How to Get the Most from Online Therapy

Online therapy has changed the way people access mental health care, offering flexibility and accessibility without sacrificing effectiveness. But how can you make sure you’re getting the most out of your sessions? In this episode, we explore what makes online therapy work, common misconceptions, and practical strategies to enhance your experience.

Beyond the logistics of teletherapy, we also discuss key factors that contribute to successful therapy in general—how to be an engaged client, the importance of consistency, and ways to integrate therapy insights into everyday life. Whether you’re new to online therapy or looking to refine your approach, this episode provides valuable takeaways to help you get the most from the process.

Topics covered:

• How online therapy compares to in-person counseling
• Common myths and barriers to teletherapy
• How to create a private, distraction-free space for sessions
• The importance of consistency in therapy
• How to actively participate and give feedback to your therapist
• Strategies for applying what you learn between sessions

Resources mentioned:

• Therapy Journal for Session Planning
• Free Video Consultations at Her Time Therapy

Follow Her Time Therapy for more insights on mental health, therapy tips, and online counseling.

Transcript

Meagan: 0:28

Hi there. Today we're diving into the transformative world of online therapy. If you've ever wondered how online mental health counseling measures up to in person sessions, how it bridges gaps in accessibility, or how it can seamlessly fit into a busy woman's life, this episode is for you. Plus, we'll discuss tips on how to be a good therapy client, and how to set up your space for the most successful session possible. Let's start with the most important and frequently asked question. Does online therapy actually work? If you've ever wondered whether online therapy is as effective as in person counseling, the science says yes. Research consistently shows that teletherapy is just as beneficial as face to face therapy, especially for evidence based treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy acceptance and commitment therapy and other structured modalities. In some cases, online therapy can be even more effective because it removes a lot of common barriers that prevent people from seeking help in the first place or staying consistent with therapy once they start. In fact, a 2018 meta analysis study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders found that online CBT was just as effective as in person for treating anxiety and depression. Other studies have shown similar results for conditions like PTSD, OCD, and relationship distress. So what's the key factor? A strong therapeutic relationship. Which research shows time and again is the most important element to therapy being successful or not. And research that is done on this further show that therapeutic relationships can be built just as successfully over video as in person. One reason online therapy works so well is the flexibility and comfort it offers. You being in an environment that is comfortable, such as your home, your car, Or even a cozy study room in a library can make it easier to open up and really engage in that therapeutic process. Overall, it has been shown to help with consistency as well. When therapy fits into your lifestyle, rather than disrupting it, you're more likely to stick with it, which leads to even better long term outcomes. That said, online therapy isn't the right choice for everyone. Some mental health conditions require a higher level of in person support, for example, someone that is struggling with really high acuity, substance use, or eating disorder treatment that really needs to be addressed in an in person, hospitalization type setting first is something where just online therapy is not the right treatment for the level of care needed. There's also situations where people may experience cyber paranoia or delusions related to technology, such as fears of surveillance, implanted devices, or loss of control through the internet. Those folks may also struggle with teletherapy and not have this particular form be the best fit for them. And in these cases, in person care or full or partial hospitalization is often a better choice. Additionally, individuals who are in really acute crisis and need immediate intervention or those with really severe dissociative symptoms may also benefit from a more structured face to face type of setting. For most people, though, online therapy is an effective, accessible, and empowering way to get the support they need. Now let's dive into how this modern approach to mental health care is breaking down barriers and making therapy more accessible than ever. Online therapy really has revolutionized the way we approach mental health care. In fact, for some people, it may even work better than in person therapy because the flexibility and the comfort of accessing care from your home opens the door to consistency and care. Online therapy really has revolutionized the way we approach mental health care. And for a lot of people, it works better than in person therapy because of that flexibility that it offers along with the comfort of accessing therapy from your own home. And that allows for most clients to open up a little bit more easily because they can have their pet in the room as well as any other supportive tools like blankets or fidget toys or something that just helps them feel grounded and secure. Additionally, there's no long commutes, there's no awkward waiting rooms or scheduling