What do you have to do to benefit from online therapy?

Online therapy is a modality of psychological assistance that is expanding rapidly; More and more people are demanding it, and more and more mental health professionals are incorporating this form of intervention in patients into their services.

This change is taking place rapidly, and for this reason there are many who consider seeking professional support online but, at the same time, do not know what to expect from it or how it works.

Therefore, with the aim of resolving these doubts, along the following lines we will see how online therapy works, that is, what are the possibilities it offers, its benefits, and what needs to be done to attend these sessions as a patient.

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

What is online therapy and what does it offer?

As its name indicates, online psychotherapy is the type of psychological intervention in patients that is carried out using the Internet as a communication channel. Therefore, one of its main characteristics is that

therapist and patient do not need to be physically close to each other, although they must be connected at the same time, since the communication established between them is in real time.

In most cases, both the psychologist and the person requesting the online therapy service can see and hear each other, since they communicate via video call. Besides, the information they exchange is private and cannot be disseminated by the professional.

Thus, two of the main advantages of online therapy are the following:

⦁ Allows you to save travel. ⦁ Provides extra discretion as it can be done from home. ⦁ It is easier to include in the schedule. ⦁ It is more accessible for all kinds of people, no matter where they live or their physical condition

What to do to attend online psychotherapy sessions: 5 steps to follow

These are the fundamental aspects of how online therapy works.

1. choose the professional

Not all psychologists specialize in the same thing nor are they trained to intervene in any type of problem. That is why, in the first place, you have to find out about your services and areas of intervention: do you only perform therapy for individual patients, or do you also offer couples therapy? What are the age ranges of the patients you work with? Do you have experience with the form of discomfort that is affecting us?

In addition, it must be ensured that he actually has the capacity to perform psychotherapy; To find out, you have to check that you are able to show your registered psychologist number.

2. Check that we have the necessary technology

Fortunately, today practically any electronic device manufactured in recent years and with the ability to connect to the Internet, it can offer us the possibility of attending therapy on-line. It is more important to make sure that the Internet connection is stable: Keep in mind that sessions with the psychologist usually last about 50 minutes.

3. Establish the first contact

In this first phone call or email you can ask the professional all the doubts you have, or directly request an appointment for a first session.

Remember that even if you do not have to go to the psychotherapist's office, sessions always have to be planned hours or days in advance, and that it is important to respect a schedule, making them always fall on the same days and hours of the week.

• You may be interested in: "Rapport: 5 keys to creating an environment of trust"

4. Find a quiet, private place to connect

Ideally, the online therapy sessions take place in a place without noise and where you can enjoy privacy, so that it is easier to establish a dialogue based on honesty and the presence of others does not condition you people. After all, Psychologists do not read minds, and in order for us to help you, you need to talk about what is happening to you.. Remember that all the information that you are going to give to the psychologist will be treated as confidential.

5. Establish connection via specified channel

At this point, the chosen professional will already have indicated the digital platform from which the first session will take place.

Are you interested in finding help through online psychotherapy?

If you want to have professional support through online therapy, contact us. In Cribecca Psychology We will inform you about the services we offer and we will resolve any questions you may have without obligation. You can also have our team of psychologists at the facilities of our center, located in Seville. To see our contact information or if you are interested in knowing more about Cribecca Psicología, access this page.

Bibliographic references:

• Change, PM. (2011). Effectiveness of cybertherapy in mental health: a critical appraisal. Stud Health Technol Report 167:pp. 3 - 8.
• Gratzer, D. and Khalid-Khan, F. (2016). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of psychiatric illness. CMAJ, 188(4)pp. 263 – 272.