Therapy over the Internet or in Office
Although the internet hasn’t been wide spread and popular for more than two short decades methods of “telepsychiatry,” which is a form of psychotherapy that involves therapy sessions that use teleconferencing, has been in existence for at least forty years. There have been several debates which call into question the effectiveness of therapy sessions that are held in this manner and questions exist as to whether forcing a patient to get out of bed in the morning, take a shower and get ready to go somewhere is actually a positive and needed part of the therapy process or whether the same results can be had when a patient stays inside his or her house and has a therapy session from the comfort of his own couch instead of that of a Douglaston NY therapist.
There have been some studies on the methods used and success of teleconferencing and therapy and it seems that as a method for obtaining therapy in very rural areas there are some benefits since there is ocassionally a lack of available therapists in a location that is convenient for regular therapy visits. There have also been some studies to suggest that psychotherapy treatments delivered over the internet have been helpful when depression and anxiety have been a major reason for a patient’s seeking out of a medical professional.
Because of the proliferation of the internet and some positive reports there has been a rush to provide these services through an online means. The only hang-up has been the difficulty in obtaining reimbursements for sessions that have been held over the internet.
