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What to Expect from Your First Online Therapy for Depression?

Online Therapy For Depression

Attending the first online therapy session is always a difficult experience. Most people don’t know how to begin or what to expect. The situation can be even more difficult if you are online since you’re not talking to the therapist face-to-face. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Here are some tips that can help you communicate with your therapist effectively and make the most out of your first session:

1. Take Time to Know the Therapist

Most people don’t think this is an important part of therapy but understanding your therapist and their background can help you feel more grounded. For example, if you are struggling with social anxiety disorder and the therapist says they specialize in the field, you will feel more at ease.

Most online therapists will provide a short introduction to help you understand their background and give an idea about their personality. That will help you feel more comfortable with the therapy session.

2. Start a Discussion

Starting a discussion with a stranger online in such circumstances can feel a little uncomfortable and awkward. However, the initial discussion is a hurdle that you must overcome. There are several ways to approach this. Usually, a therapist will start asking guiding questions to get to know you better. Their goal is to make you comfortable and get a read on your personality as well as issues. The form you filled out earlier already provides some information to them but that’s not enough for them to start helping you.

It is important to meet your therapist halfway by communicating with them honestly. You don’t want to give them a mistaken impression of your circumstances or issues. If they ask questions, answer them as honestly as they can. If the topic is too difficult to discuss, you can always say you’re not comfortable and don’t wish to discuss it.

The therapist will move on to another topic and you can revisit the issue at a later date.

3. Ask Questions

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t be afraid to ask them. For example, if you want to know more about the therapist’s qualifications, ask them. If you want to know more about their experience with your particular concern, ask them.

Asking questions also helps improve communication between the patient and the therapist. It allows the therapist to understand what your concerns are and address them fully in the first session itself.

When it comes to online therapy, many people are hesitant and wonder if this medium is effective. You can ask your therapist directly about how effective eTherapy can be for your particular concern.

4. Setting Goals

Setting goals is an important aspect of beginner sessions. What do you want to work on? Which issue do you want to resolve first? Setting a goal allows the therapist to create a guided path and plan every session.

For example, do you want to treat your intense social anxiety? Then that should be the goal of your therapy with the counselor. Do you want to address negative and depressive thoughts? If so, that will be the goal you work towards.

Sometimes, patients don’t understand their mental health concerns. They don’t know why they experience certain symptoms like self-sabotage, extreme self-criticism, and more. In such cases, a therapist may take a few sessions to come up with a goal. But usually, this is decided in the first session.

5. Confidentiality

Online counselors follow the same ethics and guidelines as traditional counselors do. You can expect everything you say to your therapist to remain confidential. The therapist will not share the information with anyone unless this information is harmful to you.

Regardless of your age, you can expect the therapist to respect your privacy and confidence. They will not share what you say with anyone unless they have your express permission.

6. Technical Issues

Technology improves every day but technical issues can still happen. You may lose connection, experience glitches, or face a system downtime during your session. They are an inevitable part of using technology. Some issues may pop up on your end and some issues may pop up on the therapist’s side.

While technical issues can be disruptive, don’t get frustrated. Resolve them calmly and if they can’t be resolved quickly, reschedule your session with the therapist.

If you experience technical issues in your first session with the therapist, don’t be discouraged and give up. Like all problems, these can be fixed and you will be able to attend sessions smoothly. Good eTherapy platforms are well-maintained and will run smoothly.

Attending the first session is a positive step towards better mental health. All you need to do is to remain on this path and continue forward. Eventually, you will get used to this medium of communication and hit your stride.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

7 Steps to a Successful Couples Therapy Session Online

Successful Couples Therapy

If you’re attending a couple’s therapy session online, it can be difficult to manage communication. Many people believe that face-to-face therapy is more effective in these cases and don’t try online therapy. However, research shows that there’s a good track record for couples when they get behavioral therapy online. Here’s a look at some steps that can help you make your couple’s therapy session a success:

1. Agree to Attend (Therapy For Couple)

Attending therapy with mutual consent is a positive step and ensures you’re both in the right mindset. It is easier to go through discussions and arrive at a reasonable solution to your issues if both participants are willing to work on the relationship.

2. Choose a Counselor With Experience(Therapy For Couple)

Choose a counselor who has experience with couples therapy. Different issues require different approaches. Couple’s therapy doesn’t require the same approach as depression or anxiety. That’s why you need to find a therapist with qualifications and experience in marriage or relationship counseling. The therapist should know how to mediate between two opposing parties, help them understand one another, and then facilitate better communication.

