What You Should Know About Online Therapy vs In-person

Health care has now taken digital advancement with the rise in technology. Therapy can be taken in both ways the traditional way and the new digital way is taking online therapy. Some people may participate in web therapy exclusively, while others may prefer in-person therapy. Online therapy is a newer, technology-assisted approach to therapy that follows the same theories of traditional therapy, with the provider and client virtually connecting instead of sharing the same space.

Here 5 Points have been considered to evaluate the two: services, cost, accessibility, confidentiality, and efficacy. 

Services 

In the case of traditional therapy, the clients typically meet the counselor at a specified time and place, which is usually the therapist’s office. And the session is held face to face. The Prime benefit of this is the person seeking therapy can have a real-time conversation which helps the therapist to know the insights about how the person is feeling. 

In in-person therapy, there is a virtual connection between the two. In many cases, online therapy provides the same quality of care and support as in-person therapy. Moreover, in online therapy, the services offered depend on the platform or expert the person is considering. 

Cost

It is said that in-person therapy is more costly than online therapy. Traditional therapy involves out-of-pocket expenses, even a single 40-50 minutes session can cost a lot. While in online therapy, the sessions are relatively less costly and affordable for everyone. Using third-party service can be cheaper especially when someone is paying upfront for long-term membership. Talkspace, Goodtherapy, Amwell, etc are some of the online therapy sites which provide affordable therapy easily at home. Pricing models vary and may not be covered by insurance. 

Accessibility

Taking accessibility and convenience into consideration, most people find online therapy to be more convenient and easily accessible for them. Instead of driving to the therapist’s office every time in online therapy one can simply start a session anytime and anywhere. While in the case of in-person therapy there can be tons of reasons why someone might find it difficult to get to an in-person therapy: social stigma, physical disabilities, chronic illness, living far from a therapist, and so on. This is the main reason why most of the seniors prefer online therapy more. Online therapy provides proper scheduling, making it easier for people to fit a session in a day. 

Confidentiality

Privacy is the other main thing in a whole therapy. In offline therapy, before onboarding any individual there is a bunch of paperwork that should be signed out to follow the strict health care guidelines. In online therapy, anything that is shared and discussed is all protected by law. Thus, the sessions that are held online are all privacy protected. But still, some platforms and sites lack privacy safeguards. One should find out about the company and its encryption to protect their client’s data. Most platforms are HIPAA compliant, legally protected, and checked. 

Efficacy

So far, according to multiple sources and reports both therapy are different in their ways. Online therapy can be equivalent to face-to-face therapy. The efficacy of traditional therapy depends on the type of therapy that’s used. An article published on wahsingtoncitypaper.com also posted about the underlying differences between the two therapy. Around 93% of telepsychiatry patients said that they felt they could present the same information virtually as they could in person. Indeed, the evidence supporting online therapy is stronger. 

For someone who is nervous and stressed about therapy or doesn’t know what to do, online therapy is the best way to start. Although for someone who is dealing with severe mental illness, considering in-person therapy can be a better option. It all comes down to personal preferences and specific circumstances.