The idea of online dating often gets a warmer reception than the idea of online counseling. For many couples, the idea of pouring out the intimate details of their relationship to a face on a screen seems somehow less authentic and effective. Yet, as the world turned to technology for a myriad of needs during the pandemic, we learned to solve a host of problems online.

Why couldn’t the Internet benefit couples who seek to connect and grow closer too? Fortunately, that very aim is entirely possible via teletherapy.

How can you know if the platform is effective? Well, consider the following and decide for yourself:

Online couples therapy meets some basics needs that all couples counseling meets…

When partners find themselves in conflict, struggling to communicate, or hoping to stop the slow drift apart they often need

A safe space to open up
Someone experienced, objective and compassionate to facilitate healthy communication
Adequate time to generate a new or deeper awareness as individuals and a couple
Tools to use and help you build a stronger foundation and partnership

Online therapy offers these things in much the same way traditional counseling does. It doesn’t attempt to reinvent a process that already works and benefits couples well. Your therapist, in office or out, still aims to provide a therapeutic environment and professional relationship that offers support, guidance, and a place to grow.

Your therapist will still take the time to get to know both of you. Video still allows your therapist to read your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. Their observation will help determine the course of your sessions.

Still, online couples therapy offers you both some unique benefits as well.

Online couples therapy affords some key advantages that are worth considering…

1. Stereotypes and stigmas are immediately off the table

The reality is that many people are wary of counseling. Is either of your perceptions about relationship therapy negative or rooted in media or social stereotypes about professional help? Starting the process online is helpful.

You won’t run into anyone at the office or field questions about sessions until you’re ready. Online therapy keeps the focus on your relationship concerns, easing any anxiety you have about what other people think about the effort to address them.

2. The convenience factor is a key factor

No hurried commute after work. No ongoing travel costs. And the convenience of choosing your session location as it suits you is not to be overlooked. Signing on for online couples therapy sessions is less a matter of gearing up to go to sessions. It is more a matter of settling in, relaxed and comfortable, for a productive time together.

3. The platform lends itself to creating a distinctly safe and personal place for therapy.

Your therapist is required to ensure your confidentiality and privacy. Their software may require you to sit in a “virtual waiting room” until they join you online. These platforms are user-friendly and built to keep the session safe and interaction easy.

In addition to safe software, your choice of location gives your therapist a sense of what environment feels safe to you. Your decision to meet in your bedroom, in a natural setting or your home office may reveal how and where you and your partner feel safe to connect on work on your relationship.

4. The process lends itself to more accessibility and flexibility.

Do challenges unique to your relationship keep you from committing to therapy? Online therapy is extraordinarily inclusive and can help remove obstacles related to mobility, disability, chronic illness, and more.

Moreover, given the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, the ability to schedule sessions outside of shifting mandates, school calendars, or work times is extremely helpful.

5. Research indicates that online couples therapy loses nothing in efficiency or efficacy.

Interestingly, most studies found that online therapy was as equally effective as in-person sessions before the pandemic. Most people simply weren’t convinced. Now, life online is fairly commonplace as we’ve learned to connect over various platforms. Even if you and your partner are separated geographically, sessions can still take place.

If either of you feels intimidated by online couples counseling initially, the ease of the process may quickly think otherwise. Sharing may be easier than you thought as sessions compromised by faulty devices, internet connections, or an inexperienced therapist are less likely now than ever before.

Take the next step, you can always shift gears…

Finally, you are always in control of your own therapy. As your sessions progress, check in with your partner and assess how you think it’s going. Share your concerns with your therapist. If time goes by and you decide online therapy isn’t a good fit, change approaches.

Online therapy for couples once seemed futuristic or lacking in some way. But the pandemic taught us better. Therapy in the age of Zoom and a secure connection is a viable way to ensure you and your partner obtain the care and guidance you’re looking for.

Let us support you. Please read more about couples counseling and reach out for a virtual consultation soon. The relationship you long for may well be within reach and accessible through sessions you can do at home.