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Is Online Couples Counseling Really A Good Way To Spend Your Already Limited Budget?
Are social distancing and financial hardships putting a strain on your relationship? Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on our family life and is creating a national mental health crisis. However, online couples counseling organizations like Betterhelp, Regain, Talkspace, LARKR, Amwell, 7 Cups of Tea, MD Live, Doctor on Demand, and others may be the right answer.
With the social distancing and mountains of pressures ranging from financial concerns to losing jobs to fears of the future and coronavirus anxieties about the world of “new normal,” where “tomorrow” is nothing but a question mark, many couples found that they want to distance themselves from each other. Add homeschooling children bored out of their minds, and you have a recipe for serious marital challenges.
Relationships are not perfect and require work, and facing trying times that affect both partners at the same time can be a tremendous challenge What’s even more difficult is going through these hard times without the support system we are accustomed to, such as our daily routines, workouts, social interactions and so on . At times like these, even those who love each other dearly can find it impossible to overcome overwhelming emotions and worries and give each other the support that is desperately needed. The strain on many relationships is just too much to handle and this is why we have seen unprecedented numbers of divorce filings in the recent weeks.
Individual and couples therapy has helped millions of relationships reconnect, remind themselves and each other that they are not the emotions they feel now, but that at times we all fall victims to circumstances that catch us off guard. When a family is breaking apart, it is worth trying everything to save the sacred connection that was strong enough to create a bond worthy of being called “a family.”
While traditional therapy may be out of the question due to social distancing and “stay at home” orders throughout different parts of the country, it may be worthwhile to try online couples counseling (and online personal therapy). Besides the convenience of online access, it doesn’t break the bank, as costs for online therapy are typically substantially lower than traditional therapy, and some may even offer financial aid for customers who cannot afford it.
On April 26, 2020, ConsumersAdvocate.org, an impressive resource for online product reviews, published its Online Therapy Resource. After 200 hours of research using 32 different sources, ConsumersAdvocate.org chose Betterhelp and Talkspace as the top two leading online therapy services.
More people are connecting with licensed therapists online, on video and via apps. It can be an affordable, private and convenient way to speak with a counselor
ConsumersAdvocate.org
Can Online Couples Counseling Save Your Marriage or Relationship?
They say: “love is a verb.” It is exactly trying times like these that put our love to the test. What seems unbearable today may be a matter of poor management of emotions. Millions of people who have tried online therapy have found helpful tools that allowed them to put things into perspective, and not only apply critical thinking to challenge their dysfunctional thought patterns and limiting beliefs but also learn to hear their loved ones without responding in a defensive manner out of hurt feelings.
To that effect, Viktor E. Frankl is famously quoted:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
What’s great about online couples counseling is that both partners typically have an option to chat with a licensed relationship counselor privately as well as having joint sessions. This helps air out some emotions that have been boiling up and come up with a constructive way to communicate concerns to each other, develop a plan for dealing with differences and particular circumstantial challenges (such as being chained together in a small space for an indefinite time!), and re-focusing on bonding experiences and finding ways to developing a plan for cultivate positive emotions.
Yes, relationships are a lot of work, but at the end of the day -nothing worth having comes easy and, before giving up on someone you once cherished so deeply – it is worth it to try to use a few tools, even if heated emotions convince us that it is a waste of time, effort and money.
Share your experiences in the comment box. Have you tried online couples counseling? Do you think it may work?
