A revolutionary therapy option for treating mental health challenges, including depression may replace standard in office sessions with a therapist. Online therapy is proving to be a successful alternative for patients who benefit from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy considered the most effective treatment available.
Tina Rosenberg of The New York Times writes, The success of cognitive behavioral therapy is well known; many people consider it the most effective therapy for depression. What is not widely known, at least in the United States, is that you don't need a therapist to do it.
The progressive therapy program, MoodGYM, consists of online interactive sessions that utilize CBT activities typically administered by a therapist. Founded by Australian psychologists, studies show virtual therapy to be just as effective as in person therapy.
Using the global MoodGym sessions can be specifically helpful to people can't access mental health treatment and can be significantly less expensive that traditional therapy. It can help people who stay sick because there are no therapists nearby, who fear being judged or embarrassed in therapy, who can't take time off from work, or for whom the cost of treatment is too high. It allows people to carry therapy around in their pockets, use it at 2 a.m., and pay nothing or nearly nothing, adds Rosenberg.
The model may replace the public stigma many people feel about seeking help for mental illness, with the opportunity to receive treatment in a private setting. Joanne Richmond, of NextGen Nutritionals, a natural health and wellness company, says the new online therapy option may open the door to mental wellness for many who wouldn't seek help otherwise.
I'm hopeful about the new virtual program and the possible positive impact it may prove to have on the current mental health epidemic. It can be difficult for people who battle depression to reach out and take a proactive approach toward improvement. Having the ability to do so privately may open doors toward improved mental health for those who are hesitant, says Richmond.
In the ongoing effort to research and educate the community about new beneficial therapies that have a positive effect on the growing epidemic of mental illness, NextGen Nutritionals encourages those who are interested in learning more to visit [http://www.nextgennutritionals.com/virtual-therapy...](http://www.nextgennutritionals.com/virtual-therapy-for-mental-illness).
