Counseling is a widely practiced profession mainly in the western world that provides emotional and intellectual guidance for the personal and psychological problems of another individual. It is a profession that deals with understanding the psychology of a person and how to effectively provide support to the emotional issues faced by a person through his/her own language. When I mean language here, it is not the speaking language instead of the rhythm or code of conduct of one individual.
Therapy and counseling are inter-related, however, it differentiates in the period associated with the course of actions. Counseling is the stage where a short-term oriented consultation is offered. It primarily addresses practical and ongoing issues in life which can be resolved with a better understanding. When you cannot pick the right emotions, counseling supports you in choosing the right emotion so that it mitigates a lot of problems you could probe into. Most of us face a lot of problems in life mainly because we fail in showing the appropriate emotion for the right setting. When you are unsure which career path to choose, which life decision to prioritize, how to resolve that problem in your relationship with the fiancé, In such occasions counseling is what matters the most.
Therapy or psychotherapy for that matter refers to the long term oriented treatments. Psychotherapy helps a person to identify his/her life more extensively, find out in what ways and how the person went off-track, the emotional triggers that are locking down a person into boundaries and the root cause of the major problems they undergo. A clear understanding of who you are helps to navigate your life for betterment.
There are different types of counseling available; Family & Marriage, Educational, Mental Health, Career Guidance and Substance Abuse are few of the main to be mentioned. Counseling is mainly practiced face-to-face on many occasions. However, there is a tranquil demand growing for phone therapy. Especially amongst introverted personality traits who do not feel comfortable enough to express ideas and problems face-to-face, they highly opt for an offline therapist.
Phone Counseling
Counseling done over the phone simply literates the meaning of phone counseling. Just like the industries adopt to the common economic drive towards digitalization, professions such as counseling could also drive towards success by providing their services on other different online platforms. As counseling is mostly related with the power of words, calls, chat, email, video calls can be flexibly integrated to provide online counseling.
Phone Therapy
Generally considered to be a distant therapist as s/he offers his service via distanced modes of communications. Over the phone, therapy is as effective as in-person therapies. One of the commonly practiced therapies is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which can be performed via a phone call, skype effective as much as face-to-face. In CBT the therapist involves and changes the thinking patterns and behavioral traits of an individual that lead to certain problems in life. This is also known as psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy.
There are various places and hotlines introduced to promote phone therapy. Especially during crisis situation such as the one we are undergoing right now when the physical movement is restricted by law phone therapy and phone counseling may act as a guardian angel. Especially women of families living below the poverty line in South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan they are likely to get probed into domestic violence and harassment by their own marriage partners. Under such conditions due to their low level of literacy and access to information, physically meeting a counselor in-person is an ardent task. For such mentally harassed and abused victims, phone counseling is a savior.
Over the phone therapy is arguably more effective in many ways than traditional therapeutic methods which are further analyzed in the article “How Effective is Phone Therapy”.
How does it happen?
Just as you would consult a therapist with an appointment, there are several platforms created to link therapists with the patients. Their sessions happen online, via telephone, skype or even chats. The payment is done as per the schedule given accordingly. The main advantageous factor is the free trial counseling offered by certain online therapy sites, for individuals that is a bit reluctant to invest a lump sum at once on an unknown counselor the free trial version helps to get the service provider and the site verified.
How Safe is Phone Therapy
There are several drawbacks identified in phone counseling. Disclosing one’s personal information to an unknown person who would analyze you and in an out may sound horrific at the mere sight as it is a problem about your privacy. Chances are counselors may indirectly motivate you to reveal your true self through their pep talks. Under such conditions, it is essential to build trust agreeing on common grounds. Furthermore, to ensure that you are not deceived at the end of the day it is important to read and understand the accolades, experiences and qualifications your online therapist has to analyze whether s/he is qualified enough to treat you.
Furthermore, phone therapy may not be the best for a patient with a serious psychiatric illness, as the physical presence of a counselor is vital to control such cases. E-therapists can do minimal for such victims and it may be too risky to treat severe mental illnesses via phone, as they cannot physically be of support in crisis situations.
Worst situations of phone or digitally connected therapy are the negative effects of unreliable technology. Email accounts that could get hacked or the online counseling sites that generate cash are probed for malicious practices. Adding more to drawbacks is the rejection of coverage for phone therapy by many insurance providers. Some insurance does not cover for online therapy which may cost you a lump sum to fund out-of-pocket.
However, to a world seeking alternative methods to remain digitally averse with day to day lifestyle, phone counseling and phone therapy are the best methods to capitalize on. As the majority of mankind is undergoing mental trauma, stress and anxiety in silence the demand for counseling is endless. Day after day everybody needs someone to listen to them and support. Some choose to be their own counselor whilst a majority prefer to share it with another. In such sense promoting more platforms for people to seek out emotional support is highly recommendable as more and more people need it.