[Caelix3]

Has anyone ever tried online therapy?

Where you pay a therapist and have a session, but through texting?

I feel like I'd do better with something like that. Then face to face.

I've tried face to face multiple times, but it doesn't work for me.

Even if I wrote what I wanted to say, I lose the courage to give the therapist the note or read it out loud. In fear of being judged.

Or I end up freezing and not knowing what to say.

I do have autism and wasn't diagnosed til I was already 18 years old. So I didn't get help with social skills, like so many who were diagnosed early.

I'm able to express my emotions better online, without a face looking at me.

If you have done online therapy, what app do you recommend?

I know there are apps out there for online therapy.

What was your experience and did it help? Was it easier?

My diagnoses:

Major depressive disorder moderate
Anxiety (Social and general)
Autism

Things I haven't been diagnosed with but think I might have:

OCD (Psychiatrist said I have symptoms of it.)
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophrenia (I've had psychotic symptoms in the past and they have returned.)
Dependent Personality Disorder (I'm very clingy and fear of being abandoned, I'm dependent on certain people.)

LGBTQ+ wise:

I am Genderfluid.

My sexual orientation is Panromantic Asexual.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by Caelix3

Has anyone ever tried online therapy?

Where you pay a therapist and have a session, but through texting?

I feel like I'd do better with something like that. Then face to face.

I've tried face to face multiple times, but it doesn't work for me.

Even if I wrote what I wanted to say, I lose the courage to give the therapist the note or read it out loud. In fear of being judged.

Or I end up freezing and not knowing what to say.

I do have autism and wasn't diagnosed til I was already 18 years old. So I didn't get help with social skills, like so many who were diagnosed early.

I'm able to express my emotions better online, without a face looking at me.

If you have done online therapy, what app do you recommend?

I know there are apps out there for online therapy.

What was your experience and did it help? Was it easier?

My diagnoses:

Major depressive disorder moderate
Anxiety (Social and general)
Autism

Things I haven't been diagnosed with but think I might have:

OCD (Psychiatrist said I have symptoms of it.)
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophrenia (I've had psychotic symptoms in the past and they have returned.)
Dependent Personality Disorder (I'm very clingy and fear of being abandoned, I'm dependent on certain people.)

LGBTQ+ wise:

I am Genderfluid.

My sexual orientation is Panromantic Asexual.

I have some experience with diagnosed autism. Thinking of Temple Grandin might illuminate your choice of direction here regarding Autism. In the meantime, while not all therapy is the same I think most mental health therapists use two sets of skills, attending skills and influencing skills. Even when (you) a client says nothing a therapist attends to that silence one on one for example. In other words, not having anything to say or not knowing where to start might invite a T to initiate dialogue allowing him or her to take the lead and help the client become more conversational. In person, face to face, or one on one therapy is functional in the same way. As a client enters the office of a T the client presents himself or herself as dressed for the weather or not, well-kept or disheveled, battered or broken, and so on and gives the T an indication as to the client's state or wellbeing. This might be more difficult online.
Online therapy might be different from what's going on here, but again online the T is handicapped by an absence of physical verbal and nonverbal cues coming from the client. Online mental health therapy, though equally common and expensive, is even more remote from the client than telephone mental health therapy. Other considerations might include prescribed mental health pharmaceuticals and types of individual and group therapy approaches that might assist (you) the client in his or puruit of better mental health in person.

[88Butterfly88]

I tried online counseling through 7 Cups (formally 7 Cups of Tea) and it was terrible. One therapist never answered and the other just stopped talking to me with no explanation. It was terrible. If you do try online counseling look elsewhere.

[Salmon77]

If traditional therapy hasn't worked for you in the past, it makes sense to try something else. That said, I don't see how you can work on social anxiety or social skills without real human contact.

[NP_Complete]

I tried Betterhelp once as an adjunct to my in-person therapy. It was during a difficult time and I needed more support than I felt comfortable asking for from my therapist. For me, it didn't work. I apparently need the face-to-face. The whole thing felt very disjointed. But that is just my experience. I suggest giving it a try if you find in-person therapy too difficult.

When you sign up, they ask you a few questions and assign you a therapist based on your issues and preferences. Then you can send as many messages as you want. The online therapist will generally answer you twice a day, Monday through Friday. You can also schedule live chats and phone or video chats (I can't recall if it was phone or video), but I never tried either of those options. They bill monthly, so you could try it out for a month and cancel if it's not helpful.

[Caelix3]

Originally Posted by OldTaylor

I have some experience with diagnosed autism. Thinking of Temple Grandin might illuminate your choice of direction here regarding Autism. In the meantime, while not all therapy is the same I think most mental health therapists use two sets of skills, attending skills and influencing skills. Even when (you) a client says nothing a therapist attends to that silence one on one for example. In other words, not having anything to say or not knowing where to start might invite a T to initiate dialogue allowing him or her to take the lead and help the client become more conversational. In person, face to face, or one on one therapy is functional in the same way. As a client enters the office of a T the client presents himself or herself as dressed for the weather or not, well-kept or disheveled, battered or broken, and so on and gives the T an indication as to the client's state or wellbeing. This might be more difficult online.
Online therapy might be different from what's going on here, but again online the T is handicapped by an absence of physical verbal and nonverbal cues coming from the client. Online mental health therapy, though equally common and expensive, is even more remote from the client than telephone mental health therapy. Other considerations might include prescribed mental health pharmaceuticals and types of individual and group therapy approaches that might assist (you) the client in his or puruit of better mental health in person.

