Online Therapy

Before talking about the exciting new method of treatment via Skype video sessions, I would like to share with you a couple of observations I have made over the past several years of living and working in Asia, about psychological treatment in the Far East.

My first observation is that the field of psychology/psychotherapy/counselling in Asia is not as developed and not as accepted as in the western part of the world. While in western countries seeing a therapist has become a standard practice for the common teenager or adult, in Asia people still regard seeing a therapist as being… somewhat… mentally ill. As a result, there are far less therapists per given population, and it is much harder to come by the right therapist for those who do seek help and support.

My second observation is that people tend to seek treatment from therapists with similar cultural background. The significant difference in social norms between western and eastern cultures, family structure and relationships, and the perception of one’s self compared to his surrounding, leads many people to feel more comfortable and connect better with a therapist that shares similar cultural background. Clearly I am making a very big generalization here, as there are significant differences also within western or eastern cultures, yet there is some common thread that groups these cultures together.

These two observations led me to start offering treatment over Skype Video Calls. Or maybe it was the other way around – people started reaching out to me for help and support from overseas, and preferred ‘compromising’ on face-to-face sessions in order to get the treatment that answers their needs. Today I can assert that video sessions have their advantages, such as:

• The treatment is done from the comfort of your home.
• No time wasted on commute – in some of Asia’s busiest cities this is a huge advantage!
• You can control how much you want your therapist to see. No need to even turn off the camera – a small move to the side and you are out of sight.
• Travels do not interfere with the treatment. The sessions are place-less and can be held from anywhere in the world.

Today I have patients from different countries all over the globe, having video sessions on regular basis, and I am able to give them high-quality treatment as if we were in the same geographic location, doing face-to-face sessions in my clinic.