31 March 2022 Thursday
Being an Online Psychologist
Especially with the pandemic, many new professions entered our lives. Web-based therapies known as 'being an online psychologist' were a practice that existed before the pandemic. For example, when you have clients who live abroad and want to get therapy in their mother tongue and when obligations such as disasters prevent face-to-face contact online therapy could be used. It can be said that this is a beneficial situation in terms of getting psychological support and continuing the therapy.
So how effective is the online therapy service? Frankly, it can be said that online therapy is inevitable during the onset of the pandemic and quarantine periods. Of course, there are some differences in web-based therapy services compared to face-to-face practices due to its context, but these are not always negative. In fact, online therapy is very useful in essential situations. Studies have shown that web-based and smartphone applications of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a CBT approach, are effective in many psychological situations (Ulusoy & Çelik, 2020). In addition, it can be said that web-based psychological intervention programs supported by a smartphone application are an practice that can be preferred alongside face-to-face interventions due to the fact that they are risk-free in terms of virus transmission due to Covid-19, are fast, and are easily accessible.
I think that in the next 10 years, online therapies will become more common. However, I would like to point out that the method you prefer, whether online or face-to-face, should not be forgotten and the main thing that should be questioned is the competence and expertise of the person you get therapy. It is your natural right to question the education and expertise of the people you will get therapy services from.
References
Ulusoy, S., & Çelik, Z. (2020). Covid-19 sürecinde internet tabanlı müdahaleler bir seçenek olabilir mi. Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi ve Araştırmalar Dergisi, 9(2), 166-169.
