Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health crisis that interferes with many people’s lives and manifests itself with symptoms like anxiety and decreased emotional responses. 25% of Americans suffer from PTSD-like symptoms due to financial stress alone. Deciding whether to attend online or face-to-face therapy sounds complex, but if the differences are clear it is not hard.
Through this article, we analyze the various therapy models and their differences, alongside their advantages, so you can select the most suitable therapy model for you.
Everyone needs a different kind of therapy, and not everyone gets it. Choosing the right format can make a difference to your comfort, ease, and advancement in treating your PTSD. The right therapy format should consider the following:
Ease of access
Choice of a therapist
Individual preference
Intensity of the symptom
This is the main reason why online PTSD therapy at Mindful Care allows clients to choose between various therapy sessions and the aim is to provide an effective platform for recovery.
PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health crisis that results from stressor exposure. Causes can include war, earthquakes, a car crash, or any form of physical attack. Symptoms of PTSD can manifest in various ways, including:
Reliving the specific event through flashbacks or nightmares
Increased heart rate
Increased sensitivity to sounds
Difficulty sleeping
Experiencing guilt, social withdrawal, or loss of emotional response
Psychotherapy is one of the primary diagnostic interventions for PTSD, teaching patients methods for handling trauma and normalizing their lives.
Online PTSD therapy is a skilled, professional service, and sessions are mostly held through video calls, phone calls, or messages, offering significant flexibility in scheduling and format.
Accessibility: Internet therapy eliminates geographical issues providing an opportunity for people in areas with few specialists in the field to receive help.
Anonymity and comfort: Online therapy helps individuals feel less inhibited, especially those uncomfortable with in-person therapy.
Cost-Effectiveness: Online PTSD therapy is often cheaper than face-to-face consultations, and there are no costs for transportation.
Technology Dependence: Online therapy can be a problem if there is a bad internet connection or technical issues that can interrupt the session.
Limited Non-Verbal Communication: Some gestures, body language, and facial expressions may be harder to interpret during virtual sessions.
Not Ideal for Severe Cases: Some clients with serious psychotic features or those who need urgent intervention may need face-to-face care.
In contrast to traditional therapy, clients meet in a therapist’s office, and the therapy atmosphere is much more formalized.
Personal Connection: Fully fledged face-to-face contact enables the therapist to perceive and analyze body language and feelings, which are normally beyond the abilities of other forms of communication technology.
Structured Environment: A specific room is reserved for the session that will ensure that the client can focus on their therapy.
Comprehensive Interventions: Therapists rely on such techniques as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which may involve physical presence.
Accessibility Challenges: People eople might have to move from one place to another, while some may live in rural areas and are not able to come to the sessions in person.
Scheduling Conflicts: It might be the case that a weekly, regular appointment may prove to be impractical because of work, family, or even social commitments.
Higher Costs: In-person therapy is more expensive than other kinds of therapy because of the cost of transport and other expenses.
People with severe symptoms of PTSD may get more value from the face-to-face contact of in-person treatment. Nevertheless, people who have less severe symptoms or who can cope with PTSD can benefit from undergoing online therapy. The BBC reported that 80% of patients successfully recovered from PTSD with the help of online therapy.
Online PTSD therapy offers hope if you live in a rural area or cannot easily access a vehicle to travel anywhere. On the other hand, face-to-face therapy can provide a qualitatively different experience if you can access the sessions.
Some individuals may appreciate the anonymity and convenience of the Internet, while others may prefer the personal and formal feeling of a physical meeting. Your knowledge and experience in technology, as well as your personality in communication, can also affect the issue.
Another advantage of using online therapists, such as those at Mindful Care, is that there is a huge list of professionals to suit your psychological needs, more than in-person offices can offer.
Find out what it costs to attend online and face-to-face sessions and include this information in your comparison. Many insurance plans now cover online therapy, making it a viable option.
Just like the other PTSD treatment alternatives, there is a tendency to mix up online sessions and face-to-face therapy. For example - a patient can come to a face-to-face session for an initial assessment and later choose the online mode to proceed with the treatment. Hybrid models are an excellent option for employees whose jobs are on the move or who have a non-straightforward working program.
The chief advantages of online therapy are its availability and flexibility. However, face-to-face therapy allows for a more in-depth doctor-patient relationship which is suitable for the seriously ill or those patients requiring direct approaches.
No matter which option you choose, the initial step is to try to get help and embrace the process of becoming mentally healthy. PTSD is recoverable and the right therapy model can be life-changing.