Why Online Therapy?

I am currently offering online therapy. So much of our life is online these days. We need to find healthy ways to manage that. Online therapy is a great tool for helping you do that. It's convenient and successful. All my clients love it. I get a few questions about online therapy – sometimes people are not sure it is the right thing for them. Below I outline the pros and cons of working online.

The Positives of Online Therapy

1) Convenience:

With our lives being so busy and pressured it can

be hard to take time out to look out for ourselves. It can be overwhelming to find time to book an appointment but with a click you can fit therapy into your schedule.

It removes the extra time and pressure of having to commute or bumping into someone in the waiting room with bleary eyes. Sessions can be maintained whilst travelling and if you are feeling a bit under the weather.

2) It has good outcomes:

Yes! I have offered online appointments even before the pandemic and I have not come across one person that found it did not work.

If you are new to therapy, by having an appointment online you can decrease the anxiety of having to meet someone in person.

Online work has also been shown to increase people’s ability, to be honest and we know honesty equals greater progress.

It is my job to help people feel safe, and open, and pick up on their vibe and body language – so you do not need to be concerned about this element as a good therapist can do this easily. Someone told me they had a bad experience with their therapist obviously not listening to them online - my response was that was a bad therapist not working online!!

3) Clients love it. Here are some quotes from my patients:

"I had heard really good things about Dr Sheena and working with someone recommended was important to me but I work long and unpredictable hours. Working online has allowed me to see Dr Sheena for appointments using a private room in my office. Although we cover deep stuff I find the rest of my day goes better after having a call".

"Sometimes you just need to check in with yourself because you are carrying so much booking an appointment online reduces the stress of working out travel time etc".

"Using Zoom for an appointment is totally different to being on zoom for work. You feel relaxed and the tension of the day does melt away".

4) From the psychologist’s point of view (aka me):

Would you rather have counselling from a person who is demonstrating boundaries, making life work for them, and enjoying their job? Or someone who is juggling, rushing, and under pressure themselves? I think I know the answer. Working online fits conveniently into my life, around my family and travel which means when I turn up on screen I have the energy to fully be there for you!

Things to consider for online therapy:

1) You need a private space:

The main drawback of online therapy is if the patient does not have a private room to talk. If you do not have a room at home or work to go for 50 minutes it can be tricky. People are creative and I have seen some people sitting in their cars or on park benches.

2) Online fatigue (although therapy can help with this):

If you will need to maintain working online going forward you will find it helpful to find ways of working online that are manageable for you and online therapy could help you do this.

Often online fatigue is tied to the amount of pressure you are experiencing from work rather than the online medium, but because you are experiencing that pressure plus being online it can feel physically and cognitively challenging. Often the answer to reducing this feeling is about addressing the root causes (anxiety, stress, work etc) rather than the online medium itself.

One way you can change the feeling of online fatigue is by interacting with the screen in a meaningful way (not under pressure, or mindless scrolling). A meaningful way to do this can be online therapy, a video call with someone you have not spoken to in a long time, or learning something exciting. Of course, you might need to take a break from the screen altogether and there are some fantastic psychologists working in person if that is the right thing for you.

Get in touch with me today to book an online appointment today: https://www.drsheenakumar.com/contact