What is online therapy?
Strictly speaking, online therapy refers to psychotherapy carried out by psychological psychotherapists via video conference - it is also known as online psychotherapy.
Since the coronavirus pandemic in particular, many psychotherapists have been offering video sessions, enabling patients to undergo psychotherapy from home.
Colloquially, however, all digital therapy services are often grouped together under the term online therapy. This means that many people also consider online therapy courses, for example, to be a form of online therapy, although they do not actually fall under this category.
What are online therapy courses?
Online therapy courses use electronic devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets in the prevention, treatment and aftercare of mental and physical illnesses. These include, for example, online self-help programs, health apps, online courses, digital health applications, but also virtual realities for confronting anxiety-inducing situations.
The focus in each case is on a specific area of mental or physical health - for example, depression, stress, chronic pain or sleep disorders. In addition, most online therapy courses can be carried out completely independently. If they include support from psychologists or psychotherapists, this contact takes place primarily by email or telephone rather than by video conference as in traditional online therapy.
Overall, online therapy services - whether in the form of video conferencing or digital therapy courses - open up a wide range of opportunities to reach those affected even better and further advance healthcare.
Advantages of psychological help online
Both video-based psychotherapy and online therapy courses reach people who are unable or unwilling to take part in on-site psychotherapy. This may be due to health, personal, time, space or other reasons. With video-based psychotherapy, for example, there is no need to cancel an appointment if the bus is canceled or you are out of town.
Online therapy courses also have the great advantage that they can be used independently and flexibly at times and locations that you set yourself. This allows users to deal with their symptoms in a self-determined way and can boost their self-confidence. They can also be used when everyday demands make it difficult to keep a fixed weekly therapy appointment. They are also suitable for people who would like support but do not feel "ill enough" to start psychotherapy.
Good to know: There are now a number of studies that show the effectiveness of online therapy courses for the treatment of psychological complaints. Online therapy courses and traditional on-site psychotherapy are even comparable in terms of their effectiveness, especially as accompanied self-help.
In addition, there are no long waiting times for self-directed or accompanied online therapy courses. As soon as you have registered or downloaded the relevant app, you can get started. Perhaps you already have a psychotherapy place in prospect and want to make good use of the time until then? Online therapy courses can be effective in themselves, but they can also be a good way to prepare for or supplement psychotherapy.
Limitations and disadvantages of online therapy
One disadvantage of online psychotherapy could be that the digital sessions can be disrupted by internet problems or a lack of privacy at home. As a result, they may not be as beneficial as on-site sessions. Certain exercises such as role-playing are also difficult to implement via video sessions. Many psychotherapists therefore offer a mixture of on-site psychotherapy and the option of online sessions in order to combine the advantages of both worlds.
Good to know: If individual video sessions or online-only psychotherapy are important to you, it's worth asking specifically in advance. Not all psychotherapists offer this option.
Online therapy courses can also reach their limits. The use of computers and smartphones has become a natural part of most people's lives. Nevertheless, online therapy courses can overwhelm or frustrate users. This may be because they are unable to implement them in everyday life, because certain exercises are not sufficiently explained or because the online therapy course is not suitable for their own problems. In addition, an online therapy course may often feel less compulsory and it is easier to abandon the exercises.
Some online therapy courses therefore try to counteract these risks by offering personal support from psychologists and allowing users to adapt the course to their own priorities as far as possible.
How much does online therapy cost?
In the case of online therapy courses, there are both free and fee-based offers. In most cases, providers will inform you directly whether the costs of their course are covered by health insurance. Some health insurance companies also reimburse online therapy courses on a pro rata basis. If you want to make sure that the costs of an online therapy course are covered in full, look out for so-called digital health applications - also known as "apps on prescription".
Digital health apps are available for various mental and physical illnesses. They are prescribed by a doctor or psychotherapist on prescription and the statutory health insurance companies cover all costs.
How do I find the right online therapy for me?
If you research online therapies on the internet, you will quickly realize that there are many offers. And the market for online courses, online psychologists and health apps continues to grow. That's good news for now. The problem is that the quality of these offers is often not guaranteed or clearly recognizable. The most important question here is: Have the offers been scientifically tested for quality and effectiveness?
If you are looking for an online therapy course that has already been tested for quality and effectiveness, you should also look at the so-called digital health applications.
If you would like psychotherapy that takes place partly or entirely via video sessions, it is best to ask the psychotherapists you are considering about this option. Not all psychotherapists offer video sessions. If you would like to know how to find a psychotherapy place, you can find out more in our blog article.
Empowerment Avenue online therapy courses as a digital health application
We at Empowerment Avenue have already successfully completed the certification process with many of our online therapy courses. This means that you can have these courses prescribed to you free of charge as digital health applications - for example "Empowerment Avenue Stress and Burnout", "Empowerment Avenue Panic", "Empowerment Avenue Sleep" or "Empowerment Avenue Chronic Pain". Our therapy courses meet the highest scientific standards and have already proven their effectiveness in numerous studies.
You can find an overview of all online therapy courses on the course page. You can also find step-by-step instructions on how the prescription works on the page: Empowerment Avenue on prescription.