I am already on psychiatric medication.

Group therapy has been helpful. But it only lasts for a few weeks and then I have to leave the program. Which is frustrating because I need the help longer.

I end up forgetting the skills I learned and even with papers to remind me. I need someone to show me step by step, in person.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by 88Butterfly88

I tried online counseling through 7 Cups (formally 7 Cups of Tea) and it was terrible. One therapist never answered and the other just stopped talking to me with no explanation. It was terrible. If you do try online counseling look elsewhere.

Online therapy and phone therapy are in their youth, not all employing the visual monitoring capabilities that might eliminate, at least, a couple of the complaints found here. Nevertheless, face to face group and one on one sessions with physical presence hold the potential to be much more meaningful.

[starfishing]

I had a terrible experience with Betterhelp. The therapist I was assigned seemed useful and okay at first, albeit not amazing. But then she started being frustratingly forgetful, was slow/unreliable to respond (sometimes going several days with no reply, then finally chiming in with something extremely short and superficial or a formulaic "Tell me more about XYZ" comment), and overall failed to respond appropriately to what I was writing. She then abruptly left Betterhelp with no warning (and a last message that was insulting), and Betterhelp took a long time to reassign me to someone new--and they deleted the logs of all my previous conversations with the first therapist when they did reassign me.

The next person I tried on Betterhelp openly admitted to being so unfamiliar with one aspect of my queer identity (that I'd mentioned in my initial contact with Betterhelp) that she wasn't sure she could work with me, and inadvertently said several offensive things. The next person I tried was nice but stupid. I finally gave up (which I should have done earlier), having wasted a bunch of time and money on an experience that was infuriating and unhelpful.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by Caelix3

I am already on psychiatric medication.

Group therapy has been helpful. But it only lasts for a few weeks and then I have to leave the program. Which is frustrating because I need the help longer.

I end up forgetting the skills I learned and even with papers to remind me. I need someone to show me step by step, in person.

Established preference.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by starfishing

I had a terrible experience with Betterhelp. The therapist I was assigned seemed useful and okay at first, albeit not amazing. But then she started being frustratingly forgetful, was slow/unreliable to respond (sometimes going several days with no reply, then finally chiming in with something extremely short and superficial or a formulaic "Tell me more about XYZ" comment), and overall failed to respond appropriately to what I was writing. She then abruptly left Betterhelp with no warning (and a last message that was insulting), and Betterhelp took a long time to reassign me to someone new--and they deleted the logs of all my previous conversations with the first therapist when they did reassign me.

The next person I tried on Betterhelp openly admitted to being so unfamiliar with one aspect of my queer identity (that I'd mentioned in my initial contact with Betterhelp) that she wasn't sure she could work with me, and inadvertently said several offensive things. The next person I tried was nice but stupid. I finally gave up (which I should have done earlier), having wasted a bunch of time and money on an experience that was infuriating and unhelpful.

Online therapy is like any other therapy, is like prescribed medication, is like finding a notable, reputable restaurant for myself that I might take (recommend to special friends and guests from out of town) others to on special ocasions. The rhythm needs to be right, the service on spot, and the delivery meaningful especially being an out of pocket cost. A physical presence in mental health therapy won't necessarily change those prerequisites for successful treatment potential.

[seeker33]

I'm currently on 7 cups, but I was able to find a good therapist only after several trials. I tried about 4 therapists in 3 day free trial and wasn't satisfied but fortunately didn't have to pay, I had one for 3 weeks which went terribly wrong and only then found one which I find useful and been working with her since June.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by seeker33

I'm currently on 7 cups, but I was able to find a good therapist only after several trials. I tried about 4 therapists in 3 day free trial and wasn't satisfied but fortunately didn't have to pay, I had one for 3 weeks which went terribly wrong and only then found one which I find useful and been working with her since June.

Maybe eventually being successful you might shop online therapists for others--continued success.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by Salmon77

If traditional therapy hasn't worked for you in the past, it makes sense to try something else. That said, I don't see how you can work on social anxiety or social skills without real human contact.

Yikes! So like my own thoughts.

[seeker33]

Originally Posted by OldTaylor

Maybe eventually being successful you might shop online therapists for others--continued success.

Sorry, do you mean like recommend so that others won't have to do trial and error?
Yes, that would work It would be a good idea if a few people tried all therapists on those sites and were able to write genuine reviews... because 7 cups only allows positive reviews on their site which is extremely unhelpful. And I'd say that most therapists there are there for the easy money, just write one message a day for 150USD/month. I think there should at least be minimal length of the message because theoretically even one sentence is a reply...

