4 Great Advantages Of Telecounseling
Telecounseling allows therapists to treat patients from anywhere. Instead of going to your therapist's office, you will instead communicate with them virtually. Since therapy is based on conversation, it can be just as effective when conducted through video conferencing. Here are four great things you can expect from telecounseling.
1. Fit therapy into your busy schedule
Therapy can be a great tool for healing. People with depression and anxiety can greatly benefit from learning coping tools from their therapists, but fitting therapy appointments into an already full schedule can sound impossible. Telecounseling appointments are easier for many people to commit to since they don't require travel time. Most telecounseling appointments are 45 minutes to an hour long. You can make time for your weekly counseling session in the middle of your workday, during your lunch break, or any other time you have a moment to yourself.
2. Receive the same confidential care you can expect in person
Therapy is effective because people feel safe to share their innermost thoughts and feelings in a confidential environment. Therapists are forbidden to share anything you say in your therapy session with others without your permission unless they believe you may hurt yourself or someone else. That promise of confidentiality will apply to telecounseling sessions as well. Even though you're not meeting with your therapist in person, you can rest assured that your therapist will not disclose the contents of your conversation with anyone else.
3. Protect your health
Your physical health is just as important as your mental health, and in fact, the two often rely on each other. Staying healthy is a great way to boost your mental health. In the time of a pandemic, telecounseling is safer than physical counseling. It allows you the ability to reduce your exposure to other people's germs since you can speak to your counselor while safe in your own home. This feature of telecounseling is especially important for people with compromised immune systems or weak lungs, who are especially susceptible to COVID-19.
4. Look your therapist in the eyes
Telecounseling takes advantage of video chat software to allow patients and therapists to see each other. This is a great tool for both therapists and their patients. Patients can have the benefit of soothing eye contact and the experience of their therapists' undivided attention, and therapists can use visual cues to better diagnose patients' mental states.
Look into a professional who provides telecounseling services in your area.