The Digital Revolution

Online addiction treatment brings professional help to your fingertips. While online rehab may not be the best option for everyone, it can make treatment more accessible for many who need it. If you’re considering online counseling, here’s what you need to know.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is also referred to as online rehab, telemedicine, virtual care, digital medicine, and e-health. It was originally developed to provide care for those who lived in remote areas and couldn’t access care, or for patients who had transportation or mobility challenges. It involves providing care remotely rather than in-person, using technology to deliver services.³

Today, online therapy and other telehealth options are available for a wide range of patients and situations, including substance use disorders. Telehealth treatment methods include:

Telephone-based services
Video conferences
Video appointments
Texting
Virtual chats
Smartphone apps
Email
Web-based tools

How Does Online Counseling Work?

Online counseling is similar to in-person therapy. You meet with a counselor and talk through life challenges and recovery issues. Online or telephone sessions usually take place weekly or bi-weekly, but you and your therapist will establish an agreed-upon schedule.

This type of counseling has become extremely common since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, it offered the opportunity for people to connect with qualified professionals from the safety and convenience of their own home.

This option for online counseling was available pre-pandemic, but it exploded in popularity when so many people were unable to attend in-person counseling sessions. In 2019, only 21% of psychologists reported offering videoconferencing as an option, but by the fall of 2021, 96% said they were providing telehealth services.⁴

Since then, telehealth options for mental health and addiction treatment remain popular. Nearly three of every ten U.S. adults say they are using telehealth services more now than they did before the pandemic.

Methods continue to evolve, but some of the most common forms of telehealth used today include:

Patient Portals: Patients can access web-based accounts that allow them to email their healthcare provider, review their health history, access test results, schedule appointments, and request prescription refills. These interactive portals are password protected and HIPAA compliant.
Virtual Appointments: These online counseling sessions allow mental healthcare providers to deliver treatment through video conferencing. Patients log in to a site or call a video conferencing number to meet with the doctor or specialist virtually rather than in person.

What Issues Can Online Counseling Address?

Online counseling can address many topics, including online addiction treatment. It is also appropriate for treatment of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and to address concerns such as stress, bereavement, trauma, or relationship challenges.

What Issues Are Not Appropriate for Online Counseling?

While helpful in many circumstances, online counseling is not suitable for all situations. It is not recommended for the following conditions:¹

Suicidal thoughts
Homicidal thoughts
Severe substance use disorders
Severe eating disorders
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Thought disorders that often include delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking (schizophrenia)

In-Person vs Virtual Outpatient Addiction Treatment

The main difference between online addiction treatment and in-person treatment is the communication method. Rather than meeting in a therapist’s office or at a rehab facility to communicate face-to-face, you will use a phone or other device to attend sessions online. During these virtual outpatient addiction sessions, you can see and hear the therapist (and other participants in group sessions), but you meet with them remotely from your home, or wherever you happen to be.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Online Rehab?

Online rehab offers multiple benefits for individuals who need treatment. Some of the advantages include:

Rural access: Online addiction treatment allows rural communities to access quality treatment and practitioners.
Reduced cost: Online rehab often costs less than outpatient addiction treatment. In some cases, virtual outpatient addiction treatment may cost the same as in-person services. However, you won’t have the cost of transportation or childcare, and virtual options may offer more scheduling flexibility, so you don’t have to miss work.
Insurance coverage: Online addiction treatment is covered by most insurance providers.
Convenience: You can meet with an online counselor to receive treatment from the convenience of your phone or computer, without traveling to a facility.
Availability: While some professionals or specialists may not be available in your area, you can access more treatment providers nationwide through online rehab.
Effectiveness: Research has shown that online counseling is as effective as in-person treatment. Specifically, regarding cognitive behavioral therapy, the National Center for Health Research reports, “There is no difference in patient satisfaction depending on whether therapy is online or in-person, and for either method of receiving therapy, the outcomes are better the more sessions someone attends.”²

Common Questions About Online Counseling

How Often Will You See Your Therapist? It depends. The frequency of your sessions is generally determined by your unique needs and situation. You will work with your online counseling therapist to set up a schedule that works for both you and the therapist as well as your insurance coverage and budget.
Can You Choose Your Own Therapist? Yes and no. It’s common for online therapy sites to match clients with an online counselor rather than asking you to choose a therapist. However, you can usually request to be rematched with a different therapist if you want to change for any reason.
Will You Be Prescribed Medication? Possibly. While some online counseling sites have psychiatrists on staff who can diagnose and prescribe medication virtually, many do not. Mental health therapists (those who are not psychiatrists) are not qualified to diagnose clients online, and they are not licensed to prescribe medications.

Resources:

Chaet, D., Clearfield, R., Sabin, J. E., Skimming, K., on behalf of the Council on Ethical, & Association, J. A. A. M. (2017). Ethical practice in Telehealth and Telemedicine. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(10). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4082-2
Does online therapy work? (2020, October 15). National Center for Health Research. https://www.center4research.org/does-online-therapy-work/
Telehealth: Technology meets health care. (2022, June 18). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/telehealth/art-20044878
Wallis, C. (2022, January 1). The pandemic has created a ‘zoom boom’ in remote psychotherapy. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-pandemic-has-created-a-zoom-boom-in-remote-psychotherapy/