People’s therapeutic needs are being fulfilled in mainly two ways: virtual therapy or in-person therapy. These therapy services share one goal: helping the individual overcome their mental health challenges with professional help. But which option is better?
Research is ongoing for both virtual and in-person therapy. However, choosing what suits you more is quite the challenge for some. The comfort of teletherapy can sometimes be the differentiator for some people, while the connection of in-person therapy can be way greater in terms of benefits.
In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of teletherapy vs. in-person therapy services. By the end of this piece, you will be able to make your choice between the type of therapy settings and get help in the most efficient and suitable way possible.
What is Online Therapy or Teletherapy?
Online therapy is receiving mental health care through the internet, calls, video calls, and phone calls remotely. You don’t have to travel or wait for a therapist to show up. Your session starts on the given time and involves the therapist addressing your issues or directing the session as needed. All protocols and structured therapeutic approaches are followed as needed; the only difference is a physical presence.
Pros of Virtual Sessions or Teletherapy
There are unique pros of virtual therapy that isn’t comparable to other therapy-providing methods. Here is what you can take advantage of:
1. Greater Accessibility
Having virtual therapy is so easy to access in terms of location, time, and individual needs. For this reason, you will find many working professionals preferring online therapy. The accessibility also goes beyond schedules and helps people with social anxiety and similar issues access professional mental health care.
2. Lower Costs
Compared to an in-person therapy setting, teletherapy sessions are about 30% to 40% cheaper. This is especially true for stepped care (i.e., care that involves online sessions and physical therapy sessions for non-responders). So, people who are in a budget crunch and would like to still get started with mental health therapies can definitely consider this option.
3. Total Privacy
While your privacy and confidentiality can’t be measured in both therapy settings, you can still expect complete privacy in online sessions. This becomes especially true if HIPAA guidelines are followed by your therapy provider. Your video or voice call ensures that all the mental health information is being relayed between two people only (you and your therapist).
4. Broader Access to Specializations
You might need specialized help sometimes. It doesn’t mean that something major is wrong with you, but rather that you will benefit from a specific modality. In your local area, it might be tough to find someone who provides that exact specialty. Hence, through online therapy, you can look for therapists who can help you with rarer therapies, like:
- Transpersonal Psychotherapy
- Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
See also: Best Naturopathic Doctor Near Me for Effective Holistic Health Solutions
Cons of Online Therapy
You will also face some disadvantages, like:
1. Weaker Integration
Integration is really important for making sure different types of therapy are effective for you. Online therapy sessions limit therapists to the level of integration they can achieve. There is always an unspoken pressure to power through the entire therapy modality as deeply as possible. This weakens the therapy’s fit into your problems, issues, and long-term growth.
2. Technological Problems
Technology dependency is high in this day and age. However, certain dependencies can break or ruin the flow of the entire therapy itself. Problems like:
- Unstable internet or video lag
- Audio echo or poor sound quality
- Session drops or disconnections
- Device overheating or sudden restarts
- Platform glitches or frozen screens
- Notification sounds interrupting sessions
- Delayed responses due to lag
Can be quite disruptive. Hence, technology can sometimes become a barrier between healing and recovery.
3. Restricted Support
Whether therapists like to accept it or not, there is always restricted support in online therapy channels. In times of crisis or more serious illness related to mental health, in-person care is mostly better. Even though you might think getting a hold of someone in emergency situations provides you with the upper hand, you still need to see to them face-to-face only.
4. Non-Verbal Limitations
Emotional and body language cues are quite hard for therapists to recognize in teletherapy. Hence, many times, clients have reported feeling no connection or empathy in their sessions. This sparks a conversation about whether online therapy can even gauge properly how patients feel during or after sessions.
5. Difficulty in Assessing Rapport
When you are trying to settle for a therapist, you need to assess their background. This is very difficult to do, even through free initial consultations, as therapists try to connect with you, but not on a deeper level. So sometimes, you may feel like a therapist is your perfect match, when in reality, after the 6th session, they might feel less like a relatable fit to your mental health challenges.
What is In-Person Therapy?