If the counselor has experience with couples counseling, your therapy will have a higher chance of success.

3. Create a Positive Atmosphere(Therapy For Couple)

It is important to create a positive atmosphere around you when you attend therapy. This means you need to make sure your surroundings are clean, there are no distracting elements, and you have some privacy. Make sure your children are occupied or in someone else’s care. Ensure that you don’t have any distracting elements around you.

It is a good idea to use a computer if you want to chat with the therapist together. A good atmosphere will ensure you are in a good mood and that will always have a positive impact on your therapy session.

If you are living separately, make sure your partner is also communicating from a safe and positive space. It is possible for partners living separately to attend the same therapy session, which makes eTherapy more versatile compared to regular therapy.

4. Attend Sessions Regularly(Therapy For Couple)

Therapy is all about forming a habit and actively working on improving your relationship. Inconsistent therapy is largely ineffective, which is one of the reasons why people drop out or don’t feel the effects of counseling.

Schedule a session regularly to get the best results. For example, if you feel attending a session once every two weeks during the initial stages of counseling helps, stick with it. You can always lower the frequency of these sessions down the line.

5. Implement the Advice

Couples therapy is about acceptance and change. The therapist will recommend what you need to change in your lifestyle and communication to help you regain some stability in your relationship. If you accept his advice and apply it to your everyday life, your therapy will be more successful.

Accepting and implementing advice isn’t easy so you need to be a little patient. Things can get a little disruptive and heated during sessions, especially if the people involved are feeling intense emotions. It is important to avoid excessive pride or give in to hurt feelings. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, your therapy will have a high chance of success.

6. Keep At It

It takes time and effort to stabilize a relationship and overcome communication issues. Sometimes, it will feel like your therapy isn’t working and sometimes it will feel like your relationship is worse than it was before. However, if you keep at it and keep attending sessions regularly, things will start looking better over time.

The progress may be slow, but it will be long-lasting. You don’t need to leave therapy as soon as your issues are resolved. Continue attending for a few more months just to ensure the changes stick and you get through the growing pains of the healed relationship.

7. Try Group Therapy

If you have children, it is important to try a few group therapy sessions with your children involved as well. Sometimes, arguments and miscommunication between the couple are so disruptive, that they have an impact on their children. While couples therapy may resolve the issues you may have, it won’t resolve the issues your children may develop.

Group therapy with the children will help you find a new balance within your family and continue on a healthier path. Group therapy between parents and children can also help build a more positive relationship between the two.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

5 Reasons Why Online Therapy is Successful

Online therapy is a relatively new approach to therapy. It has been around for a handful of years and picked up speed when the pandemic ravaged the world. Initially, people were rightfully skeptical about this new approach, wondering if just chatting with a therapist or video-calling them would be as effective as traditional therapy. However, studies show that this approach is as effective as therapy and even more so in certain cases with certain patients. Here’s a look at some reasons why online therapy is successful:

1. More Accessible

Online therapy platforms are much more accessible than regular therapy. You can book a few sessions online and attend them from the comfort of your home, regardless of where you live. You could be in some isolated town in Alaska and still have access to the best counseling available. eTherapy makes it easier for people from remote or underserviced areas to access good therapy.

Accessibility is particularly necessary for people suffering from underrepresented mental health conditions. It is easy to get help for depression or anxiety but sometimes it can be difficult to get help for gender-related concerns or rare mental health conditions. Online therapy gives people access to more professionals, which gives people the benefit of options.

2. Privacy and Anonymity

More people are willing to try online therapy than traditional therapy because of the platform’s privacy and anonymity. Most online therapy websites don’t require your full name or contact information. You don’t even need to show your face to your therapist if you’re communicating primarily through chat or calls. This gives people a sense of privacy and safety. They don’t need to worry about anyone knowing that they are attending therapy.

This is particularly useful for people in risky or vulnerable situations. For example, if a person from an abusive or extremely conservative household requires therapy, they can access eTherapy services discretely, without worrying about anyone finding out. Studies have shown that teenagers and young adults, in particular, find these options appealing. They are more willing to attend online therapy because there is no exposure to peers involved.

3. Medium of Communication

Most online counseling happens through text messages or video conferences, depending on the approach the patient prefers. There are email and similar options available as well. Different platforms offer different communication approaches. You can choose what is most comfortable and tailor the session according to your requirements.

Most younger patients are very familiar with online communication. They are comfortable communicating primarily through text and are often more open or unreserved when using this medium. Older generations do struggle a little but even that is a matter of habit. If you dislike text communication, there’s always voice or video conferencing available. eTherapy can be tailored to suit any kind of requirement easily.

