4 Pros And Cons of Online Marriage Counseling

Online couples therapy and marriage counseling are just as effective as traditional therapy sessions and in-person counseling according to research studies. Online relationship therapy has many advantages including convenient therapy appointments, affordability, and increased choice of counselors.

With COVID-19 keeping most people at home over the past year the thought of online therapy and coaching has become more and more popular. There are many online therapy options and types of therapy. Many licensed professional therapists are offering online services including video chat sessions. 

Choose The Best Therapist for You

Choosing a marriage counselor is an important first step to developing relationship skills and improving both of your lives. When doing online marriage counseling you can choose the absolute best program, therapist, coach, family therapist, or social worker for you and your relationship issues.

When you're no longer limited by the location in which you live you're able to connect with a far wider range of experienced and professional counselors and mental health professionals that can help you and your partner thrive.

This is especially important if you want to focus on specific issues in your treatment.

Online relationship counseling can help clients with:

• Financial problems in the relationship
• Lack of intimacy
• Improving communication
• Improving physical intimacy
• Attachment issues
• Emotional Intimacy, Sexual intimacy, or physical intimacy
• Premarital counseling
• Overcoming a particularly stressful or difficult time

Convenience

Finding a local licensed counselor can be difficult. With experienced licensed therapists in high demand, many often have waitlists for the few in-person spots that they have available.

When receiving online marriage counseling you can seek an online therapist or clinician who is outside your local area who is available now to take on new clients.

Plus, online marriage counseling sessions are often available for after-hours appointment times or during your lunch break.

Couples also have a much easier time finding time and space to book appointments for online relationship counseling when they don't have to visit a physical office.

Married couples can often struggle to find time in their busy schedule to make in-person appointments. You're both busy people with kids, work, and extracurricular activity schedules can stretch couples thin. Plus travel time can add a lot of extra stress to an already overworked schedule.

Booking an appointment with an online counselor can avoid the issues of finding a local therapist with availability and save you time running to your next appointment.

Online marriage counseling works with your schedule, allowing you to schedule at your convenience without worrying about travel or coordinating a babysitter while you're not at home.

Affordability

One of the main reasons many couples never seek in-person marriage counseling is cost.

Many insurance companies have some mental health coverage these days for individual therapy. Yet, most insurance companies do not cover either offline or online couples counseling.

Although online counseling and therapy is often the same price as in-person counselors you'll save money by being able to avoid commuting, not booking a babysitter, and not having to take time off work to squeeze into the one available spot that your local therapist has left during the workday.

Flexibility

Every couple has their unique way of doing things, even when it comes to couples therapy.

• One couple might want to have “homework” assignments that they do between sessions.
• Other couples want to focus on practical strategies and are very future-oriented.
• While others need to focus on experiences from the past.

What's really great about online therapy is that you can find a counselor that fits you and your unique style. You can find a counselor with hours of experience making them an expert helping you solve your specific issues. 

This is difficult with in-person therapy because you often have to see whatever counselor is available rather than the type of counselor you'd love to be working with.

There are many options available for online counseling services, so you can shop around to find the perfect fit for you as a couple.

Privacy

When receiving couples therapy, it's essential to have a space in your house that has absolute privacy if you're doing online couples counseling.

You want to make sure that no one can hear what you're talking about outside of the room so that you and your partner feel free to express yourselves fully during the counseling session. 

Interruptions

You don't want to be interrupted in the midst of a critical conversation in marriage counseling.

As you know from the many zoom meetings you've gotten accustomed to, this can often be the case if kids are in the living room entertaining themselves.

Creating a system to stop interruptions during the online session is essential to make the counseling experience comfortable and most useful.

Room Setup

Before your first meeting, it's important to set yourself up in the room so that you can both see the computer screen and be visible during online marital counseling.

This might mean moving a sofa into the room or having chairs you can both sit in side-by-side.

Tech Know-How

Yet for some people who don't work from home, these may be new programs that will need to be installed before their first session.

Preparing for your online couples counseling session

Complete any client paperwork that your therapist asks you to complete before your initial consultation. Be sure to return it to them before your online couples therapy appointment so that they have time to review it.

Set up the room to make sure you and your partner are comfortable and can see the screen.

Make sure your kids are settled and happy before the online relationship counseling session starts.

Make sure you have private time for the online therapy session. Establish “rules” with your kids about interruptions. Perhaps asking that they only knock on the door in an emergency situation.

Make sure you have water and tissues ready in case you need them.

Check the light in the room to make sure it relaxing but not too dark.

Your therapist may send you a consent form and background info sheet before the session.

During The Online Therapy Session

During the online relationship counseling session, it's best to interact with the computer as though the couples counselor is sitting there with you.

Feel free to talk to one another during the session rather than just speaking to the screen. This helps improve communication during the session. 

Be prepared in case the connection drops out during the call. Your therapist will often have asked for an alternative way to contact you just in case.

In Conclusion

Online marriage counseling can be extremely helpful to couples who are dealing with difficulty in their relationship and want to develop a stronger relationship. It's one of the most revolutionary relationship counseling options. Online marriage counseling services are convenient. It's convenient, offers more choice, affordable, and provides flexible options for you and your spouse.

Would you like more 1 on 1 support? Then perhaps Therapy Informed Financial Planning is for the two of you. I invite you to schedule your free 30-minute discovery call today.

Wishing You Healthy Love and Money,

Ed Coambs

MBA, MA, MS, CFP®, CFT-I™, LMFT

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