Think of in-person therapy as you talking with a friend face to face. Essentially, the therapist becomes a physical contact through whom you can resolve your mental health problems better. Rather than accessing them through your phone, you travel to a physical facility or a clinic. However, it is important to understand that your appointments, scheduling, and other management are done through your phone or online means; your therapy sessions are 100% “in-person”, just you and your therapist in a private space.
Pros of In-Person Therapy Sessions
In-person therapy is hard to get to, but it has advantages that can’t be ignored:
1. Instant Connection
Face-to-face settings allow you to understand, assess, and get along with your therapist better. On phone calls or video calls, assumptions can become a major part of the therapy. Also, the connection can build up with more and more interactions that will be directed toward better therapeutic outcomes.
2. Emotional and Non-Verbal Access
Opposite to what online therapy can do, a therapist can easily access emotional and non-verbal cues. In many situations, it is actually common to become non-verbal during therapy. These are the moments where in-person settings can be better at dealing with non-verbal behavior, like changes in voice/tone, performing erratic gestures, or even avoiding eye contact.
3. Better Gauge of Trust
Trust builds with time and exposure. The best way to assess it is to sit in person with a therapist and understand their approach. It will also give you an idea of whether their biases, ideologies, and support system are suitable for you.
4. Improved Crisis Support
This might be the biggest advantage of in-person therapy. In-crisis individuals are very vulnerable and need human, immediate support when the time calls for it. If you are visiting an in-person therapist, they will be accessible, direct line of support, and be effective in dealing with a difficult situation without putting a lot of people at risk.
5. Neutral and Controlled Setting
The set and setting in therapy are considered one of the most important factors that determine the outcome. At home settings can be full of distractions and urge the person not to get the full benefits of therapy. Hence, the best way to make sure your therapy is effective is to take it in a controlled environment.
6. More Possible Therapy Modalities
Here is a table that just shows some modalities that should be delivered in person only. This explains why more modalities can be approached in-person because of the access in multiple aspects (emotional cues, bond, observation, etc.)
| Therapy Modality | Best Delivered In-Person? | Reason / Limitation for Online Delivery |
| Somatic Experiencing (SE) | Yes, should be only delivered in-person | Relies on observing subtle body movements and physical grounding. |
| Sensorimotor Psychotherapy | Yes, should be only delivered in-person | Therapist needs to guide and monitor physical responses closely. |
| Bioenergetic Analysis | Yes, should be only delivered in-person | Involves physical exercises and movement work. |
| Psychodrama | Yes, should be only delivered in-person | Requires physical space for role-play and interaction. |
7. Thorough Treatment Planning
Planning treatment in online sessions for the long term is tough. There are always issues when you want to understand the progress of a patient. Hence, many therapists always prefer to create further treatment plans in person to talk out what needs to be in focus for upcoming sessions.
Cons of Face-To-Face Therapy
There are some downsides to in-person therapy that should also be talked about:
1. Less Accessible
In-person therapy means traveling, aligning other tasks, and making space for more time. This can be very inaccessible to people who may not have that much time or space to dedicate. Moreover, as discussed before, certain people are uncomfortable or mentally not capable enough to travel to a mental health clinic.
2. Costlier Therapy Option
Compared to online therapy, physically traveling for therapy is expensive. Not only is it time-intensive, but it also requires you to spend on gas, food, parking, session costs, and more. This can be a huge reason why many might be deterred from in-person therapy.
3. Social Stigma
People who might be struggling can feel stigmatized while sitting in mental health clinics. They might overobserve certain things and get hyper on judgment from certain people.
4. Waitlists
The biggest problem with clinics can be wait times. It’s not just a 5-minute transition of a therapist from one patient to another, but rather 15 minutes of waiting for your therapist to call you in.
Conclusion
Now that you know about virtual therapy vs. in-person therapy, it might be easier for you to understand which is the better choice for you. If you have limited resources, the need for help, and prefer comfort, your choice has to be online therapy.
However, if you want to absorb therapy and its benefits in the best way possible, consider going for physical therapy options. Local areas are your best choice, and as per research, in-person therapy in Philadelphia and the surrounding area is a great example of how locally available therapists can help you with mental health therapy in the most accessible manner.
But, understanding that the setting and its impact go deeper than just outcomes is important for you to find therapists in mental health that can help you.
