In an age when we do most of our work via internet, it is not surprising that counselling and other healthcare consultations are also available online. Counselling delivered over the platform of video or tele-conferencing, has some obvious benefits like easy access, secure payment, and assured confidentiality. However,if you are new to the platform, it is natural to be a little skeptical.
A little background research will reveal that this medium for delivering mental health services has been around for quite some time. Healthcare professionals have been using electronic medium to interact with clients since as early as 1980s. These interactions were primarily in the form of online forums or panels for discussion and advice. With the development of video call facility, and access to free applications like Skype and Google Talk, practitioners started offering therapy sessions online.
Today, provision of video-based online mental health services is governed by guidelines prescribed by regulatory bodies such as the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). Practitioners have to abide by the stringent ethical standards just as they would when interacting with a client in person. In cultures where seeking help for mental health and emotional difficulties is still considered taboo, the safe and secure access to a professional from the comfort of your home is a definite advantage.
For someone who does not feel comfortable using computers or internet, or someone who might not have access to a high speed network, online counselling might not seem that effective. In addition to interruptions due to technical difficulties, it might not feel ‘real’ enough for some people. However, the virtual world is rapidly coming within the reach of more and more people.
I highly recommend online video counselling, specially for:
- People who find face to face social interaction too overwhelming
- People who travel frequently
- Care-givers who cannot leave home for a long period of time
- People with limited mobility
- People living in remote areas or places with limited number of qualified professionals
Having practiced it myself, I can now confidently say that it is the next best thing to traditional, face-to-face counselling. It has a definite advantage over telephonic counselling, where you miss out on most of the valuable non-verbal cues. In scenarios mentioned above, it seems to have an edge over face-to-face counselling as well. For me, this is a way to be able to reach out to more people, to overcome physical distances and geographical constraints.
As with any virtual service, clients must be careful in choosing a trustworthy service provider. Make sure you check the credentials and affiliations of a practitioner before booking a session with them, and always make payments using secure channels. Trustworthy portals will be transparent in their proceedings and the qualifications of its practitioners. Hopefully, the access to reliable online counselling services like Healtheminds will mean one less reason for people to shy away from seeking professional help when they need it the most!