The telecommunications technology is transforming the twenty-first century life as you know it. It is revolutionizing many aspects of life, including the landscape of counseling services. Telemental health is making it possible to bring life-changing assistance to those who lack access to them without leaving home.

The benefits of telemental health are many. These cannot just be availed through face-to-face (FTF) therapy. The emotional health services and support are now being delivered and accessed by people in their homes and in other remote locations. It is bringing help to those who cannot brave barriers – emotional condition, physical disability, distant location, old age and frailty, domestic duties, and remote location.

What is telemental health?

Telemental health is also known as online counseling and teletherapy. It refers to the online delivery and access of emotional health services, thereby enabling long-distance healthcare and therapeutic services. In this treatment modality, counselors or therapists interact with their clients using a telecom gadget – computer, tablet or smartphone- and the Internet.

Options run high for both the counselors and their clients. It may not be the perfect arrangement for every person, but it is becoming a convenient source of help for many.

In what ways can you benefit from telemental health?

• It expands access to more people. With teletherapy, emotional health services are within reach by anyone – men, women, teens and children, and older adults – who needs it, but have difficulty accessing it. Counseling delivered online can now be available, even in correctional settings when in-person or FTF therapy is not allowed or in remote locations where this kind of services is scarce.
• It is saving time and getting results. With the barrier of distance becoming obliterated, the amount of time needed to get a session started is just a fraction of what it can be on a face-to-face or in-person counseling. All it may take is the time needed to walk over to a secluded, relaxing area of your home or garden, and to set up your computer. Without the need to travel, the cost of the counseling is also cut. Squeezing the session between tasks is realistic. All these contribute to the effectiveness of online counseling.
• It enhances the feeling of privacy. Staying anonymous may not always the norm in teletherapy. Not being in a face-to-face situation with the counselor, however, tends to give a client some sense of privacy. This helps a lot of people to relax and respond more sincerely, coming to terms with their condition and accepting their treatment. This can be how online counseling can work on dispelling the age-old misplaced sense of shame/embarrassment about getting professional help for their emotional issues.
• It is shortening long waits and creates more options. Online counseling is removing many obstacles, including long wait times to see counselors or therapists. You can choose from a long list of service providers within the state, not necessarily those near your home. It is through this that telemental health is providing a venue for fast sharing of confused or misunderstood thoughts and feelings.

Telemental health is a viable alternative to FTF or in-person counseling for its many benefits. While it may not be a perfect modality for everyone, it works for many people, particularly those who prefer to have it in their chosen personal space and those who have no choice but receive it from where they are located.

Online counseling is a safe way to get emotional health services and support. To ensure safety, find someone qualified, dependable and who uses HIPAA compliant (securely encrypted) platforms Choices abound on the Internet, so it is easy to get overwhelmed. Make finding and choosing easier by working with Carolina Counseling Services – West Fayetteville Office –Fayetteville, NC. Contact us to discover an achievable way to improve your life.