The term “online therapies” includes a wide range of interventions that use technology to facilitate treatment. There are two broad types of online therapy:
Those with remote therapist contact via tools such as instant messaging and video conferencing in real or delayed time…
… and technology-based interventions, meaning that the patient independently accesses therapies such as cCBT (computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) using a mobile app or website.
By their very nature, online therapies require less ongoing involvement from a therapist and as such, they can help to reduce long waiting times, as well as expanding options for hard-to-reach groups, including those with social phobias and those who live a long way from their nearest treatment centre.
The Benefits of Online Therapies for both adults and young people:
There are some really key advantages to using digital tools along the care pathway. It’s about adding to a toolbox of care that can be offered. None of it is replacing traditional face to face or telephone offerings. It’s about providing more opportunities and more options to patients.
The addition of online therapies to IAPT services could also reduce costs, enabling more patients to be treated more quickly. When delivered face-to-face, IAPT sessions are estimated to cost between £50 and £100 per session, with a typical average cost per course of treatment of around £500. Online therapy courses on the other hand currently cost between £20 and £100.
Find out more about the potential for online therapies in our recent white paper, Is it time for a sea change in the uptake of online psychological therapies?
