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Whether you’re juggling a full-time job with parenting, making time to support friends and family, or just can’t seem to keep up with your everyday “to-dos,” your life is probably busy. Focusing on your mental health might fall to the bottom of your list of priorities, but if you’re noticing feelings and thoughts that are getting in the way of your day-to-day routines, it might be time to consider how therapy can support your overall well-being.

Benefits of Therapy

Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, involves talking through your feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and challenges with a professional, licensed therapist, who can help you:

  • Improve communication skills
  • Work on and optimize relationship issues
  • Understand more about yourself and how you view the world
  • Develop coping skills for challenging situations
  • Learn to resolve conflict
  • Treat specific mental health conditions

Developing self-awareness and changing negative thought patterns can help anyone looking to improve their outlook on life and feel more confident about taking on everyday situations. 

If you think you’re suffering from a mental health condition, like anxiety, depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder, therapy can be a critical component of a treatment plan that helps you make long-term changes and puts you on a path to a healthier lifestyle.

Therapy can also improve your physical health that might be impacted by mental health conditions, including eating habits, sleep quality, chronic illness symptoms, and heart health.

Online Therapy Advantages

Before the rise of the internet, in-person therapy was the only option if you were interested in seeking therapy to optimize your well-being or treat a mental health condition. And although video conferencing and online therapy has been available since the 1990’s, it was really during the 2020 pandemic that rates of online therapy skyrocketed.   

Today, online therapy platforms allow people in even the most remote areas to gain access to psychotherapy sessions delivered over video, chat, or the phone. Online therapy options can provide additional benefits such as:

Flexibility: Your schedule may prevent you from having the time to meet with a therapist in person, online availability usually includes a wider window of time

Convenience: Meeting online from the comfort of your own home is an advantage for everyone, especially those with mental health conditions like agoraphobia (the fear of leaving the house)

Cost: Online therapy is sometimes covered by insurance, but is usually much less expensive than traditional sessions

Privacy: Seeking out therapy can still carry certain social stigmas; online sessions allow you to keep your therapy private 

Keep in mind that some mental health conditions might not be suitable for online treatment. If you or your loved one is suffering from severe conditions like schizophrenia or eating disorders, experiencing suicidal thoughts, or suffering from a severe addiction issue, you may need the additional support of in-patient care.

What Online Therapy Can Treat 

For most people looking for treatment of moderate mental health conditions or just advice on how to improve their emotional well-being, online psychotherapy provides successful outcomes. Recent research has shown that not only does online therapy work, but many people prefer virtual visits to in-person sessions, because of the convenience, cost, and time involved.

Online therapy can be successful at treating most mental health conditions, like:

  • Anxiety 
  • Depression 
  • Bipolar Disorder 
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Panic Disorders
  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
  • Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Similar to traditional therapy, providers use regularly scheduled sessions to work through specific goals or issues you might have. They’ll encourage you to share negative thoughts and behaviors, while they provide tools and coping mechanisms to help you get closer to the life you want to have. 

Your provider may use specific styles of therapy to help you do that, including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A common therapy type that helps people change unhealthy ways of thinking and behaving
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Used to treat personality disorders, it focuses on accepting behaviors, regulating emotions, and being more mindful
  • Exposure Therapy: Used to treat people with phobias, or fear and anxiety disorders
  • Interpersonal Therapy: Helps support healthy relationships by focusing on social interactions

Sometimes a provider may use more than one type of therapy style to achieve better results. 

Any form of therapy requires time and patience to work, especially in the beginning of the process. You might find that sticking with online therapy is easier than in-person sessions, because you can plan appointments around your schedule more easily and access them from anywhere.

Online Therapists

Just like with traditional therapy methods, online therapy sessions are conducted by licensed, experienced therapists and mental health professionals. Depending on the state they practice in, they’ll need to meet standard licensing requirements and complete a certain number of practice hours.

Therapists have a variety of titles and credentials, including:

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
  • Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)
  • Psychologist (PsyD or PhD)

Most online therapy platforms share some basic information about the therapists providing their services, including experience, what they specialize in, their approach to psychotherapy and how they help clients overcome conditions and challenges. 

Just like with traditional therapy, finding and developing a relationship with the right online therapist is important for sticking to the process.  It may take a bit of trial and error to connect with someone you feel comfortable with, but it’s worth the effort. Usually, it’s an easy process to try a new provider if the first therapist is not quite who you need.

How to Get Started

If you’re ready to start your mental health journey, MindGlow Health offers talk therapy through online appointments with licensed providers who are experienced and passionate about what they do. The company was built on the foundation of a well-established behavioral health organization, where thousands of people nationwide have sought care for their mental health concerns. 

Learn more about the services we provide or get started today with one of our experienced, passionate online providers to take the first step towards a healthier, happier you.