Are you considering mental health therapy?  Maybe you’ve been contemplating looking for a therapist to help your psyche?  Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress? Or you might simply want to talk out some issues with a professional?  Whichever way you slice it, it’s extremely important to arm yourself with knowledge and take the proper steps to find the one of best online therapists money can buy called BetterHelp.

Before we start looking at different therapists let’s talk about what online therapy is exactly.

Online therapy has several different names throughout the mental health field, such as e-counseling, e-therapy, cyber-counseling, or teletherapy.  It’s a pretty nascent form of mental health therapy and there are several different avenues you can travel to utilize it. These avenues include video conferences like Skype or GoTo Meeting.  You can also get online therapy by using internet chat services or simple email correspondence.  Although I feel it’s best to get real-time teletherapy by video conferencing or at least using an internet voice chat.  There is also a group form of online therapy which is utilized in online chat rooms.

When it comes to online therapy it is still an extremely new concept.  There isn’t much research yet to know exactly what the positive benefits can be seen from it.  However, it’s popularity is on the rise and at the very least it does offer another way for patients to get mental health treatment.  Especially for those that aren’t able to get around town so easily, whether it be not having a car or perhaps they may be disabled.

There is a long history of what is called distance therapy which was used even by Sigmund Freud.  Freud used written letters to correspond with his clients. There have been self-help groups on over the internet as far back as 1982.  However, there wasn’t much growth in online counseling especially when it comes to one on one therapy.

In light of the emergence of online therapy, the International Society of Mental Health (ISHMO) was formed.  It exists to help those seeking mental health assistance navigate through the age of the internet.

When choosing an online therapist you need to make sure they are accredited.  You should also only work with an online therapist who stays in the discipline of which they are certified.  You’ll also want to make sure your online therapist has had training specifically to assist patients through online and or remote platforms.

Plus you will want to make sure your online therapist knows their way around technology and any software tools they utilize.  This will save a lot of time and distractions when you are receiving therapy.