Is online psychological therapy effective?
Online psychological therapy has the same effectiveness as traditional face-to-face psychotherapy, as long as it is carried out by a qualified professional, and it is preferably carried out in real time to have fluid communication.
Taking into account that the diagnostic procedure, the definition of goals and the treatment is the same in both modalities, we can conclude that the main difference is the environment in which it is performed. And it is this difference that provides a series of benefits for the user:
• It is more comfortable, discreet and private than conventional therapy because it does not require traveling to the consultation to perform the session. With online therapy you can do it from where you are most comfortable.
• Time flexibility is greater in online psychotherapy since it can be done whenever the user wishes.
• Online psychotherapy is more accessible since it is not necessary for the user to reside in the same location as the psychologist. As there is no geographic limitation, the number of professionals the user can access is greater than in face-to-face therapy.
• Online therapy has a lower cost than face-to-face therapy at the session level since the psychologist does not need to cover the costs of a physical infrastructure. In addition, the user saves transportation costs.
