Virtual Therapy – Understand It Before You Try It

Virtual Therapy – also known as online therapy or teletherapy – is essentially receiving therapy sessions through a PHIPA approved video platform. Some common platforms include Owl and Jane. PHIPA stands for the Personal Health Information Protection Act which protects people’s information by creating a standard for how personal information is to be received, stored, and used within the health sector.

Virtual Therapy happens over video-calling and through a secure platform, which is the responsibility of the therapist to ensure. As for you, the client, it is important to have a working device for online therapy and to be using it in a place that is safe and comfortable. For example, your personal Wi-Fi at home versus a Tim Horton’s Wi-Fi, and to be in a room or location where you can freely talk without fear of someone hearing you.

Virtual Therapy has a few more housekeeping things to keep in mind such as your location, the network, the rules in case the system glitches, what to do if you can’t connect, etc. However, it has much more accessibility as your reach increases and your flexibility on location increases.

Pros

  • Virtual therapy allows you to connect to more therapist that may not be in your area but can provide their services.

  • Virtual therapy allows for flexibility in your schedule as the commute is no longer a factor to consider.

  • Virtual therapy provides you the same quality of therapy as in-person and is just as effective.

  • Virtual therapy means you won’t miss out on a session due to car or weather issues.

  • Virtual therapy allows those who may not be able to leave their home, get access to good quality therapists.

Cons

  • Virtual therapy requires you to own a device on which you can access the platform and have good internet connection.

  • Virtual therapy requires you to be in a safe and secure environment which may be difficult for those who may not have that space available to them.

  • Virtual therapy may make things difficult if you heavily rely on body language.

Is this for me?

How to know that virtual therapy is worth a try for yourself. First, ask yourself if you have what is required from virtual therapy (i.e., stable internet connection, electronic device, safe space to talk). If so, you can search to find a therapist that offers virtual therapy and give it a chance. All therapists at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy offer virtual therapy. Have a look at the Our Team tab and find a therapist that you would like to try out virtual sessions with, or give us a call at 647-267-9853. A few therapists currently accepting clients for virtual sessions, are Rasha, Melissa, Cara, Angela, Bushra and Paulina.

References

Cooper, S. E., Campbell, L. F., & Smucker Barnwell, S. (2019). Telepsychology: a

primer for counseling psychologists. The Counseling Psychologist, 47(8), 1074-1114.

Madigan, S., Racine, N., Cooke, J. E., & Korczak, D. J. (2020). COVID-19 and

telemental health: Benefits, challenges, and future directions. Canadian

Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 62(1), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000259

Shachar, C., Engel, J., & Elwyn, G. (2020). Implications for telehealth in a post

pandemic future: regulatory and privacy issues. Jama, 323(23), 2375-2376.

https://doi:10.1001/jama.2020.7943

Wolson, P. (2021). Some pros and cons of psychoanalytic teletherapy. Psychoanalytic

Psychology, 38(2), 109–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/pap0000348

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