Centre for Therapy

As many Therapists are having to cut costs and review their room hire and travel, the age of online Therapy is virtually upon us, so to speak.  But whether or not it's a valid form of therapy much depends on how you determine what successful therapy is. 

Online therapy has its merits;  if it motivates a person to make positive changes, that is what therapy is all about.  Further, the anonymity may be a preference for those who feel that visiting a therapist is too much.  Perhaps also, it has a place with those with mobility issues, or speech/hearing difficulties.

But what about the personal connection?  What about body language?  "I get the sense from your smiley that you are angry/grinning with your tongue out/wearing shades" is not the same as watching a client briefly brush away a tear to maintain compusure. 

Online Therapy might be thought of as dehumanising the therapeutic process, negating the value of the therapeutic alliance.  Like virtual agar jelly, anonymity can become a breeding ground for tall truths and sideswerves which is helping no one, least of all the client. 

Whether or not you're a fan of online therapy, it has its place within therapy, if not as a full replacement for face-to-face therapy, then at least as a pre-cursor or bridge to treatment.  All in all, it is a form of communication, which is what we are all about.  A text can lift a person's spirits just as much as a hug, and for someone who might be unable, quite yet, to visit a Therapist, it might just be enough to know that someone is listening somewhere out there in InterwebLand.