When Is Online Therapy Useful?

Online therapy, the future?

Psychologists can use online therapy as an extension of their practice and sometimes even as a substitute. They can email, chat, and use this link video conference to connect with their patients. But how do you complete online therapy sessions? And what should you pay attention to as a patient?

Online therapy, a brief history

In itself, remote correspondence with patients is not new, even Sigmund Freud wrote letters to his clients. As early as 1982, the first forms of real online therapy, in the form of self-help groups, appeared before the commercial Internet was easily available.

Today many therapists use modern communication methods and an association has even been set up to maintain guidelines for online therapy: the International Society for Mental Health Online.

Some psychologists believe that online therapy can never replace a visit to the psychologist. After all, body language is a big part of how we communicate and that is often the case with online communication.

However, they do not recommend the method for patients who are worse off, for example, those who idealize suicide or who are currently experiencing psychosis.

The benefits of online therapy

Online therapy also appears to have advantages over therapy in the office, provided of course the same standards of care are used. Patients can receive therapy more often and miss sessions. Proponents of online therapy also argue that patients are more comfortable because they are in their own, familiar environment.

According to the online therapists, this means they are more honest and the psychologists can treat them better. In areas where there are few psychologists, online therapy can offer a solution. In this way, someone who lives far away from civilization can still discuss his or her problems.

Expats (people who have moved to another country) can also find a therapist who helps them from the same cultural perspective. And also members of minorities often prefer to find help online rather than in their small community. Also, patients who normally find it very difficult to leave the house, for example, due to a disability,

Online therapy: what should you pay attention to?

There are some things to keep in mind if you would like to start online therapy. First, security. Since this is very sensitive information, this is an important point. For example, never Skype with your therapist over a public WiFi network, because that can be intercepted quite easily.

Also, make sure that all software on your computer is up-to-date and regularly scan for viruses so that the chance of something being intercepted on your computer is minimal.

In addition to these practical actions, it is also good to check whether the therapist is registered. Anyone can call themselves a psychologist in the Netherlands, so the Netherlands Institute for Psychologists (NIP) has drawn up a register.

A psychologist can only be admitted to this if he or she has completed a master's degree in psychology at the university and has gained one year of practical experience.

If an online therapist calls himself a psychologist-NIP, then he or she meets these requirements. If you want a therapist from another country, that country probably has its own rules about accreditation.

The future of online therapy

Although online therapy in the Netherlands is still in its infancy, there are already large companies in other countries that make a living from it. For example, the American company online Therapy employs more than a hundred therapists who provide their services through the online therapy website.

The website guarantees that the psychologists are accredited in their field. But the web cannot be used only as a means of communication; therapists can use information from their patients online to get a better picture of the problem.

Recently, for example, studies were published that can very accurately predict information about a person, based on their Facebook profile. Although this is currently mainly seen as a marketing tool, a psychologist could also benefit a lot from such profiling of a patient.

After all, a therapist has to work with what a patient tells him or her during the session. With a profile in hand, a psychologist can ask more specific questions and perhaps solve the problem earlier. For example, in the future, there will be even more applications for the Internet in the field of online therapy.