Is online counseling as good as traditional face-to-face therapy?
A. I have researched this issue extensively and have learned, along with my online experience that the answer is a qualified no, not yet anyway. It is generally agreed by the professional mental health community that face-to-face therapy is superior in quality to online therapy. However, the Surgeon General has recently stated that two thirds of people who could greatly benefit from therapy are not getting it for one reason or another.Thus, the professional consensus is that online therapy is much better than no therapy at all. It is also conceded that online therapy is becoming more and more the choice of therapy. To this end, it is also believed that online therapy will be equal in quality, if not superior, to traditional face-to-face therapy. Furthermore, if online therapy can only go so far and goals are not satisfactorily met as deemed by both therapist and consumer, online therapy can very likely break the barriers that will lead to traditional therapy.
