Anxiety Therapy Online vs In-Person: Virtual Counseling has its Benefits!
If you think that anxiety is a really common experience that people have, you’d be absolutely right. Many people experience anxiety regularly and, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about 1 in 5 people in the United States will meet the criteria for an Anxiety Disorder at some point in their lives. It’s really common and nothing to be ashamed of.
Even in looking for help, it’s normal to hesitate or be uncertain about which steps to take or how to best find the help that you need. Everyone is different of course: some people might like to meet in person and some might prefer to meet virtually from their home or work. The truth is that both forms of counseling can be helpful for overcoming anxiety. Both forms of therapy use similar, if not identical, techniques to help you approach and overcome your symptoms.
However, Online Counseling – like the kind we specialize in here at Harris Counseling and Consulting – can have some important and interesting benefits that you might want to consider. Let’s have a look at just a few.
Convenience
One of the most obvious reasons to choose an online counseling format is that you can schedule and complete your session from almost anywhere. Your therapist will always want to make sure that you’re in a safe and confidential location (e.g. we want to make sure you’re not driving home from work and connecting to us on your phone from the car!) but anywhere that’s private and comfortable can be transformed into a therapy room. Practices like ours that specialize in this approach to counseling generally offer flexible scheduling options and can accommodate a wide range of needs.
You can access our services from anywhere in North Carolina - our clinicians are all licensed professionals here in the state which means that you don’t need to drive to where we are - we’ll conduct your session virtually from the coast to the mountains.
Reduced Nervousness
Have you ever gotten nervous just from waiting for an appointment at a doctor’s office or meeting someone new? Of course! We all have – it’s a very normal phenomenon. One of the things that we know about online counseling is that it can have a positive impact on reducing your nervousness. It may still be strange to think about meeting someone new online but studies have shown that there is a reduced overall sense of worry when we conduct sessions virtually, especially if we’re conducting them from home. Most researchers speculate that there is a positive impact of being in your natural environment. You can sit in your comfy chair and wear your comfy pants while meeting with your therapist in a virtual setting that may be much harder to do if you were meeting in person.
The research also suggest that this goes beyond just feeling nervous about showing up too. It also suggests that people are more willing to open up, to get into deeper feelings more quickly when sessions are conducted online – again, related to feeling increased levels of comfort from being in a more familiar environment. Online Counseling may actually help you move through your anxiety more quickly than if you were to meet in person!
Privacy and Confidentiality
While any therapist that you see will go to great lengths to protect your confidentiality, when you meet online you have the added benefit of not having to drive or walk up to your therapist’s office. You don’t risk running into anyone you know or worry about what people might think if they see you parked at a counselor’s office.
Of course, all of the technology that is used is also highly encrypted and secure so that your sessions are protected that way too.
Why Not Give Online
Counseling a Try?
There are clearly many benefits to meeting with your counselor online. Online sessions may even be a better fit for your anxiety treatment if you experience symptoms of social anxiety related to interacting with people, or worries about travel or being outside. If you experience PTSD symptoms and panic attacks when confronted with the idea of leaving the safety of your home, online sessions can feel particularly helpful. You might lead a really busy life with lots of appointments for you and your kids - the convenience of online sessions could give you access to counseling that you might never be able to fit into your schedule otherwise. Or, maybe you live in a rural or underserved part of the state and travel to a larger center may be too difficult or time consuming.
For all of these reasons and more, why not give online counseling a try? At Harris, we’re more than happy to connect with you and find a great counselor to connect you with. Reach out today and fill out a contact form to get started! We look forward to hearing from you.