In the age of Covid-19, many hypnotherapists and CBT therapists have moved to providing online sessions of CBT or counselling. It keeps clients and therapists safe, reduces parents’ stress having to find childcare, cuts down driving time, and generally creates a more relaxed atmosphere. An added bonus of a CBT therapist online is the client’s ability to feel more relaxed in his or her living environment. Now there is indeed scientific evidence that a CBT therapist online may be more effective than in-person therapy, specifically cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression. I provide online sessions for hypnotherapy and CBT.
CBT therapist online based in London
CBT is a type of talk therapy that is goal-oriented and short-term. In CBT sessions, you learn how to identify and then change your ways of thinking and self-talk, or “cognitive distortions.” Two important CBT interventions include your therapist assigning “homework” for you to do between sessions, and role-playing an anxiety-provoking social interaction. Research has found that CBT leads to significant improvement for a whole range of mental health issues. Due to Covid-19, many therapists are now providing both hypnotherapy and CBT online rather than in the office. There is good news in that CBT therapy online may be even more effective than face-to-face CBT.
A systematic review and analysis of 17 studies by Luo et. al (2020) found that electronically-delivered CBT (eCBT) was more effective than face-to-face CBT at reducing the severity of depression symptoms. The rate of satisfaction was the same for both face-to-face CBT and eCBT in the studies, and eCBT was viewed as being more cost-effective than face-to-face CBT.
Another systematic review of studies regarding eCBT found that it caused significant decreases in anxiety and depression symptoms (Gratzer & Khalid-Khan, 2016). Overall, reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms with eCBT were equal to or better than face-to-face CBT results. eCBT was found to be just as effective as face-to-face treatment for panic disorder. eCBT was also found to be significantly effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobia as compared to people in a wait-listed group.
In yet another systematic review of 14 studies by Andersson et al. (2018) found that eCBT led to a 50% improvement rate in symptoms of panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, compulsive gambling disorder, stress, and chronic fatigue. The duration of treatment was from eight to fifteen weeks.
eCBT can reach people in remote areas. It can also decrease therapy-related costs, such as childcare, parking, and travel time. In addition, depression can cause difficulties with motivation and the ability to attend appointments face-to-face. eCBT creates fewer hurdles for people with depression to attend treatment.
What does this mean for you, the consumer? It means that online therapy can provide you with the help you are seeking and may be just as, if not more, effective than going to see a therapist in person. And in the age of Covid-19, it is safer and healthier to see your therapist online. So if you were concerned online therapy wouldn’t be as effective, rest assured that you will still get the same opportunity to discuss issues and find solutions. You may hear a dog barking in the background occasionally and there may be some tech glitches, but you may have an even better experience than in person.
If you are interested in sessions for anxiety and stress, click here for more details.
