Our Online Therapy Experience

Our First Steps in Online Therapy

Our first experiences with online therapy began in 2017, alongside private office-based practice. Over an approximately eight-year period, the search for psychological support in their native language by Turkish clients living abroad became particularly noticeable. We observed that individuals who could not easily meet this need in the countries where they lived turned to online therapy.

Similarly, it was observed that clients living in different cities in Türkiye who did not have the opportunity to come to Istanbul also requested online therapy. Some clients even preferred to start the process face to face and continue it later via online platforms.

At that time, online therapy was not yet a very common method. It was mostly thought that it could not replace face-to-face sessions. However, over time, it was experienced that, thanks to technological possibilities, clients were able to receive effective and regular support. Especially being able to connect from the home environment was observed to have a facilitating function in terms of adherence, as it eliminated time and travel costs.

This period contributed not only to the provision of services to clients, but also to our better understanding of the limits and possibilities of online therapy. Thus, online therapy gradually became established as a stable and client-preferred option.

When the reasons for application were examined, it was seen that depression, anxiety disorders, difficulties in adapting to a new country, work-related problems, intra-family problems, and the difficulties experienced by spouses living abroad came to the forefront. In addition, alongside the search for coaching and mentoring support in working life, communication problems with children were also among the frequently expressed issues.

The Pandemic and the Widespread Use of Online Therapy

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 fundamentally changed not only daily life but also the way mental health services were delivered. Quarantine conditions and travel restrictions caused face-to-face therapies to largely come to a halt. During this process, online therapy became the only option for many clients.

At the beginning, it was thought that online sessions might not be as effective as face-to-face therapies. However, both our clinical observations and studies in the literature revealed that online therapy is similarly effective to face-to-face therapy, especially in the processes of coping with depression, anxiety, and stress.

From the clients’ perspective, the most striking aspects were accessibility and comfort. Being able to connect from home and participate in therapy without experiencing transportation or time loss provided a significant advantage, especially for individuals living abroad. Over time, online therapy, which initially appeared to be a “mandatory” solution, became a preferred method for many people.

Our experiences that began before the pandemic diversified even further during this period. Sessions conducted with clients from Europe (the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania), the Middle East (Dubai), and America (the United States, Canada) gave us the opportunity to realize that online therapy had become a sustainable support model that transcends geographical boundaries and that clients were satisfied with this process.

Conclusion

Both our experiences and the gradually emerging literature demonstrate that online therapy provides clients with the opportunity to access support in their own language and to receive psychotherapeutic support without time and space limitations. As a result of this situation, the number of psychotherapists providing online therapy is increasing day by day.