In the Philippines, online counselling is unheard of. Filipinos normally repress their problems or turn them into funny jokes. Most of them who have mental health issues tend to display unhealthy ways of coping up. They do activities like alcoholism, gambling, gaslighting, backbiting, etc. Only a few Filipinos seek help from a mental health professional.
These people who sought face-to-face counselling are now leaning towards online counselling. Because of the mandate of the government to restrict going out other than for essential needs, mental health clinics and their patients are resorting to this method of counselling and therapy. In this blog, we’ll be talking about what is online counselling and its benefits.
What is online counselling?
Online counselling is a series of mental health treatment conveyed through online communication apps. You can also call it as “e-therapy” or “teletherapy”. This method of telepsychology way of mental health intervention has been practiced since 20 years ago popularly in the military. Professionals used the telephone, emails, and mobile phones for calls and text messages.
A Singaporean study in 2014 says that online counselling is as effective as face-to-face counselling. This succeeded the findings of the study at the University of Zurich wherein online psychotherapy is a more effective medium. They also noticed that patients who underwent online counselling took their written tasks per session very seriously. The patients took time to query their thoughts. It resulted in evident progression compared to the minimal decline of depression in conventional face-to-face counselling patients.
It was a hypothesis or a common myth that online counselling would never be on par with face-to-face counselling. Many researchers also say that online counselling or psychotherapy resulted to be beneficial to patients who are afraid of reaching out face-to-face because of shyness and fear of being judged.
The Benefits of Online Counselling
Therapy and counselling can be accessible even with just a smartphone, computer, and a stable internet connection. You can choose your own therapist, book your own schedule, and pay online. It’s a pretty fast transaction with the following benefits:
- Effective – as stated in many researches, online counselling is as effective as conventional face to face counselling because of the lesser anxiety felt that patients feel while talking via communication apps.
- Affordable – because there’s no office space and utilities to pay for, the costs of therapy per session is significantly lower than normal face-to-face counselling.
- Accessible – with just a smartphone or computer and a strong internet connection, you can connect with your therapist without ever commuting or waiting long hours.
- Flexible – patients can reschedule their sessions according to their availability. The priority is the patient’s convenience.
Online Therapy or Counselling According to Psychologists
Teletherapy has enticed many psychologists who want additional income while having a private practice. They reasoned that sometimes, their mental health clinics do not have many people coming in.
Whereas if they partner themselves with mental health practices offering online counselling, they can have numerous benefits such as unlimited asynchronous messaging service, video conference scheduling, email exchange, and long length of phone calls.
Online Therapy According to Patients
Patients who receive online counselling were assessed to be free from depression after three months of sessions. Most of these patients undergo video conferencing sessions or asynchronous messaging therapy. They were able to form a close bond with the therapist during their counselling sessions. This further debunks the myth that there will be no rapport established between both parties.
Whatever medium they choose to conduct their therapy in, they can avail themselves of the help they need because therapists can deliver the same effectivity as conventional counselling through adapting their communication style and technology. Researchers also found out that online mental health patients tend to seek face-to-face therapy after they had continual online sessions. This may be because of the established trust between the psychologist and the patient. Online counselling can be a pre-meditative step towards an active psychological treatment.
What Happens in Online Counselling or Therapy?
Online counselling or therapy have sessions that divide the activities for patient’s well-being. Here is the breakdown of therapeutic activities per session.
- Pre-assessment forms (first session)- the patient will answer the intake form, informed consent, ug initial screening for anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
- Initial Assessment (second session)- the psychologist or therapist in charge will introduce himself, get to know the patient, discuss the therapy, and ask the patient about their problem.
- Diagnosis and treatment plan (third session) – the psychologist briefs the patient about the diagnosis and what they can do during the next sessions. The psychologist also gives a self-intensive treatment plan for the patient to individually work on.
- Updates on the treatment plan (4th session and beyond) – the psychologist checks the patient for progress during the sessions and suggests other methods should the patient have struggles in following the treatment plan.
- Optional: Booster sessions – these are enhancement sessions wherein the psychologist checks on the patient for gradual improvement and prevent regression. The patient also has the freedom to proceed to another kind of therapy to solve another inner conflict or improve personal development.
How To Book An Appointment: M Psych: Your Mental Health Partner
When you’ve made up your mind about trying out online counselling, we give you a huge welcome. Here in M Psych: Your Mental Health Partner, we offer online counselling. You can book with us in less than 10 minutes. Follow the steps below:
- On the website, click the “Book a Counselling Session” – you will be redirected to a page where you can see a list of psychologists.
- Select your psychologist – hover around the list and choose one psychologist that you feel could help you be better. Select a schedule for you to meet the psychologist.
- Fill out your information – you have to type down your name and other personal details so that we would be able to know a bit about yourself.
- Pay the upfront fee – a reasonable price is ready for you. You can pay via Gcash and other partner payment platforms.
For booking online counselling, check out our offer.
I like how you mentioned that because patients experience less fear while communicating with a counselor online, it is just as effective as traditional face-to-face counseling. This will be helpful for my colleague who’s clinically diagnosed with depression. To help him, I’ll suggest he have Individual Online Counselling for the sake of his well-being.