4. Eliminating Barriers

Online therapy eliminates several barriers, especially for people who can’t access traditional therapy. For example, individuals with physical disabilities or people who can’t speak or hear can use text as a way to communicate and access online therapy. Individuals that can’t see can use video or voice conferencing to access therapy. All of these things can be done from the comfort of their home, without the hassle of traveling to the therapist’s office.

Online therapy is also useful for people in high-risk situations. If you think attending therapy will place you in danger or get you in trouble, you can access it discretely without letting anyone know. That sets eTherapy apart from traditional therapy and draws more vulnerable people into the fold.

5. Flexibility

eTherapy is more flexible than traditional therapy, which is necessary for today’s fast-paced lifestyle. Every minute of the day is precious and most people don’t have much time on their hands to drive to a therapist’s office during work hours to get the support they need. Online therapy is more flexible. You can access it any time, from anywhere, and schedule the sessions according to your requirements.

This flexibility also means that you can schedule around disruptions and have the session when you are in the right mindset. For example, it is easier to schedule a session when the kids are at school or when everyone else is busy with work. You can have a quiet and relaxed environment around you and focus on your session completely. People find it easier to use online therapy than to attend face-to-face sessions with a counselor, which does have an impact on the overall success of the therapy.

These reasons make it clear why eTherapy is so successful. However, that doesn’t mean that traditional therapy is completely replaceable. If you’re dealing with serious self-harming behaviors and are an active risk to yourself or people around you, you may need more thorough medical intervention. In these cases, a traditional psychiatrist with the ability to prescribe medication or recommend a hospital stay may be necessary.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

Can You Attend Online Couple Counselling?

linonline couple counseling

Being in a relationship can be tricky sometimes. You need to adjust to other people’s personalities and make compromises to make sure the relationship works well for both parties involved. However, this can be a difficult task and cause some friction from time to time. Some couples can resolve the friction without any outside assistance while others need some sort of intervention or a neutral third party.

In most cases, this means couple’s therapy. You visit a therapist together and/or individually and resolve your problems in a guided and healthy manner. But can you do this with couple’s therapy? Can you attend sessions together and resolve your problems together?

Can You Attend Therapy Online as a Couple?

Yes, you can. Many people like online couple’s therapy because you can attend sessions together regardless of your location. For example, if you live in one city and your partner lives in another, you can still attend sessions together at the same time. This works well for couples who have separated temporarily and are living in separate locations.

It also works well for couples living together. It is easier to attend couples and individual therapy sessions without dealing with scheduling issues.

Why Attend Both Couple and Individual Sessions?

Problems in a relationship often stem from individual concerns and stressors as well as the friction between a couple. This means you need to work on issues together and work on your own issue individually. Most couples’ counselors will come up with a combination of group and individual sessions. You can also have sessions with your children involved to ensure everyone affected by your relationship problems can have some support.

Modern psychologists focus on cultivating both acceptance and change, which has proven to be a more effective way to address relationship problems. Acceptance can be often found in group sessions as the couples listen to each other’s perspectives and listen to the therapist’s observations together. It is easier to accept certain things and set realistic standards for a relationship through honest discussions.

Individual sessions are focused on change and self-development. If there are some aspects of you that make your partner uncomfortable, like rage issues or self-destructive behavior, you need to work on them individually with your therapist. That’s why it is important to attend sessions separately and work on those issues without your partner being present.

Online therapy makes this easier as well. You can easily manage your group and individual sessions, and discuss your issues over text messaging privately. There is no need to travel to the therapist’s office together and separately, or find ways to make your schedules work. This can be easily done during the weekend or while having breakfast or while you are relaxing in your bed in the evening.

How to Create the Best Environment for Therapy?

One of the advantages traditional therapy has over online therapy is the environment. It is easier to put yourself in the therapy mindset when you are in the office of a therapist. There are no distractions and you can focus solely on the session. When you attend sessions from home, the formal environment isn’t there and many people struggle to take therapy as seriously as they should because of this. However, it is possible to create a good environment in your home as well. Here’s a look at how you can do that:

  • Silence Devices – The first thing to do when you are attending a session is to silence devices. Let people know that you will be busy with therapy in advance and tell them to only call if there is an emergency. That way you aren’t disrupted during the session.
  • Children and Pets – Make sure your children and pets have someone to look after them when you’re in therapy. If the children are old enough to remain unsupervised for an hour or so, ask them to remain quiet and not disrupt you during the session.
  • Comfortable – Make sure your environment is comfortable and clean. A clean and comfortable environment can create a positive backdrop for your therapy session and help you become more focused on the task.
  • Fed and Watered – Drink water and have a decent meal before you attend a session. If you’re hungry or thirsty, your patience will run short and that will disrupt the therapy session. It is important to be in a relatively good mood when you’re working on healing the bridge between you and your partner.

