Teletherapy is psychotherapy (also known as therapy or counseling) done through confidential videocall platforms. Teletherapy is a therapy modality that started approximately 20 years ago and has become more wide-spread in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. We should mention that teletherapy also comprises therapy done by phone, email, and even text message. At TeleAyuda, we mainly provide teletherapy over videocalls.
Numerous scientific studies that have demonstrated that teletherapy is equally effective (and in some studies even more effective than) in-person therapy.
For example, in a recently published study on the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet (July 8th, 2020), scientists at the McMaster University in Canada reviewed 17 research studies that compared cognitive-behavior therapy in person and via teletherapy. The studied observed that different modalities of teletherapy (for instance, videocall, email therapy, and even therapy over text message) were as effective as in-person therapy and that clients’ satisfaction was comparable.
Other studies have demonstrated that teletherapy is equally effective than in-person therapy in the treatment of various mental health problems, such as depression (Wagner, Horn, and Maercker, 2013); post-traumatic stress (Acierno et al., 2014), chronic pain (Mochari-Greenberger et al., 2017); and eating disorders (Mitchell et al., 2008), among others.
We hope this article helped answer some of your questions about teletherapy!