Has online therapy worked for anyone?

I looked around for a long time for a good therapist who was willing to work with me online. I mostly found the "I'll answer one question for $40" type of thing, which wasn't what I was looking for. I have found a face to face therapist since then who I am happy with, but still wondered if the online stuff worked out for anyone...

Yes, I've had 3 online therapists, including now and have been pleased with all of them. I usually use Metanoia.org.

http://www.metanoia.org/imhs/directry.htm

I had email therapy for a while. My T normally does f2f therapy, but I wanted to work with her and had been emailing her as a student for a while, and that was very helpful, so I asked if I could pay her to keep going the same way. I lived too far away to see her in person, I thought. I was glad that she was willing to give that a try for me, but it did get very frustrating sometimes, and now I make the trip and see her f2f. It's better for me that way, but when we were doing e-therapy, that was something that I needed too. Essentially, she was meeting me at my level using a modality that I was comfortable with, where I was able to communicate. Now I have to learn how to communicate with a real person in the same room.

Rap

Hi SoSadMom,

Yes, I used online therapy for a short time. I had maybe 4-5 visits with an online therapist for awhile, and it was useful. Like Perna, I used Metanoia.org in the process of finding a therapist, and that was helpful. My online therapist was a nice person, very thoughtful and well-qualified. I realized after a few sessions that, even though it went well, given the problems I was facing, I would do better with seeing a counselor face-to-face. I would consider online counseling again, though, if my needs fit online counseling better next time. I think it can be a good solution in the right circumstance, and sometimes it can be less expensive, which can be a bonus when money is a concern. There are times when face-to-face contact is really essential, though, and is needed for therapy to improve one's situation. Some concerns (major depression, for one) it is not always a good fit. In those cases, I think you may need to be in touch with a counselor in person who can talk to you, evaluate your situation fully, and be in touch regularly, whom you can potentially contact by phone if things worsen.

Take care,
ErinBear

I think I would be very comfortable with online therapy. Unfortunately, my problem is with enduring face-to-face interactions. Online therapy would be comfortable but I'm not sure if would be productive.

I see the value of online therapy. For example, it is so hard to talk about sensitive subjects sometimes ftf. I wonder if there is any transference though with online therapy...?

Please don't take this the wrong way. But, your question about online transference brought some very wierd pictures to mind. I already sleep w/my laptop next to my bed.....I'll just leave it at that

On a more serious note....it really is an interesting observation. Is a personal connection possible with this kind of therapy? If so, is it anything like face to face? Hard to imagine the dynamic being the same at all.

tulips

Actually it can be "worse" because there isn't any reality/senses to correct what can go wrong, your imagination can do whatever it wants with words.

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Tulips said:
Is a personal connection possible with this kind of therapy?

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I think PC demonstrates many examples of personal connections created via the Internet. I think the fact that online dating services work (sometimes) also proves that these connections can be transfered to physical relationships as well. I have a close friend who met her husband through an online dating service. They've been together 3 years now and are really happy.

I just think for me, I need to learn how to interact with people on a deeper level --extemporaneously, response to voice and body language and to tolerate misunderstandings --not run away. I can practice problems solving, self discovery, and intellectual discourse all day, but unless I am willing to engage face-to-face interactions it means nothing. For me online therapy can be a valuable first step,a nice adjunct, crisis prevention, or maintenance intervention.

(((Mckell,))) It didn't even occur to me how ironic my question was. I am asking this question online with a group of people that I am slowly beginning to trust and care about. Yet, I have never met these people or even know their "real" names.

So, the answer is obvious. Personal connections CAN be made and they can flourish. I guess the caveat would be that we have to broaden our definition of what a personal connection really is.

The speed of technology & the changes brought about has forced us to reevaluate so many things. My mother has always said that I "came out of the womb saying why". As with everything, this character trait has been both a blessing and a curse. I seem to always want to dissect everything. Pretty much drives me & everybody around me crazy

tulips

I am pretty opposed to online unless it is the only absolute method of therapy available for someone. For example, if the person is physically disabled or lives in an area where there are no therapists available and no transportation to go out of the area. The reason I am opposed to this is because of the importance of non-verbal cues in therapy. Also, the important of eye contact and how powerful of a connection that can be. So much of my therapist is based upon those non-verbal cues-- Even when T and I are on the phone we have agreed that it is non as effective because we cannot "read" what the other person is feeling.

Pink, I agree the personal connections in RL involves so much more than simply communicating words and sharing information. The non-verbal and physical elements are also very important. Maybe if the non-verbal and physical stuff totally inhibit all communication then maybe a starting point would be text-based therapy. However, ultimately at some point the other skills are going to have to be worked on as well.

I had my session this afternoon and this discussion came to mind. There was a moment during our session where I was silent. My t. is so good at reading silences. He can tell when I am just processing something, when I am angry and being obstinate or when the conversation has reached an end. I was thinking how hard this would be online.

Pinksoil mentioned the importance of eye-contact. I was telling my t. about my 1st ever experience this week with a true "flash-back". I was describing how different it was from a memory and my hysterical reaction to it afterwards. When I looked over at him, I could see his eyes were totally "with" me in empathy and concern. Again, I wondered about online therapy.

I can understand how online therapy could be extremely useful in limited circumstances. But, I have to believe that it is a very different kind of therapy with many limitations We really are pioneers in this online age.

tulips