How Does Marriage Counseling Online Work For Two People?

Scheduling is difficult in today's modern world, where time goes quickly and responsibilities pile up. Online counseling for couples provides a way to get what you need in the convenience of your own home. Marriage counseling online is becoming a successful trend…and it's going mainstream.

Many psychologists think that online couples or marriage therapy has revolutionized the therapy field entirely, as the technology has progressed far beyond just a chat room, with the ability to attend online marriage counseling through video conference or talking on the phone. The new business model allows therapists to communicate with patients at their own discretion and at an ideal time when both partners can talk to a licensed marriage and family counselor. This makes it a lot easier and more convenient for anyone who is thinking about therapy.  Online marriage counseling is especially good for couples who want to avoid traffic and parking but still get the help that they desperately need using multiple communication methods.

The Advantages of Marriage Counseling Online

Not only does the online option resolve the problem of location and timing, but even the duration of the session is flexible, reducing costs for therapy services. Partners can log in together and Skype or phone chat with a counselor, and they can choose a long session or multiple short sessions throughout the week. Because you get to choose the time and it's online, you don't have to worry about the travel time to work with a relationship coach. You can log on from anywhere, whether at home or at the office, and evening and weekend appointments are also possible with online relationship counseling. You don't even need to be in the same room like you do for in-person sessions in order to be virtually together during the couples therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and couples therapy techniques actually work better when patients can afford to attend sessions a few times a week, rather than once or twice a month, and couples therapy services using video chat or phone calls make this easier. You can simply log on from home, or even while on vacation, and get the help that you need. Because you have several sessions throughout the week, you don't feel like you're bottling things up to 'explore next week' as is often the case with traditional therapy. You have a better chance to express yourself right away when opting for online couples counseling.

Research studies examining the effectiveness of virtual couples therapy have concluded that video sessions work for successful relationship coaching. Couples report that online therapy services makes some aspects of couples counseling easier than seeing a therapist at their office. Many couples also say that online relationship coaching makes it easier to talk about intimate relationship concerns while sitting in the comfort of their own home. In addition, it’s more convenient to schedule a marriage counseling session online than an in-person visit with a marriage and family therapist.

Online therapy users also often find that it’s easier to transfer the skills they learn during relationship therapy to their real lives because the sessions take place at home where conflict resolution and real-life relationship patters actually takes place. Another benefit is that the online couples counseling cost is often lower per session than at a marriage counseling session at an office, and online marriage counseling makes it possible to talk with licensed mental health professionals if the couple is in a long-distance relationship.

The ability to conveniently take notes and refer to information from the video chat, with a partner or without, makes marriage counseling online so much more effective. In fact, some couples may even log in individually and talk to a therapist one on one about sensitive relationship issues, or explore some individual counseling concerns, in addition to having a couples session. An individual therapy session like this can allow the person an opportunity to talk privately, without judgment or defensiveness coming from their spouse. In many cases, this can also help each of person learn how to communicate more effectively and build a healthy relationship. How often have you said something and realized it didn't come out quite the way you meant it? When you're going through couples counseling this can be a problem as your partner reacts to what you said or what they heard instead of what you meant.

When you have the opportunity to talk things over individually first, you can figure out what you really mean to say and learn better ways to phrase things in order to get your message across when you have live video sessions with your partner next time. This means you'll spend more time on the healing process and less time with you and your partner arguing over what you meant to say and what you may have actually said. It means more time getting to what the real problem is, and that's definitely going to be important.

It's Not as Impersonal As They Say

One of the complaints of traditional mental health care proponents has been the idea that online chat is impersonal because of online limitations. However, the ability to combine a comfortable home environment and a more honest virtual office environment seems to motivate many patients to try harder. After all, you feel a whole lot more comfortable when you're sitting in your own home, curled up in your favorite chair than you will on a therapists couch, right? It can make things a whole lot easier for you and your partner, and many healthcare professionals prefer online couples counseling for similar reasons.

Sites like BetterHelp.com  and Regain.com allow you the option to schedule a time to speak to a regular therapist or even the option to speak to someone live if the issue is critical and you need someone to talk to right away. This helps you and your partner to make the decisions in order to work through your relationship struggles. Not only that but it can help you avoid making a rash choice or saying something that you might later regret.

Online couples therapy is not a novelty. It's a natural evolution of therapy and online technology, one that gives the patient back their personal comfort-something that may have been lacking in traditional mental health care for quite some time. This is definitely an important step in the right direction for anyone who is considering therapy of any kind and online relationship counseling can make a huge difference in the way you and your partner communicate. In addition, engaged couples can access premarital counseling online, or dating coaching if they are still looking for a partner.

You may be able to make more headway a whole lot faster with online therapy than you will with traditional forms of therapy. That's why it's important to at least give it a chance and see what happens. You never know how much your relationship could improve with just a little bit of help from a relationship therapist. Online marriage counseling can be the resource that both of you need, and live video sessions can make it easier, faster, and more convenient to access the help of marriage and family therapists.