We also recommend implementing the advice your therapist offers in day-to-day life. Therapy will only work if you work with the therapist and your partner. With cooperation and dedication, coming to an understanding will be easier and help you get on a more positive path. Attending counseling sessions together online can go a long way to help heal your relationship.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.

7 Ways to Make Your Online Therapy More Successful

Therapy

Many people have started to attend online therapy instead of regular face-to-face therapy. This option has existed for several years, but the pandemic has made it more popular. However, many struggle to get what they need from this form of therapy and are forced to abandon it or look for alternatives. We recommend the following tips to make the sessions more successful:

1. Commit to the Therapy Online

It is important to take therapy seriously, even if you’re attending it from the comfort of your bedroom. That’s one of the biggest reasons why therapy doesn’t work out for some people. They don’t take it as seriously as they should, wasting time and money.

Be open and truthful in your sessions, implement the positive steps the therapist has recommended, and utilize the different coping mechanisms recommended as well. Doing that will help you get the most out of these sessions.

2. Work on Your Environment: Therapy Online

The biggest advantage of online therapy is that you can attend from any location without problems. You can attend the session from home, office, at a friend’s house, or even at a café. However, it is important to ensure your environment is comfortable and doesn’t cause you any undue distress.

For example, if you suffer from social anxiety, a noisy café may not be the most ideal place to attend therapy. However, if you want to be around people and find comfort in busy places, consider attending sessions in cafes.

Depressed individuals often feel more downtrodden and weighed down if their environment is messy or disorganized. Attending sessions in a messy room may not be an ideal choice.

By making sure your environment is suitable and puts you in a good mood, you can improve the overall effectiveness of the sessions.

3. State of Your Body: Therapy Online

Sometimes, therapy requires a lot of focus and energy, especially if you’re discussing difficult topics. It doesn’t make sense to attend sessions when your body is uncomfortable or deprived of rest or food. Make sure you grab a bite to eat and drink enough water to stay hydrated. It is also important to ensure you are well-rested so you can focus on the session comfortably.

If you’re ill, have a headache, or are in any sort of physical distress that will distract you during sessions, it is a good idea to postpone them as much as possible.

4. Consistency

Therapy is an ongoing process. Like any medical aid, you need to complete the course to get the maximum benefit. However, many people drop therapy without resolving the issues or taking a long break. Unfortunately, that does more harm than good.

Don’t skip sessions unless you are unwell and have no other alternative. Schedule your sessions at regular intervals and make sure too much time doesn’t lapse between them.

Consistency can help you recover faster and reduce the number of overall sessions as well. Inconsistent sessions make things difficult for both the doctor and the patient.

5. No Disturbance

When you attend therapy, you need to focus on the session. Put away anything that is distracting or can disrupt the session, including phones and other devices. Make sure your friends and family know not to disturb you. Let people know to only call you if there is some sort of emergency.

When you’re in an online therapy session, you are focused on your therapist and your mind is focused on the task at hand. Switching gears at this point can hamper your progress and cause a lot of frustration. Create an environment where you won’t be disturbed to have a successful therapy session.

6. Be Honest During Sessions: Therapy Online

Few things are as important as being honest with your therapist. You will want to convey your concerns and issues clearly so your therapist can understand what they are dealing with.

You don’t want to mislead the counselor because the advice they offer may end up being faulty. Most therapists know how to dig deep and ask guiding questions to ensure you’re more comfortable being honest about your concerns.

7. Don’t Stop Therapy Online Immediately

If you start seeing signs of improvement and feel like you have overcome your issues, don’t stop therapy immediately. It can be tempting to stop because you want to save money and time, but staying is a good choice.

You may have other underlying issues to address or may not be ready to pull away from the professional support just yet. Attend a few more sessions and only stop when you are completely confident in your recovery.

These tips will help you get the most from your online therapy and ensure you are on the right track. If you feel like you’re not benefiting from your sessions, consider these points carefully and give it some time. You may just need to alter your approach.

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post and any associated articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect opinions or policies of eTherapyPro. These posts and articles are shared for your enjoyment and consideration. Read them or not at your sole discretion and liability. They are not intended to replace counseling services rendered by licensed professionals. Consult with your counselor before implementing any content from these articles into your life.