Is Online Couples Therapy Right For You and Your Partner?
By Mikaela Gossmann-Bond, MA, RP (Q.)
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
As the world has changed so has the structure of therapy. Technology’s importance in everyday life is rising, and the current pandemic climate is keeping us in our houses more than ever. With these factors, more and more couples are wondering what it might be like to do couple therapy online rather than in the office. Online couple therapy is not a sub-par replacement for office sessions, but in fact brings its own unique benefits.
Here are some reasons why online couples therapy might benefit you:
Online therapy is a convenient, effective way to connect with a licensed therapist - all from the privacy of your preferred and most comfortable space.
1. You get to be comfortable
For some people, going to a therapy office is desirable because they can get out of their house and be somewhere completely different for the special process of therapy. But for others, being able to bring therapy into their homes is a blessing. Do you want to curl up under a blanket for your session? Or have your favourite tea beside you on your coffee table? Do you want to take your session to your backyard, assuming it provides enough privacy? The location of your online session is up to you and your partner and you get the freedom to make yourselves as comfortable as you can with this choice.
2. You save time
Long gone are the days of battling traffic and stress as you try to get to the office on time, as well as spending time travelling back home afterwards. Online couples therapy is fully set up through your computer or smartphone of choice, and joining the session takes as long as pressing a button on the screen. By saving the travel time for arriving to and leaving the session, you and your partner may find that it is easier to fit sessions into your family’s schedule.
3. You can join from one or two screens
One of the most unique features of online couple therapy is that you and your partner get to choose if you even want to be in the same room together, or not, for your session. You can choose to share a device, sitting side by side and joining your session on one screen. Mirroring what it would be like to sit side by side on a couch in the office, this setup allows your therapist to see how you two physically react to each other, look at each other and also provides opportunity for you to face each other in the moment. You and your partner can also choose to each use your own device and join in from separate rooms on two screens. This setup allows you and your partner to each feel secure in the space of their own choosing, especially if being side by side feels too tense or uncomfortable. It is also a fabulous option for long-distance couples living in completely different places in Ontario.
4. You have the opportunity to reflect
Having therapy take place in a comfortable, familiar and low-stress environment allows you to be more vulnerable - to connect to emotions that feel raw and difficult. It also becomes easier to reflect after therapy - in a way that you wouldn’t be able to do in-person, hopping in a car and fighting traffic to get home. This ability to reflect on what has just transpired in therapy is incredibly beneficial. More of each session can be integrated and reflected on between sessions and this allows for really good progress during therapy.
How we can help
Every relationship has its ups and downs.
However, when life gets stressful or specific events occur - whether big or small - the strain may become too much to handle alone or together. If you would like to know more about whether online couples therapy is right for you and your partner, book a free 30 minute consultation and we can talk about it.