10 Legit Reasons to Give Online Therapy a Try

You’ve been wanting to give counseling a try, but many things stop you from making that initial call to find a counselor. You keep trying to figure out how you can make it work. That is getting to the therapist’s office every week sounds like more stress than you need right now.

While going to therapy is about carving out time to make yourself and your well-being a priority, it doesn’t have to be more stressful. I’m all for decreasing barriers to participating in counseling. And one of these options is giving online therapy a try.

10 Reasons to Give Online Counseling a Try

If you have even one barrier that gets in your way of going to counseling, have you considered giving online counseling a try? If you are on the fence, here are several reasons when online counseling may work for you:

1. You don’t have a babysitter: Whether you just had a baby, are a stay at home mom, or just don’t have a reliable babysitter, then getting to counseling may be a challenge. You can schedule your counseling session around your baby or child’s nap or quiet time. And you can be in another room in your house. No packing up toys, snacks, and diapers to make another appointment happen.
2. You travel for work: Another big barrier to scheduling therapy appointments is traveling for your job. Whether you a truck driver or a business person who travels, being consistent with making in-person counseling appointments will be hard. With online therapy, you can schedule appointments from your hotel room or rest stop.
3. You can’t drive: If you are recovering from surgery or experiencing an illness it may make it hard to leave the house. Or maybe you are a caregiver for a family member who is recovering and aren’t able to leave them alone yet. You don’t want to wait to start counseling until you can drive again, so online therapy may be a good option during this transition.
4. You work long hours: It can be hard for some to go in late or take off early to make a counseling appointment. If you have a private office with a secure wifi connection, you can do the counseling appointment over your lunch break from the comfort of your own office.
5. You can’t find a therapist in your area: Maybe your city has a lot of therapists, but most aren’t taking new clients or don’t specialize in the help you are looking for. Or maybe you have to drive 2 hours to the nearest therapist. In either situation, if you find a great therapist in another part of your state, online therapy can eliminate geographic distance as a barrier.
6. You didn’t like therapy via a messaging app: You’ve already tried an alternative method of therapy via a secure messaging app with a licensed therapist. While it was very convenient and flexible to leave messages at any time of the day, you have found you prefer real-time interactions.
7. You want to try online counseling before in-person: If you are experiencing anxiety about driving or leaving the house, you may give online counseling a try first before in-person sessions. It can help you ease into working toward going to a counselor’s office.
8. You want less traffic stress: If you already have a long commute to the office or live in a city with horrible rush hour traffic, the last thing you want to do is wait in more traffic to go to an appointment. Cut down on traffic stress and go straight home to try counseling from the comfort of your house.
9. You have a therapist you like but are moving: If you are relocating or returning to college after break, but want to keep working with your counselor, ask if they offer online sessions. States vary on whether you can work with a counselor outside of their licensed state, but if you move within your state it may be an option.
10. You want more privacy: If you are worried about someone seeing you in the waiting room at a therapist office, you may want to try online counseling. It will give you the utmost privacy as long as you ensure a secure wifi connection and a private space without interruptions.

Online counseling and therapy aren’t for everyone, but if any of these reasons sound like your situation, it’s worth scheduling a free 15-minute phone consultation with a therapist to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Marci Payne, MA, LPC is licensed as a professional counselor in Missouri, so she can work with individuals 19 and up as long as you live in Missouri. So whether you live in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia or a rural area of Missouri, online counseling is an available option. Marci specializes in anxiety, burnout, divorce, and individual relationship counseling.

If you are a man or woman who is struggling in your relationship, ending your relationship, or trying to figure out how to start a new relationship, then let’s have a conversation about what it would be like to work together. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consult with me, and find out if online counseling will help you bring your best self to your relationships.