What Exactly Is Telehealth Therapy?

Instead of having to go and see a therapist in person, you could enjoy therapy from the comfort of your own home. A chat over a video call can be just what you need. But what exactly is telehealth therapy? Let’s take a look.

What does telehealth mean?

So, you might think that telehealth is a company – it’s not. It’s a term used for any kind of wellness service provided via a chat remotely. It could be done purely on a voice chat on the phone, via e-mail, via chat, or via a video call. It does not really matter – whatever makes you most comfortable is the solution for you. Telehealth therapy, then, is a remotely delivered counselling session for whatever problems or purposes might be holding you back at this particular moment in time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that telehealth services can contribute to achieving universal health coverage by improving access to quality, cost-effective services wherever they may be.

So long as you can get access to a tool like Skype or WhatsApp, starting a telehealth therapy session should not be a challenge for you.

It’s a gratifying and enjoyable experience, but is it right for you?

What are the benefits of telehealth therapy?

• You can work with anyone. We can’t always find a rapport with a local counselor or specialist that you want to speak to. With Telehealth therapy, you can work with people from all across the world. There are no limits to who you can or cannot work with.
• You have more choice than ever. Since your particular need for telehealth therapy could be down to a very particular issue, finding someone with the knowledge of your issue can be tough locally. Telehealth allows for you to find someone who can help you specifically.
• You will spend less. Another factor in counselling for many people is the cost. Typically, though, a telehealth therapy session is going to cost you a fraction of the amount that you would pay for local face-to-face counselling – all for the same help and assistance.
• You can see progress quicker. While not always the case, many people can find that they can see quicker progress purely because it’s easier to get a slot. You might be waiting weeks to see a local expert again; your telehealth therapist can often fit you in more than once per week.

As you can see, then, such a service has many benefits which are only going to help you settle in and enjoy the experience and the learning further. If you want to really find a solution to your problems, you might find the required assistance online.

Telehealth is not a fad – it’s here to stay

Speak to someone from a more traditional mind-set regarding therapy, and they might see telehealth as something to view with scepticism. However, those who try telehealth therapy sessions often find it as easy to connect and resonate with as face-to-face health therapy.

This gives you a chance to feel like you could be able to talk much more openly. Many people who need therapy find the idea of going to a therapy office, or being seen going to a therapy office, as worrisome. They also might not like the idea of having someone sitting across the room from them in this kind of scenario. With therapy managed remotely, though, such issues are far less likely to leave you feeling so uncomfortable.

Indeed, you can find it easier to open up and to explore the issues that might be holding you back in life. You can feel less intimidated, and perhaps more likely to open up. The fact that your therapist is unlikely to ever meet you in person can be a good thing, too; it can remove that fear of running into them in a social situation and feeling vulnerable.

This is why you shouldn’t dismiss the ideal of telehealth treatment. It’s something that has grown into a massive part of the industry, especially as COVID-19 has forced many of us to seek treatment remotely when a local option is no longer available.

This isn’t a fad; it’s a massive part of the therapy industry today.

Get support where you need it most

For many people with issues they want to discuss, it’s hard to do it with someone you might meet again in person. With a telehealth therapist, though, you could be speaking to someone who does not know you or even come from the same background as you. You could, time zone permitting, work with a therapist from another continent!

This allows you to open up and explore ideas that might otherwise have been hard to put across to a more localised therapist. The added freedom to explore without either the cultural similarity or the fear of meeting them again locally means that you can talk and open up in a way that you simply never would have in the past.

So, when you need support and you cannot find a trusted option locally don’t feel like you are out of options.