Benefits of online therapy compared to in-person therapy.

As a therapist, I get many new clients who call me wanting in-person therapy which is interesting to me because when I was deciding whether or not to go back to the office, 95% of clients did not want to go back.  Some of their reasoning was about avoiding exposure to COVID, but for most of them, it was about the convenience.

Here are some of the pros and cons I have seen to online therapy vs. in-person therapy

Benefits of online therapy

1. More choices in therapists. In the U.S., a therapist is licensed by the state.  So a therapist can see any client within their state.  So if you are looking for a specialist or a therapist with good yelp reviews, you can look beyond driving distance.  Prior to COVID, I would have clients driving an hour or two to come see me. Now, they have therapists throughout their entire state who they can see for online therapy.
2. Not having to deal with traffic has been a big relief for many people, especially those who have to commute for work already.
3. No more parking. I had an office downtown Long Beach.  When we first moved there, parking was pretty easy.  Then they started building beautiful buildings and awesome businesses and parking got harder and harder to find.  Having to show up early to your in-person therapy appointment to find parking can be a drag, especially if you have other chores you have to get done after work.
4. Being able to truly relax after work. Many people tell me that when they are out of work and they finally get home just want to stay home.  Being able to hop onto therapy from the comfort of your home is a huge relief for many people.
5. Many people get embarrassed (even though they shouldn’t be embarrassed) having to walk to their car after a session where they were emotional. If you are doing virtual therapy, you don’t have to deal with the outside world and you can fully process your therapy session.
6. Clients who do remote EMDR or virtual EMDR tend to like doing it from home. Those sessions can be draining and it is nice for many people to not have to drive after the appointment.
7. More flexible appointment times. When a therapist sees clients in the office, they don’t want a huge gap in their day.  Many therapists are able to be more flexible with their online therapy schedules because adding a client on a day/time that isn’t close in proximity to your other appointments doesn’t involve sitting around your office waiting or driving back to your office.
8. Online therapy is safer overall. Even if one day we no longer have to deal with COVID, it is nice to not get exposed to a cold or flu that someone before you might have brought in the office.
9. Many people who haven’t ever gotten therapy before because they have anxiety or have PTSD from a trauma find virtual therapy a huge gift. There are people who had a hard time leaving their house before COVID because there are a lot of triggers out there in the world.  For someone with anxiety or PTSD, online therapy allows them to get treatment before having to leave the house.  Imagine if you want to get treatment for anxiety, but have to overcome the fear of leaving the house all by yourself without help.  Now, you can get professional help for that anxiety and PTSD from the comfort of your own home.
10. Happier therapists. From a selfish perspective, you look at how your therapist gets to benefit from many of the things listed above.  Personally, I have been able to eat dinner with my kids every single night since I have been doing online therapy.   I can also see my family on my breaks and get more down time because I don’t have to show up to the office early to set it up, drive to/from the office and find parking.
11. During COVID, Los Angeles is still mandating us all to wear masks. Crying or getting teary-eyed during therapy gets a little uncomfortable.  Having to wear a mask also means that your therapist cannot fully see your face and they have a harder time reading your body language to get the full impact of what you are telling them.

Benefits of in-person therapy

1. If you don’t have privacy in your house, it is nice to go into an office where you don’t have to worry about being interrupted or overheard by someone else in your house.
2. Some people prefer the in-person “energy” that you get when you are in the same space as someone.
3. Even though you may have to wear a mask in your therapy session, you can better read a person’s full body language if you are doing in-person therapy.
4. People who don’t have access to internet end up having to do therapy in their cars outside of businesses who offer free wifi. Although most people have wifi, there are some people who still don’t have access and therefore in-office therapy appointments are preferred.

If you live in California and are looking for a therapist, please give us a call at Long Beach Therapy: 562-310-9741.