That was one of the main concerns. Is Better Help Anonymous…that was really essential to me as a psychologist was that I would have autonomy over what I spoke about what what topics I picked to provide and likewise you know my own views when when needed or appropriate to share them and I was given that by a better help they essentially said you know we trust you as a scientific expert and we’re gon na trust you to head out there and speak about what you know and one of the things that I truly wanted to address is the truth that I’m not simply here to say that online therapy is the answer for everything you know I think it can be incredibly practical for lots of people I have actually seen it myself working with individuals from a few months as much as over a year and I seen how being able to message and also have video sessions with someone is actually a it practically enhances the the restorative experience in a way at the same time I have a private practice where I see people face-to-face and I completely take pleasure in that and there
are people that I see there that I would not think about seeing online either they would not be appropriate we would not be able to do the level and depth of work we’re doing or it just wouldn’t feel comfy and which’s all right those 2 things can both hold true and I think one of the things that I want to begin to have individuals consider is there’s a location for both offline and online treatment it is actually a matter of you know deciding what’s right for you but likewise what’s most appropriate for you with the help of a professional when I discuss certain therapy styles or techniques as being appropriate for you what I indicate by that is that it would be the very best method for the particular problem that you’re handling and I think that one of the issues that a lot of people have is that online therapy is trying to replace offline counseling and I can inform you 100% that that’s not real I’ve had lots of discussions with the creator of better help where he has discussed that his audience isn’t to compete with traditional practices or put psychologists or certified specialists out of business his objective is to offer mental health access to the people who aren’t going to enter the treatment workplace and I 100% assistance that mission and I believe it is necessary and we have an issue with access to psychological health care in this nation and
betterhelp controversy
better hope is one solution as our other online companies I was mentioning previously that there are things that I personally think that online therapy is more appropriate for or offline treatment is more appropriate for and I’ve actually I’ve actually spoken about this in other settings because it is something I feel pretty enthusiastic about and I need to say that my opinion has actually been favored by companies like better help in terms of ideally how they how they deal with the people that present for care so I simply wished to spend a number of minutes discussing my own is my own individual opinion about the important things that are most appropriate for offline versus online therapy so in my view I see online therapy as a wonderful place for individuals who are struggling with tough life shifts for circumstances where they’re experiencing more stress than typical for situations where you know they have a really specific concern with anxiety or social stress and anxiety and a treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy which is very structured can can benefit them and that therapy since it’s not as interpersonal as others is best for online counseling because it includes a great deal of research it includes worksheets it involves finding out specific skills and methods so moderate milder disorders like moderate stress and anxiety mild depression change conditions even PTSD as long as like the person has gotten care initially in other places these are all things that can be resolved through online therapy you know think of somebody who has a agoraphobia and maybe they connect to a therapist from their home because they can’t leave their home and simply simply to clarify agoraphobia is a disorder where individuals are actually terrified of being trapped and trapped in a location where they may have a panic attack and so basically they begin to restrict their activities and restrict their activities till much of them can’t leave their home without actually feeling substantial distress so if someone like that is at home and they can connect through their computer and connect to a counselor that’s an excellent initial step is that going to treat them absolutely not due to the fact that agoraphobia to be effectively dealt with requirements that person to be able to go outdoors and to resume regular activities and sometimes that includes a therapist going to their house to help them with that process undoubtedly online therapists are going to be able to do that however could they be the bridge that got that individual who’s afraid to leave their home from that initial supportive technique to counseling where they can actually have a better life 100% and this is what the gap that better help intends to fill with their services my indicate this to this particular video and bringing these things
up is that I I wish to plainly communicate that anything that I show you is going to be fully from where I stand as an expert psychologist and more importantly what I think is as just a human being on this earth trying to do the very best that I can therefore I I will not tell you that something is appropriate that I do not think is appropriate I will not share with you that online therapy is the cure-all for whatever due to the fact that I do not believe that therefore you can constantly expect to hear my sincere opinion on what I believe from my own experience and knowledge base as a certified psychologist I hope you found this video helpful and intriguing if you did please like it below and do not hesitate to sign up for our YouTube channel where we’re going to be producing increasingly more videos on a range of different psychological health topics and please reach out if there’s something particular you would like us to address or cover in an upcoming video