How Effective Is Texting Therapy? Insights for Therapists
Telehealth has become quite popular over the last few years. Offering therapy services without in-person visits does have its merits. Besides, more and more hands-on services are going digital; why not healthcare?
Texting therapy is an emerging telehealth trend that’s redefining therapist-patient interactions. Imagine a therapy session done entirely by exchanging text messages. All you’d need is a smartphone, app, or website.
Is that something you’d want for your practice or clients? And perhaps an even bigger question: does texting therapy work?
This article answers these and more questions with a deep dive into the world of texting therapy. Let’s discuss what texting therapy really is, why it’s becoming popular, and what it looks like in practice. We’ll also look into the effectiveness of texting therapy.
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What Is Texting Therapy?
Texting or messaging therapy is a form of virtual therapy. Instead of having a patient come into your office, you have the session over a texting platform. The exchange can be either asynchronous or synchronous:
- Asynchronous texting. Both you and the patient have the freedom to start, pause, resume, or end the conversation at any time. Email and SMS are the most common mediums of asynchronous texting.
- Synchronous texting. This is a live conversation where both parties must be actively engaged at the same time. So, there must be a direct live connection delivering messages instantly. Synchronous texting usually involves dedicated chat platforms.
Although relatively new, texting therapy has exploded over recent years. Experts say the global online therapy services market will soar from $9.57 billion in 2023 to $31.03 billion in 2028.
Countless companies have cropped up to offer teletherapy services exclusively. These deliver direct-to-consumer therapy via chat, text apps, and other digital means. Such startups raised a whopping $5.5 billion globally in 2021 alone.
Established therapists are also keen on digitizing service delivery using online messaging. Mental health patients now have a choice between traditional in-person and text-based sessions.
Why Has Texting Therapy Gotten So Popular?
Texting therapy owes much of its popularity to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Firstly, the demand for mental health treatments spiked during the pandemic. In 2021, psychologists reported the greatest increase in treating mental disorders. Cases of depression, anxiety, burnout, and addiction skyrocketed in 2020 and 2021.
Secondly, with the nationwide lockdown, in-person therapy sessions were out of the question.
For these reasons, many therapists resorted to virtual interactions. It was the easiest way to keep up with the growing demand for treatment and connect with clients. After the pandemic, a majority of psychologists continued to support remote services.
And that’s how many therapy clinics ended up with a hybrid service model.
Also, investors and entrepreneurs saw a business opportunity in the new trend. That explains the surge of therapy companies offering only virtual sessions.
The demand for therapy is still high. According to Mental Health America (MHA), about 20% of US adults have a mental illness. And over half (54.7%) of them do not receive the treatment they need.
Texting therapy is a promising solution to this problem for the following reasons:
- Affordability. Texting therapy costs just a fraction of regular therapy sessions. Over a third of those needing treatment can’t afford regular therapy. Text-based sessions offer a cost-effective alternative.
- Ease of use. Most people find it easier to express their feelings through text rather than speech. Plus, there’s no awkwardness when texting. So the patient can be more candid when sharing their thoughts and feelings.
- Convenience. Patients can get professional help right from the comfort and privacy of their homes. And all the patient needs is a smartphone.
- Overcomes mental health stigma. Texting therapy gets around the stigma associated with mental illnesses. With this type of therapy, the patient doesn’t feel exposed or ashamed.
What Does Texting Therapy Look Like in Practice?
Like traditional therapy, only a licensed and certified therapist can perform texting therapy. It could be a professional psychologist, psychotherapist, or marriage counselor. The only difference is the way the therapist interacts with the patient.
Here’s how a typical text-based interaction goes:
- The patient contacts the therapist for help. They can do so via the therapist’s website, social media page, or email.
- The platform prompts the patient to fill out some preliminary information. This includes basic details about the patient and their reasons for seeking treatment.
- After a quick evaluation, the platform pairs the patient with the appropriate therapist. Once that’s done, the therapist reaches out to the patient.
- The conversation usually begins with asynchronous messages. This usually takes an all-you-can-text approach. The patient sends texts at any time, and the therapist replies once every day. But as the interaction proceeds, arrangements can be made for live one-on-one sessions.
- The therapist and patient can then work out the specifics of live chat sessions. They establish things like scheduling, duration, and frequency. Live sessions are normally structured like face-to-face therapy sessions. They happen once or twice per week and last 30 minutes to an hour.
The therapist-patient relationship must be built on trust, empathy, and respect. This is essential for any form of therapy to work. Texting therapists establish rapport and trust with clients in the following ways:
- Giving the patient control over chat sessions. For instance, the client chooses how they want to communicate, when, and with whom.
- Demonstrating compassion. Texting therapists must choose their phrasing and tone carefully. Every response should relay genuine concern, sympathy, thoughtfulness, and understanding.
- Guaranteeing confidentiality. One is by ensuring all texting platforms and even emails are HIPAA compliant. And two, by upholding ethics and professionalism.
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What Is the Effectiveness of Texting Therapy?
Let’s answer the big question: “Does texting therapy really work?”
Texting therapy is often criticized for being impersonal. But it works as well as regular in-person treatment. In some situations, texting is even better than traditional therapy.
In one survey, 91% of participants found texting therapy “acceptable.” Meanwhile, 94% reported it made them feel better, and 87% said they’d recommend it to a friend. Another 2020 study found that texting relieved depression and anxiety. And it did so just as well as face-to-face therapy.
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However, text-based therapy only works when done properly.
Our Top Takeaway Tips
Are you thinking about offering texting therapy in your clinic? Here are five crucial things you should know:
- Establish clear ground rules, expectations, and goals when onboarding a new texting client.
- Be sure to provide timely and continuous support.
- Offer text messaging alongside other therapeutic techniques. Texting alone may not be sufficient or appropriate for all your patients. Complement texting with phone/video calls or even in-person meet-ups.
- Write in simple, jargon-free, concise, and non-ambiguous language. Do not leave any room for the patient to misinterpret your texts.
- Be as flexible as possible. Give patients a say in the service’s structure, pricing, and payment plan.
To answer your question, texting therapy actually works.
And yes, it would be a great addition to your suite of therapeutic practices.
With the healthcare space getting more and more digitized, now’s the time to be innovative. If done properly, you can’t go wrong with text-based teletherapy.
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