We live in a digital era, and there is no doubt about it. People today are hyper-connected to the web, each other, and the wider world. The global COVID-19 pandemic also changed the landscape of the modern workforce, with work-from-home arrangements now a reality for millions of people around the world, a trend that has persisted ever since.
Professions have also adapted to the digital age, with work such as mental health counseling evolving in this hyper-online modern world. Remote work, telehealth, and online counseling platforms are reshaping what it means to be a mental health professional and how people can access mental health resources.
Virtual Counseling
Online digital or virtual counseling uses a variety of therapeutic approaches that would also be used in person, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and mindfulness-based counseling. These modalities are easily adapted for online, remote, or virtual delivery to suit the various needs of different clients who may be experiencing mental health issues.
Counselors can use a range of different communication techniques and styles to offer counseling to clients who need it. These may include:
- Video conferencing counseling: This is the most common method of virtual counseling, offering a personable, face-to-face experience that is similar to in-person counseling, where the counselor and client can see each other and talk in real-time, sometimes supported by simple video editor to improve recorded session content or training materials.
- Email counseling: This counseling modality offers asynchronous, written communication between the counselor and the client. It allows clients to express themselves fully in writing over a longer period, allowing for deep exploration of issues.
- Phone Counseling: These are audio-only sessions that cater to clients who may lack access to video technology platforms or are best for those who prefer voice communication to video.
- Online Chat: This type of counseling offers text-based communication that provides real-time interaction between a counselor and client and is preferred by clients who are more comfortable with writing or who may be uncomfortable with video calls.
Digital or virtual counseling can also offer immediate assistance to those who need it when they need it. Many different online counselors and counseling platforms offer features such as in-app messaging, or real-time chat that provide immediate assistance to clients in crisis moments. These virtual methods ensure that clients can access mental health support when they need it the most, even outside of scheduled session times, such as after hours, the weekends, or during busy periods.
Virtual counseling has established the expectation that you don’t need to leave the house to see a counselor and that most people can successfully access counseling via digital platforms when they need it. It has also helped counselors and clients develop tech skills to access counseling and changed their communication styles.
The Benefits of Flexible Digital Counseling
There are some key benefits to digital counseling for both counselors and clients. For one, online counseling can be incredibly useful for those living in remote or rural areas or regions that have few or no counselors available in person for appointments. It can be difficult for people in such areas to get to a counselor’s office while also juggling work, life, and family responsibilities. It can also be expensive to see a counselor, which is, therefore, a major advantage of digital counseling, which tends to offer cheaper, accessible fees and a larger number of counselors to choose from.
In addition, by incorporating tech into their regular practice, counselors can even provide long-distance remote counseling for couples or families who live in different areas from them and who may be otherwise unable to access help. Online counseling can also offer some benefits to qualified counselors with the appropriate professional qualifications, who can offer their services to clients without needing to rent an expensive office or pay for an expensive commute to get to work.
Furthermore, for a client with social anxiety or a panic disorder, it can be incredibly daunting to make their way to a new location and navigate their feelings and thoughts in a face-to-face counseling session. Remote counseling can instead provide an excellent solution for people experiencing these issues. A person experiencing anxiety can choose to write to their counselor on their smartphone using mental health apps or chat, rather than talking to their counselor during a live counseling session or traveling there with all the stress involved with the trip.
Counseling Education and Training
As the field of counseling evolves, so too does the way counselors are trained. Many students are now choosing CACREP accredited online counseling programs, which combine academic rigor with the flexibility and digital fluency needed to succeed in today’s remote-first mental health landscape.
Online learning has several key benefits.
Due to lower overhead expenses for colleges, online qualifications can often be cheaper for students, resulting in less student debt accumulated. This means you get the same qualification for a lower cost and you accumulate less student debt overall.
Another benefit to studying your degree online is that students have more choice and control over how, when, and where they study. Counseling students will experience fewer distractions compared to studying on campus. For instance, when you learn remotely, you can attend lectures and classes from the couch in your living room, fully relaxed in a quiet space, or a quiet cafe, library, or other location close to home. This convenience is invaluable to providing a great learning experience for a counseling qualification.
