Conventional addiction treatment, such as outpatient treatment tends to be underutilized and often has a high dropout rate. This suggests that these traditional options may not be completely meeting the needs of everyone seeking addiction treatment.
A decent amount of people would attest that two of the main barriers to treatment are transportation and childcare. Ease of accessibility and convenience are essentials when it comes to what most look for in addiction treatment. At Cove Recovery, you can make your own schedule all while wrapped in a cozy blanket, sipping a cup of tea. You can enjoy that same cup of tea during a counseling session, while your kids play “quietly” in the other room.
Other reasons why online therapy can be effective? It is an unfortunate truth that the stigma around addiction still exists, and this can be a deterrent for some to seek treatment. Online therapy gives that person enhanced privacy, so they do not have to worry about being recognized when arriving or leaving a center. They can control who knows about their treatment and recovery much more effectively from the privacy of their own home. No direct personal contact is required for online therapy, which allows individuals at various stages of change to reach out for treatment options without experiencing guilt or embarrassment that comes with disclosing an addiction.
Virtual therapy can be effective from the get-go, however, one element to consider when contemplating if virtual therapy is right for you or a loved one is how quickly one can learn to hold themselves accountable. Accountability plays a large role in recovery. A statement that is used throughout treatment is that you are responsible for your own recovery, therefore you are the only one that can follow through with appointments and show up and be present. You are the only one who can take the skills you learn in therapy and apply those to your day-to-day life. Virtual therapy can help you put all of these pieces together and teach accountability all while doing so.
According to Yale.edu, a research study conducted in 2018 split 137 users of alcohol, cocaine, opioids, or marijuana with diagnosed abuse or dependence problems into three treatment groups. One group received individual “in person” sessions, weekly, and one group received weekly group counseling sessions. The third group received web-based programs with interactive videos and met with a virtual therapist weekly, for 10 minutes. For the first group, about half of the subjects dropped out of standard counseling and one-on-one sessions with therapists; however only about a quarter of subjects failed to complete the web-based program. At the end of treatment, 67% of those using the web-based program no longer met official diagnostic criteria for substance abuse, compared with 43% for group counseling and just 52% for one-on-one therapy.
The method of treatment that works for you is based on several different factors. If you are needing residential treatment, supervised detox, or hospitalization then online therapy would not be suitable for you. Another major consideration for online therapy is one’s comfort level and access to technology. You are the master behind your presence in virtual therapy and should be confident to maneuver basic computer elements like a web cam and Zoom.
While some might be grappling with the idea of physically attending treatment because they don’t want to “reveal” their identity, others might be struggling with the cost or logistics. All of these are reasons why some people are starting their journey to recovery with virtual addiction therapy.
