Online Counseling - Is It For You?
The research is clear, in America 1 in 10 people are in need of mental health services at any given time. Most online counseling issues are common stresses in life, but for some the struggle is more serious as in chronic depression or marital struggles. But not everyone is ready for counseling and go it on their own, often for far too long.
Many individuals don’t realize they need help until a loved one points it out to them. Others are simply embarrassed to admit they need online counseling. It is interesting to note that a majority of clients who seek online counseling enter into their first counseling experience. Online counseling can take the form exchanging email, IM chats or phone counseling. Video conferencing interestingly isn’t requested very often. It seems people really enjoy the anonymity of online counseling.
In some ways online counseling is better than face-to-face counseling. It offers a high degree of privacy. No one has to know you’re doing it. You do not have to make big schedule changes to travel to and from appointments. And you still receive the wisdom and training of a professional counselor.
The flexibility of online counseling is appealing to many of the individuals who utilize this service. When polled, over 95% of those who have sought online counseling would do so again if the need would arise. Again, it’s fits ‘your’ schedule and ‘priorities’ making it a great service for those in need.
Some struggle so much that they often cannot function or leave their homes. Online counseling is a great fit for this type of person. However, there are many reasons to access an online counselor. One example is a high profile client within their community who’d rather not have anyone know they are seeking help. This person could work with someone several states away or even from a different country if you’d prefer that.
To balance things out, you need to know that online counseling has its drawbacks as well. Much of communication is non-verbal and therefore the counselor may be at a disadvantage when they cannot follow your body language. Other times, when the need of the client grows stronger than what an online counselor can deal with, a therapist may not be familiar with local resources to refer you to.
Even reputed online counseling professionals, who are otherwise good, might indulge in underhand practices. Like providing multiple online counseling sessions to several people while charging each of them exclusive rates. And finally, the nature of the internet, and especially of information transmitted over it, could prove to be a threat to your online counseling experience. Care must be taken to ensure that your personal information does not fall into untrustworthy hands.
As long as you do your due diligence, you will find online counseling to be a gift for your particular needs. Those who have sought online counseling report great results and would choose to go into online counseling again if they needed it.
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