Is email therapy right for you? You may be looking for therapy and exploring all options. No doubt this can be a confusing task. Hopefully this will help you think through the one option of email therapy. Email therapy no doubt has benefits and drawbacks compared to traditional therapy, as well as compared to other forms of online therapy (e.g., phone therapy, chat therapy).
Regarding benefits of email therapy consider the following: If you are someone with a very busy schedule, or even an unpredictable schedule, getting to an office for a weekly therapy appointment may seem impossible. Email therapy allows for asynchronous communication with a therapist which can occurrence at your convenience. You can correspond at 3:00 AM if you have to one week! Even if you have a predictable schedule, and flexibility with work, commuting to an appointment might prove difficult because of your location (maybe driving through traffic, or taking public transportation, for 45+ minutes each way for an hour appointment does not make sense). With email therapy you do not have to worry about added commuting time (unless of course you do not have access to your own computer and you have to use another elsewhere). Another benefit revolves around how you think. Some people need more time to formulate what they are thinking. If you tend to need to think more and are concerned that you may lose out in traditional therapy because of this, email therapy may be helpful. You can spend time thinking about what your therapist said as well as what you want to communicate. Furthermore, if you find that you have a hard time remembering what was said during emotionally charged conversations, or even regular conversations, email offers the bonus of providing a record of communication. This can be invaluable both during therapy and after therapy has ended. Specifically, after therapy has ended you may find yourself in a rut. Previous realizations communicated by you in an email might be useful to help you.
