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The Virtual Couch: The Pros and Cons of Online Therapy and Counseling — a Provider’s Perspective
by Lauro Amezcua-Patino, MD, FAPA.
COVID-19 effected many areas of medicine, including psychiatry. The proximity of those who may be infected with the virus mandated social distancing. This mandate opened the opportunity for telemedicine and online counseling to thrive. Today, we do quite a bit of telemed and online counseling at my business Metropolitan Consulting. We teach other doctors how to best leverage this new technology to meet patient needs,
The convenience and accessibility of virtual sessions have made mental health support more readily available to a broader audience. It is also can be more cost-effective for both doctor and patient. However, like any innovative approach, online therapy comes with its own set of advantages and challenges. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of online therapy and counseling.
Pros:
The ability to communicate with your health care provider from anywhere at almost any time is groundbreaking. One of my patients, a few years back, was having a mental health crisis on the other side of the planet, literally. Via communications technology he was able to get the help he needed to safety return home for additional care. Something unheard of only a…