to schedule therapy sessions.

• You may be interested: "10 tips for choosing a good psychologist"

2. Makes it easier to feel relaxed

Since it is not necessary to leave the home to "go to the psychologist," patients can speak with the professional in a familiar setting. In many cases this makes it easier for them to express their problems and feelings about them openly and honestly.

3. It does not force to always be in the same place

Another aspect for which online therapy is highly demanded is that allows not to interrupt treatment even in the case of having to travel, or in case of not having left the place where you work due to delays, overtime, etc.

4. Provides discretion

Although everything that is said in therapy is always confidential, some appreciate the ability to have even more discretion thanks to online therapy, by not having to enter the center where the psychologist works.

5. Has the efficacy of face-to-face therapy

Finally, something fundamental should be highlighted: the effects of online therapy are comparable to those of face-to-face therapy for most of the problems to be treated. Except for some exceptions, such as treatments that involve the use of equipment that cannot be created in a digital version and those aimed at very young children, there are no significant differences neither in the magnitude nor in the duration of the results obtained.

Are you interested in having online psychological help?

If you are one of the people who are considering taking advantage of online therapy, get in touch with our team of psychotherapists. On El Prado Psychologists we have been combining face-to-face care services in our Madrid center with the care through the Internet, and we offer the possibility of having mental health experts wherever you are. With more than 20 psychologists with a consolidated professional career, our center performs interventions against a wide variety of emotional and behavioral problems. To see our contact information, go to this page.

Bibliographic references:

• Change, D. (2008). The Effectiveness of Telemental Health Applications. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 53: pp. 769 – 778.
• González-Peña, P., Torres, R., Del Barrio, V., and Olmedo, M. (2017). Use of technology in psychological practice in Spain. Infocop.
• Gratzer, D. and Khalid-Khan, F. (2016). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of psychiatric illness. CMAJ, 188 (4) pp. 263 – 272.
• Zack, Jason; Stricker, George (2004). Kraus, Ron, ed. Online counseling: a handbook for mental health professionals. Amsterdam: Academic.