When you think of therapy, you think of sitting on a sofa chatting with your therapist face-to-face sitting in an office. However, this was not the case for Miss Dhaarsini Loganathan, 19, who attended her first few mental health therapy sessions through her laptop from September to October 2021.

 

A survey by the National Youth Council (NYC) between February 2021 to October 2021 found that one in five of the youth respondents' “mental well-being was poor or very poor''.  Many of the respondents attributed it to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

According to an article by The Straits Times, more individuals were seeking out mental health therapy because of the pandemic, which includes online therapy.

 

Ms Cordelia Fernandez, a therapist who specialises in aspects like anger management, anxiety and school at Safe Space, says that 80 to 85 per cent of her therapy sessions have been converted to online sessions due to the pandemic.

 

Miss Loganathan considered online therapy because of the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19.

 

She says, “There was also a concern of whether it’s safe to go back to [the] clinic with [COVID-19] cases still in the community.”

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However, online therapy may not be as effective for some.

 

Miss Loganathan feels that it is more effective to take part in activities like breathing exercises during in-person therapy sessions compared to online sessions. Her therapist was able to point out to her when she was “tensing up” and could calm her down. Miss Loganathan says that this is harder to achieve online.

“But it’s still effective to a certain extent, … you still get to talk to your therapist and [she] can still give you advice,” she says.

 

Ms Fernandez says online therapy is a good way for youths who are trying therapy for the first time to “ease into it”. They can experience therapy in a place where they “are familiar and comfortable in”.

 

She also says that it allows her to send resources to youths quickly.

 

“You can send them websites to look at and you can give them a little bit of extra research so that you can understand their conditions a little bit better,” says Ms Fernandez.

 

Mr Chirag Agarwal, the co-founder of Talk Your Heart Out (TYHO), says that online therapy is a cheaper option than in-person. A single session costs $120 but an in-person session will cost $30-$35 more due to rental costs.

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Organisations like TYHO even offer variations of online therapy such as text or voice calls.

 

However, Mr Agarwal says clients with serious conditions or are thinking of suicide will not be allowed to use voice or text therapy as physical intervention may be needed.

 

As for Ms Fernandez, she still prefers to see her clients, whether face-to-face or online.

 

“Facial expressions are such a strong indicator. We are always listening for what is not said,” she says. “We all sometimes say something but mean something else.” 

 

Ms Fernandez says that she constantly looks for gestures like nods when conducting therapy but will not be able to do so if her clients do not show their faces.

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