However , with increasing developments in technology, higher usage of the internet, and increasing consciousness of mental illnesses, ‘online therapy’ forms a popular and easy approach to conventional face-to-face counselling. Thus, despite the opportunity which has been provided by online therapy, there are some issues necessary to mention. This essays investigates cyber therapy, discusses its benefits and also reflects on the possible difficulties which may be faced both by clients and therapists.

The Growth of Online Therapy

 The reasons for online therapy include among others the continuing need for psychological services. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that sixty million adults in America have a mental illness annually. Still, the majority of people experience the obstacles in receiving classical on-site therapy, such as limited availability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, distance, costs, and shortages of mental health practitioners around the world.

 These gaps have however been bridged by the introduction of telehealth technologies comprising of videoconferencing, instant messaging and off course secure email platforms. Companies such as BetterHelp, Talkspace, and all the others have ensured that people are able to see licensed therapists from the comfort of their homes and without needing to consider the location they are in. This has helped to make it easier for so many people to get help when they are struggling with mental issues that they can barely share with anyone.

 The use of online therapy, became more prevalent due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Pandemic control measures such as social distancing, lock down, and closure of physical therapy sessions pushed both the therapist, and the client, to an online platform. For many this period became a trial in which was demonstrated how online therapy may fit global needs for effective mental health services. Thus, the online therapy industry has remained more or less constant.

 There Is Benefits of Online Therapy:

1. Accessibility and Convenience

 This simply means that one of the greatest advantages of online therapies is the fact that they are easier to access. Physical constraints that use to confine people from accessing competent therapists have extremely been minimised. Community dwellers who work or live in the rural areas or depauperate regions where qualified and competent therapists might be very hard to come by and can now get therapy without having to travel to distant places.

 Moreover, there is a flexibility in the access to the sessions, which traditional methods cannot offer in many cases. People do not have to schedule appointments together with travelling time, find baby sitters, or use their working hours, to attend meetings. This ease of access means that therapy can be done easily and is more flexible; something that warrants a plus for those among us who have tight schedules. Secondly, online therapy provides clients with more options of therapists which raises the probability of selecting a specialist with whom they feel at ease.

2. More anonymity and less Stigma

 Many countries still consider it shameful to have psychological problems and some may never go for therapy for fear of what other people will say or do to them. The use of computers and the internet in supplying therapy provides for a certain element of privacy that regular talking-in-person cognitive treatment does not. Clients can attend sessions from the comfort of their homes thinking that they will not meet the therapist hence they can avoided embarrassment or make themselves appear weak.

 Therapists know that for some people, online therapy is not as scary as going into a therapist’s office, and so they will go get help when they require it. It is especially useful for people that have anxiety disorder, depression, or the other mental health disorders, which make it hard to interact with others.

3. Flexibility in Communication

 Online therapy does not strictly fall under ordinary video conference. Most services provide other forms of interaction including writing messages via a connected smartphone, through a call, or via a connected device using one or another text message platform, interacting asynchronously, thus sending a message and receiving a reply at different times. This flexibility makes it easy for the clients to interact with their therapist in manners that suits them most.

4. Cost-Effectiveness

Self-therapy can also be cheaper than traditional therapy that is done physically. Conventional vehicular therapy needs physical business premises, and other operating expenses are fairly transferred to the patients. One remarkable difference is that the operational cost of online platforms tend to be considerably low than the physical ones, making our fees cheaper to our clients. Some of the online therapy services operate under subscriptions, or they have variable rates making them affordable for most people who have unending debt.

Some online platforms embrace insurance or offer out-of-network compensation for those patients who have been subscribed to such platforms, thus making therapy more affordable to the community.

There is Challenges of Online Therapy:

 However, similar to any other therapy practice, there are certain difficulties in the online therapy application. This review of the available literature has presented a number of challenges that either the therapist or the client may experience that can limit the effectiveness of virtual therapy.

1. Technological Barriers

Possibly the biggest weakness that can be attributed to online therapy is use of technology. Software or even network connection complications, or video or sound problem is one of the technical challenges that affect therapy interactions and expressions. Despite the fact that now the majority of people can have stable internet connection, some can have issues with it most especially those in the rural and underdeveloped areas which make online therapy a challenge for them.

Besides, some clients can be uncomfortable with the use of technology or may not possess the devices needed to attend online therapy (a computer, tablet, or smartphone). In such situations, visual therapy may not be possible for the clients and they should seek for other other forms of help.

2. Privacy and Security Concerns

While generally the platforms for online therapy are built with privacy and security in mind, worries regard data leaks and digital correspondence are still relevant. The major difference between online therapy and the traditional face to face therapy is that clients have faith that they are dealing with professionals whose(pre professonal) communications cannot be intercepted, unlike online platforms which rely on internet security for information privacy.

Typically in direct therapy, factors such as the posture, gesture, appearance, and paraverbal communication are involved in the process of interaction. Therapists can use these to decode whatever feelings the client might be displaying in a session or receive other relevant information about the person. In cyber counselling however these body cues may be slightly difficult in being interpreted. Video calls often face issues like pixelation, pixelated and or distorted images while text-based communication affords no richness of voice and or facial expressions.

This can be an issue for some therapies especially therapies that involve working with traumatic material or engaging the person’s affect. They may also be unable to recognise the minute cues of patients who are uncomfortable or crying, for instance, which might weaken patients’ treatment outcomes.

 3. Failure in Accessing Close Crisis Intervention

Although, online therapy can help with constant support, it may not be as helpful for members who are on the verge of an emotional breakdown. While on-line therapy enables clients to receive help without leaving home, face-to-face therapy is preferable when it comes to establishing more intensive treatment because therapists can easily help a client if he or she becomes a threat to the community. Such a platform, however, may not be able to attend to clients’ emergencies or may not have the capacity to deal with cases of clients who need their attention at that particular time.

More critically afflicted clients may need direct contact and close work, calling an emergency, or potential hospitalization. Instead, there may be situations where online therapy does not meet the client’s requirements and therefore they require other sorts of help.

4. Building a therapeutic relationship

There exists the client–therapist nexus or bond which is an important component in therapy process. However, in online therapy, one of the perceived pluses is the facilitation of contact with the therapist, however, some clients may experience the opposite in the sense that it maybe hard to relate with the therapist that they are virtually meeting. Technology cannot replace human contact; sometimes the use of a gadget brings a somewhat hostile and distant attitude.

Conclusion:

Teletherapy has become the new normal which has made it easier for people to see therapists and other mental health workers, through the use of telecommunications technology, from the comfort of own homes or indeed anywhere. It has expanded an opportunity for people of different origins and places to get therapy, contributed to demystifying the process of mental health, and offered affordable service for many. However, online therapy has its own disadvantage too; the disadvantages are difficulties of using technology, privacy issues, and problems with nonverbal communication.

Nevertheless, it is expected that the use of online therapy will keep on rising with developments in technology, and an increasing demand for patients to access therapists. As this field unfolds, the role of therapists and clients will have to thoughtfully negotiate these difficulties in order to maintain further access to this flexible and potentially valuable means of self-care. Future of mental health is in taking them online it has a significant potential to contribute to the world of treatment as the technology surmises the limits of advancement and discoveries of the best practices.