Does online therapy work?
It’s understandable that when seeking an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, you might prefer to meet in person. After all, doing therapy or coaching can be quite an intimate experience. You may be worried that you wouldn’t be able to relax online, or miss the real world connection. However, it turns out that online therapy can be just as effective as in person therapy. This has been the experience of not only many therapists and their clients, but has also been scientifically verified. I’ve been treating clients online for about a year now, as well as on the phone at Telefonseelsorge and I’ve been surprised how well it works. Even my IFS training was via Zoom. The efficacy of receiving IFS therapy online is something I can personally attest to: I had one of my most profound experiences of unburdening a very young part in an online session with a therapist I have never met in person. It was no different to my experience of receiving IFS in person, except that I had to make my own tea!
There are many advantages to doing therapy online.
The most obvious is convenience. Maybe you’re simply a busy person, and there’s a million other things you’d rather be doing than rushing to the other side of the city. Maybe your depression is sapping your energy enough as it is. You could be using the energy you do have healing your parts instead of feeling anxious about getting to your appointment on time. In IFS therapy, we want to get to a calm, relaxed place, which isn’t all too easy if you have just been rushing to get to your appointment. If you have ADHD getting to places on time is often a real struggle. Maybe you have to care for children or elder people and can’t get away easily. Not to mention if you have physical health problems that make it difficult to leave the house, especially pain-free.
Online therapy is flexible. You can choose an appointment time that suits you. you can fit in a session during a lunch break when working from home, or after first having time to get home, relax and get comfortable after a busy day at the office, or on a Saturday afternoon. You can be anywhere in the world, assuming a compatible time zone, be it Bristol or Brandenburg.
Another advantage is cost. I really want to make it easy for people to benefit from doing parts work with someone, so I pass on my savings from not having to rent a space - just €80 for an online session. For those on lower incomes, I offer online sessions mid mornings and afternoons for just €60. Of course, if online simply isn’t for you, I offer in person sessions for €100 - you can always start with some in person sessions then switch to video calls. In addition, the convenience of online therapy means fewer missed appointments so less wasted money.
Of course, privacy can be a concern, which is why I use google meet for its end to end encryption, and headphones so that only I can hear what’s being said.
How can I prepare for an online therapy or coaching session?
Try to find somewhere quiet with a laptop or a phone where you can make yourself comfortable. You may wish to have the following to hand: (wired) headphones for better audio quality, some tissues and something to drink. It’s a good idea to arrive a few minutes early so we can resolve any technical issues. You can also decide if you wish to record the session, so that you can review it later to get more out of it. If you can, turn off notifications on your phone or computer so that you won’t be distracted.
You can book an online IFS therapy or coaching appointment with me here.