Online Psychotherapy
Significant Differences:
Similarities
Psychotherapy is another name for talk therapy, a method in which the patient discusses their mental health issues with a trained professional. The idea is to identify patterns and behaviors that you want to change as you talk through your experiences. Talk therapy helps you dig into the root causes of the issues you experience within a safe, supportive environment and with the guidance and positive reinforcement of a mental health professional.
Benefits of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is often a very effective method that comes with many benefits, including:
- The ability to receive therapy online. Talk therapy is highly compatible with online therapy because verbal communication is a large part of this method. You can successfully communicate with your therapist from anywhere using virtual platforms. This allows you to access the resources even if you live in a remote area or have a busy schedule that makes it difficult to attend therapy sessions in person.
- Processing your experiences. Psychotherapy sessions often focus on you talking through your thoughts and experiences. It’s often an effective way to process things you’ve been through so you can move forward from them.
- Getting to know yourself better. As you talk through your feelings and experiences, you get to know your habits, behaviors, and typical responses better. Self-awareness can help you better handle situations in the future while gaining confidence and improving your self-image.
- Learning coping mechanisms. Not only does psychotherapy help you process situations you’ve already experienced, but it also teaches you coping strategies that you can use in future encounters. It can help you navigate stress, relationship difficulties, and other challenges more easily.
- Modifying your behaviors. Having self-awareness and learning coping strategies can help you change your behaviors going forward. This might include learning how to regulate your emotions rather than letting them control your reactions, for example. Psychotherapy can also help with more serious behaviors, such as self-harm.
- Improving relationships. Processing your behaviors and feelings may help you better understand how you interact with other people in your life. The knowledge you gain, as well as the coping strategies you learn, could help you change those relationships to make them more positive.
What Does Psychotherapy Typically Involve?
Psychotherapy usually involves structured sessions between the patient and the therapist. It can be used for individual counseling as well as couple or family therapy sessions. Scheduling can vary, but the sessions typically last between 45 minutes and an hour and occur once a week. Some people may attend sessions multiple times per week or go less often than weekly. Traditionally, the sessions are held in person, but online therapy services are becoming more common and offer a more flexible alternative.
The sessions are tailored to an individual’s needs based on their experiences and goals. Those goals are often established at the initial meeting and may involve completing a questionnaire that asks about various aspects to help the psychotherapist direct the therapy.
Meetings typically involve guided conversations between the patient and the mental health professional. The therapist might ask questions or dig deeper into a comment that the patient makes to help them work through the issues they’re experiencing. The idea is to work collaboratively to identify root causes of problems and create solutions to help improve those areas.
Mental health professionals often incorporate a variety of exercises and strategies during psychotherapy. The sessions might include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on looking at your thought patterns and challenging things that are unhealthy or don’t serve you well. Using a goal-oriented approach, you learn how to make your thoughts more accurate and improve your behaviors.
- Interpersonal therapy. In this type of psychotherapy, you focus on addressing the underlying issues that affect your interactions with others. It’s usually a short-term type of therapy.
- Psychodynamic therapy. This form of therapy looks at the unconscious thoughts and feelings you have, many of which are rooted in your early years. The strategies help you change your patterns and become more self-aware to break out of those behaviors.
- Dialectical behavior therapy. Related to CBT, dialectical behavior therapy is designed for people who experience emotions intensely. At its core, this method teaches mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Supportive therapy. This type of psychotherapy focuses on resolving the issues that stem from a mental health condition. Guidance and encouragement are key elements of this therapy type as the patient learns to become self-reliant and utilize various coping mechanisms.
In some cases, mental health professionals also incorporate animal-assisted therapy, creative arts therapy and play therapy along with psychotherapy. These methods can help patients share and process more of their emotions.
It’s also common to use medication along with psychotherapy. Your mental health professional can handle your medication management if you want to use it along with your talk therapy. They’ll monitor the type of medication you receive as well as the dosage to ensure you receive optimal therapeutic results.
Issues or Stressors Psychotherapy Can Be Used to Address
Psychotherapy is an effective option for a wide range of mental health concerns, from managing specific disorders to coping with challenging life events. It is often used to help improve relationships in your life, whether that’s your personal or work interactions. You might also turn to talk therapy to help you manage the psychological effects of physical issues, such as a serious injury, medical diagnosis or chronic pain. Examples of issues that may benefit from psychotherapy include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Traumatic experiences
- Relationship issues
- Stress
- Substance abuse, gambling, or similar addictive behaviors
- Dealing with chronic illness
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Eating disorders
- Personality disorders
Choose Regional Psychiatry for Psychotherapy Online
Our telehealth approach allows you to receive tailored psychotherapy from your home. Access to therapy within a safe environment allows you to open up and maximize your results. We take an integrative approach to mental health care, which means we can help with medication management and support nutrition planning, sleep hygiene, and more. We also coordinate your care with your primary care provider, other therapists, and family members as needed.
Every patient of Regional Psychiatry receives a personalized treatment plan based on their goals and background. That plan focuses on your biological, psychological, and social level of functioning to improve the overall outcomes you receive. As your sessions progress, your therapist may adjust the strategies they use to continue you toward your goals.
Online treatment can take many forms, but it is just as effective as in-person therapy and offers the added convenience of meeting with a mental health professional from anywhere. Our team includes highly trained and experienced psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, and health coaches. You’ll be paired with a mental health professional who is highly skilled in psychotherapy methods.
Getting started with online psychotherapy through Regional Psychiatry can help you jump-start positive changes in your life. Contact us today with any questions you have about psychotherapy or to schedule your first appointment.
Independence. Resilience. Wellness.
We work with each patient to customize a personalized treatment plan. Our practice has the experience and training to improve your overall health and wellness.
