Kaitlin has been suffering in silence for months now. She knows that she needs to talk to someone, but she can’t bring herself to go to the local therapy office. She doesn’t want anyone to see her there, as she hasn’t talked to her friends or family about how she’s feeling. She will, but on her own time. Kaitlin isn’t ashamed of her depressive thoughts and feelings by any means—but she knows that right now, talking to her loved ones about it will only add to her declining mental health. She continues to search for a solution.
Online counseling is the solution that Kaitlin is looking for. This approach to counseling enables people just like Kaitlin to receive mental health help from the safety and convenience of home (or wherever else they choose). In Kaitlin’s case, she can work with her counselor over the phone or video, to avoid the risk of being seen at the office.
“Asking for help isn’t weak. It’s a great example of how to take care of yourself.” –Charlie Brown
Online or virtual counseling is the solution to many problems that people run into in their pursuit of mental health services. If you think that online counseling might serve as the right solution for you, or you’re interested in exploring the unique benefits of online counseling, consider starting a relationship with an online counselor at Thriveworks Washington, DC (Georgetown). We have online counselors and therapists who have experience and training helping their clients via virtual means, including over the phone and via video. To set up your first online counseling session, simply call our Thriveworks Washington, DC (Georgetown) office.
What Do I Need to Know About Online Counseling?
Online counseling can be traced all the way back to the year 1972: Staff members at UCLA and Stanford simulated a therapy session on two computers. Today, many clients engage in online counseling via video chat on their computers as well as over the telephone and in email.
Here at Thriveworks Washington, DC (Georgetown), the two main forms of online counseling offered are telephone counseling and video counseling:
- Telephone counseling: Telephone counseling means working with your counselor or therapist via phone call. Your provider will simply give you a call at the time of your appointment—make sure you have service!
- Video counseling: Video counseling means working with your counselor or therapist via video chat. Your provider will send you a link to a secure video chatroom, of which you will enter at the time of your session. Make sure you have reliable internet connection!
In either case, you are not required to be high-tech, by any means! Online counseling is simple and effective. As we just touched on, you simply need to have service or internet connection as well as access to a device that allows you to make a phone call or enter a video chatroom like Skype.
Benefits of Online Counseling: How Can Online Counseling Help Me?
Online counseling enables people to work through a range of mental health challenges, including symptoms of mental illness, difficult emotions like anger, grief and loss, conflicts with loved ones, and more. There are a few major differences, though, between online counseling and the traditional in-person counseling. For example, online counseling therapy can offer the following benefits:
- Greater flexibility in scheduling: You’ll likely have a greater range of scheduling options to choose from, including evening and weekend sessions.
- Convenience and comfort (physically and mentally): In addition to feeling more comfortable in your physical space, being that you can attend your sessions from home, you might also feel more comfortable opening up to your counselor from a distance.
- Reliability: Also, many uncontrollable external factors are eliminated, including traffic and bad weather, which might cause one to cancel or reschedule their in-person appointment.
Online counseling comes with many perks, of which might make online counseling the right counseling option for you! Your first online counseling session is just a call away.
Work with an Online Counselor at Thriveworks Washington, DC (Georgetown)
If you’re interested in experiencing the above benefits of online counseling (and more), reach out to Thriveworks Washington, DC (Georgetown). We have counselors and therapists on staff who are happy to work with you in telephone counseling or video counseling now. To schedule your first session, simply give us a call. We look forward to it.
Anger, Men’s Issues, Self Esteem, Stress, Anxiety, +2 more 
