What Eco-Friendly Patients Should Know about Online Therapy

More people are concerned about incorporating sustainability in their daily lives than ever before. They have to think about ways to lower their carbon footprint at home in different ways, such as by investing in solar panels and other forms of renewable energy. Demand for solar energy has risen sharply, partly due to the fact that more residential property owners are investing in it.

One thing that eco-conscious people don’t think as much about is the way that they get treatment for various medical issues, including mental health problems. You can think of new ways to lower your carbon footprint by getting treatment online. You can be eco-conscious by using online treatments for mental health issues.

Turning to Online Therapy as an Eco-Friendly Treatment Option

There are so many reasons why you might not be able to get therapy in person — maybe you’re housebound, or live in the middle of nowhere, or you live in an area where COVID is spiking and you’re trying to stay safe and keep your community safe. Online therapy is a great alternative to the in-person kind. 

Not only is online therapy more convenient for many people, it is good for the environment too! We talked about ways that rehabilitation therapy has become eco-friendlier. We didn’t delve into as many discussions about ways to make talk therapy more environmentally-friendly too, but experts have been finding ways to do that by embracing online therapy practices.

When you choose online therapy, you can get access to any kind of treatment modality, communicate with your therapist in the way that you prefer, and easily switch to another therapist if you don’t click with the first one you talk to. Use these tips to get what you need out of online therapy.

Another benefit is that you won’t have to drive to your therapist’s office. This means that you will able to lower your carbon footprint by driving.

Your Insurance Might Cover It

Before you begin online therapy in Missouri, you should make sure that your insurance covers it. In Missouri, insurers can’t refuse to cover telemedicine just because it is delivered remotely. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many more insurance companies cover telehealth visits, and they often offer lower copays and out-of-pocket costs for telemedicine services. Find out what your copay is for telehealth services and how many therapy sessions you’re entitled to each year. You can start using this newer, greener way to get therapy if you have it covered under your insurance plan.

Online Therapy Time Should Be Sacred

Online therapy may better for the environment and more convenient. However, you have to take it seriously.

You’ll have to take steps to carve out special time for your online therapy. You should take it just as seriously as you would take in-person therapy. Make sure your family, roommates, or partner understand not to disturb you during your session. Find a private place where you can get comfortable for your sessions — invest in a white noise machine if you live with people, or ask your cohabitants to leave the house for an hour or put on headphones.

Don’t wait until it’s time for your therapy session to begin before you turn on your device. Go to your therapy spot about 15 minutes before your session, turn on your device and make sure everything is working properly, and jot down a list of topics you want to discuss in your session. Afterward, give yourself time to decompress and process the session by going for a walk, knitting, or just sitting quietly.

Body Language Doesn’t Come Across as Well Over a Webcam

Your therapist won’t be able to read your body language as well during webcam sessions, because he or she won’t have a full view of your body and also because nonverbal cues often don’t come across well on video chat. That’s okay — it just means you need to practice describing your emotions in words so that your therapist doesn’t have to try and intuit them. Learn to vocalize your emotions as they come up and to be specific in describing them — for example, instead of saying, “I was bummed,” say “I was disappointed and sad.” Learning to talk about your feelings is a normal part of therapy anyway.

You Can Mix Up the Format to Suit Your Needs

The great thing about going to therapy online is that you can use the whole range of modern communication tools to communicate with your therapist. Maybe you struggle to get the privacy at home for voice calls, so you’d prefer to conduct your sessions over instant messaging chat. Maybe you need advice during challenging moments and need to reach your therapist via voice call or text message. You can use non-traditional formats to get the support you need or work around your individual problems.

You Might Need to See Multiple Therapists

Therapists are people just like anyone else, and you’re not always going to gel with the first one you see. Maybe you can’t get comfortable with them, or they don’t seem particularly insightful. You might need to try someone else.

It’s not unusual to be uncomfortable at first with any new therapist, but you should be starting to get comfortable and see some improvement within the first few sessions. If not, it’s time to at least consider switching to someone new. One benefit of online therapy platforms is that they make it very easy to switch when you’re not feeling it with a therapist. Some people go through several therapists before they find one that they really like, so you may want to consider using a platform that gives you the option to choose a different provider as necessary.

Online therapy is a powerful tool that can change your life. As with any therapy, you get out of it what you put in, but as long as you’re willing to do the work, you’ll be amazed at the changes that await you.

Online Therapy is a Great Eco-Friendly Option

If you have decided that you want to see a therapist, you might want to consider seeing one that offers services online. They can offer a lot of great benefits to their patients. It will be better for the environment as well, since you don’t have to burn gas to visit them. If you are truly concerned about the environment and want to try a newer option, then you should give it a try.