But for me personally, once I've find a therapist who clicks with me it works pretty well. Yes I do miss nonverbal contact but I generally exress myself much better through writing. There are things I've shared with her that I would never say in a face to face therapy. So for me this works well. However it's very difficult to find a good therapist this way because most of them don't take it seriously.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by seeker33

Sorry, do you mean like recommend so that others won't have to do trial and error?
Yes, that would work It would be a good idea if a few people tried all therapists on those sites and were able to write genuine reviews... because 7 cups only allows positive reviews on their site which is extremely unhelpful. And I'd say that most therapists there are there for the easy money, just write one message a day for 150USD/month. I think there should at least be minimal length of the message because theoretically even one sentence is a reply...

But for me personally, once I've find a therapist who clicks with me it works pretty well. Yes I do miss nonverbal contact but I generally exress myself much better through writing. There are things I've shared with her that I would never say in a face to face therapy. So for me this works well. However it's very difficult to find a good therapist this way because most of them don't take it seriously.

Empathy. I'm comforted understanding that the physical absence of a T has meaning. It's important to me that I not isolate myself from society and social affairs with online services and telephone interactions. While novel and even news worthy an online wedding or funeral might not be a real observance--though effectively similar to video court.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by 88Butterfly88

I tried online counseling through 7 Cups (formally 7 Cups of Tea) and it was terrible. One therapist never answered and the other just stopped talking to me with no explanation. It was terrible. If you do try online counseling look elsewhere.

Reviewed.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by NP_Complete

I tried Betterhelp once as an adjunct to my in-person therapy. It was during a difficult time and I needed more support than I felt comfortable asking for from my therapist. For me, it didn't work. I apparently need the face-to-face. The whole thing felt very disjointed. But that is just my experience. I suggest giving it a try if you find in-person therapy too difficult.

When you sign up, they ask you a few questions and assign you a therapist based on your issues and preferences. Then you can send as many messages as you want. The online therapist will generally answer you twice a day, Monday through Friday. You can also schedule live chats and phone or video chats (I can't recall if it was phone or video), but I never tried either of those options. They bill monthly, so you could try it out for a month and cancel if it's not helpful.

Disjointed. I think a good and even an adequate T is close enough to raise issues of loyalty and betrayal in the case of desired "second opinions."

[NP_Complete]

Originally Posted by OldTaylor

Disjointed. I think a good and even an adequate T is close enough to raise issues of loyalty and betrayal in the case of desired "second opinions."

I wasn't asking for a second opinion on the online therapy site. I needed somewhere where I could talk about the ongoing abuse that was happening in my life at the time without overwhelming my therapist with daily emails.

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by NP_Complete

I wasn't asking for a second opinion on the online therapy site. I needed somewhere where I could talk about the ongoing abuse that was happening in my life at the time without overwhelming my therapist with daily emails.

I'm not very skilled at making them but quotations were meant to indicate that "second opinions" was intended as a metaphor. My bad. Seeing another T for whatever reason.
Gd lck.

[starfishing]

Originally Posted by OldTaylor

Online therapy is like any other therapy, is like prescribed medication, is like finding a notable, reputable restaurant for myself that I might take (recommend to special friends and guests from out of town) others to on special ocasions. The rhythm needs to be right, the service on spot, and the delivery meaningful especially being an out of pocket cost. A physical presence in mental health therapy won't necessarily change those prerequisites for successful treatment potential.

Not really sure what you're trying to say? My experience was bad in a way that absolutely was specific to the online therapy medium as implemented by Betterhelp, not just a fluke that could have happened in any type of therapy. The lack of responsiveness, the sudden abandonment where the "therapist" got to send me an insulting message and then disappear without my having any chance to respond, needing to wait to be reassigned where normally I would have just found someone new on my own, and the fact that they didn't actually screen at all to make sure they were assigning someone competent to my identity--those actually could not have happened to me in the same way in in-person therapy.

To use your restaurant analogy, it's kind of like I went and ordered from what I thought would be a decent fast food place--nothing fancy, but I figured it would be enough to tide me over until dinner--except that it turned out half my food was missing, half was spoiled, and instead of a milkshake they gave me a cup full of sand

[OldTaylor]

Originally Posted by starfishing

Not really sure what you're trying to say? My experience was bad in a way that absolutely was specific to the online therapy medium as implemented by Betterhelp, not just a fluke that could have happened in any type of therapy. The lack of responsiveness, the sudden abandonment where the "therapist" got to send me an insulting message and then disappear without my having any chance to respond, needing to wait to be reassigned where normally I would have just found someone new on my own, and the fact that they didn't actually screen at all to make sure they were assigning someone competent to my identity--those actually could not have happened to me in the same way in in-person therapy.

To use your restaurant analogy, it's kind of like I went and ordered from what I thought would be a decent fast food place--nothing fancy, but I figured it would be enough to tide me over until dinner--except that it turned out half my food was missing, half was spoiled, and instead of a milkshake they gave me a cup full of sand

Oh. That's helpful. It's not as easy as a person might think to find the right T.