battles with online therapy. It just integrates right into your life and in that way is something that you can stay more consistent with. With online therapy, help really is just a click away. It's an especially empowering option for women, balancing work, family, and self care. You can fit a session into your lunch break, during nap time, or even early mornings before the day. And all the chaos begins for many women in particular, barriers like transportation, time or stigma can make traditional therapy just feel out of reach and like too big of a burden to try to fit into your schedule online therapy helps to break those barriers. And this is especially true if you happen to live in a really remote area without a lot of access to local providers. There are also those who have mobility challenges or just need privacy of not showing up to a therapy office. This online therapy option creates a lot of solutions. At Her Time Therapy, we've really seen how online counseling helps women stay consistent in their care. You can log in from the comfort of your home, your car, or even while traveling, as long as you are still within the state that your clinician is licensed. This accessibility means fewer missed sessions and greater progress towards your mental health goals overall. Now let's dive more into how to best prepare for your online therapy session. And honestly, to get the most out of your sessions, some preparation on your part is key. So here are five tips to set yourself up for a really successful telehealth session. Number one, think about where you're going to log into session from and do your best to create a private space. If you can, find a quiet, distraction free spot where you know that you can speak openly. Ideally, this will be on a different floor of the house from others who are home, or at least behind a closed door. Really often, we have clients log in from their car while sitting in the driveway, because that happens to be the most private spot, and it works for them, and it works for us. And no matter where you log in from, we recommend using headphones both to help you maintain privacy and to allow you to keep focused on your session. Number two, we really recommend that you test out your technology before your session time starts. So make sure that you are connected to the internet and that your device is ideally pretty close to the router. It's a good idea to either be in the same room as your Wi Fi router or in a room close by, because that synchronous video session, takes a lot for your computer to maintain without any lagging or freezing or interruptions. So it's best to log in and just make sure that maybe you can play a YouTube video without interruption. And if you can, that will probably indicate that your telehealth session will run smoothly. Number three, have your tools ready. And by tools, I mean things like a journal, water, or any tissues or fidget toys nearby that you may want to help you stay grounded and, to comfort you. These can really help you process your emotions and stay engaged during session if you know you have everything you need within arm's reach. And number four, what can you think about to eliminate distractions? Do you need to turn off notifications? Do you need to let others in your household know that you need this one hour of time interrupted? Maybe you need a noise machine outside your door to ensure that people in the house know that you're in session and you don't need to be interrupted at that time. And number five, and maybe this is one of the most important ones, Try to set an intention and think about what is most important for you to work on during session that day, especially depending on the treatment modality you and your therapist have agreed on. Your therapist may come into session with an agenda or a plan of what you will ideally work on together that day. But most therapists, the client-centered focus first. And that means that we will always prioritize what is most important for you to work on and to discuss that day. So really take some time to think about what you'd like to focus on or achieve during the session that week. I actually created a therapy journal designed to help you with this, where there's space to specifically plan what you want to talk about in that week's therapy session, reflect on what occurred during session, and to also complete any homework that your therapist may have assigned you. These can be purchased on Amazon and we'll include the link in the show notes in case you would like to check out that journal that's designed by a therapist to help you get the most out of your therapy sessions. Now doing these five things I just mentioned will really help you prepare for and get the most out of your therapy session. But I'd like to add a few more tips on just how to be a good therapy client to both make the process easier for your therapist and so that you will get the most out of it and reach your therapy goals. Really the most important reminder I can give on this topic is that therapy is a collaborative process. Trust me, I as a therapist and all of the therapists that work with me at Hurtime Therapy wish more than anything we had a magic wand and we could just wave it and fix the problem that you come in with, but unfortunately therapy is not magic and it doesn't always work that way. We call therapy doing the work for a reason. It is work. And it takes time, and there is no waving of a magic wand and fixing things from one day to the next. There are a lot of interventions that we can employ that help you to start feeling better quickly, and to make some changes in your life that show positive results within a couple days, but that's probably not going to be enough to reach your bigger picture goals. So, In the idea of therapy being a collective process, we want to really make sure that you are able to actively participate in your therapy session. So we really encourage you to, number one, be honest. So come to sessions ready to share your thoughts, your feelings, and your challenges openly. Your therapist is there to help, not judge, and she really can't help you if you're not willing to share what's really going on and what's really causing you the most distress. And to be fair, you might not know exactly what the thing is that is the most distressing or your biggest block to reaching your goals. And if that's the case, then say that. Your therapist will help you work through that so that you can figure out where to start. But if you know there is something that is going on that maybe you're ashamed to admit, or it seems kind of weird to say it out loud, we really encourage you to come in and be willing to Be transparent and be vulnerable because that's going to make the whole process of reaching your goals a lot quicker. We also really encourage you to stay committed to the therapy process because like with most things, consistency really is key. Try your best to make therapy a priority. Even on the tough days when it feels easier to cancel. Avoidance in general can be a symptom of many different types of mental health struggles, but when this occurs with your therapist or you're feeling the urge to avoid going to therapy, it's usually a sign that you could really use therapy that day. Luckily, your therapist expects this and I promise they will not be offended at all if you come into session and say, you know, I really thought about canceling today and I just really feel this urge to avoid coming to therapy. And most of the time, especially if you have a great therapist with a good rapport built your therapist will say, Oh, that's great. Thanks for sharing that with me. Let's dive into that and use that as a starting point for our work today. Coming in and just being honest about how you're feeling about your therapist or this therapy process itself can be a really good starting point and a thing to work on in your session. We also recommend that you give feedback to your therapist. Let your therapist know what is working for you and what isn't. Therapists go through a ton of training and we know A handful of modalities with different interventions to pull from and we are excited to dive into that toolkit and pull out different things and use different strategies based on what works for you. It's not going to hurt our feelings if one approach isn't working for you and if anything it'll give us something to really talk about with you and work through. Now, your therapist may recommend one type of treatment over another, and they may have a good reason for doing so. So if you push back and, you know, you say, I'm not sure if this approach is working for me, be willing to have a talk with your therapist about just why they feel it's so important to go about solving your problem in this particular way, because it may be part of the process for you to feel some resistance. And it may be important for you to work with your therapist to monitor that and to kind of push past it to get back to a better spot. But if there is something about the therapy process that You know, you've given it a couple of weeks and you've brought it up and you've worked on it with your therapist and they are not willing to change modalities or alter their process a little bit. It may be a sign that it's not really a great fit. Most therapists who work with you and are a good fit are willing to listen to your feedback and again, work collaboratively with you on the therapy process so that you reach your goals in a way. And lastly, we really encourage you to look at therapy as work and that you come in willing to do the work. Therapy does not end when the session does. You've got to reflect on what you've learned during the therapy session and Give it your best effort to try any homework or strategies that your therapist suggests during session or that you guys come up with together. Very little will change in your life if you're only working on things for one hour a week. Therapy is the space for you to explore and narrow down what action steps you need to take next. But if you don't actually do anything with that information between sessions, nothing will change or get better. Nothing comes from nothing. So, make sure that when you are in therapy, you're giving your most to that one hour a week or one hour every other week, but that you are carrying that over into the days in between as well. For those of you who have never tried online therapy before, I really hope today's talk gave you the motivation to try it. And for those of you who are already experiencing the benefits of Tele therapy, I hope this episode gave you ideas on how to get even more out of your sessions. Online therapy truly is a game changer for women looking to take charge of their mental health. It's effective, accessible, and it fits into even the busiest lives. If you've been on the fence, consider this your sign to give it a try. At Her Time Therapy, we offer free video consultations for anyone who has never tried online therapy before and just wants to have a taste of what it might feel like. We are a team who specializes in helping women navigate challenges like trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles all through the convenience of online care.