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Counseling can make a huge difference in whether or not your relationship overcomes the hurdles that life inevitably puts in its way. Unfortunately, a lot of couples don’t get the counseling they need for a variety of reasons, including fear of social stigma, discomfort opening up to strangers, as well as lack of accessibility, convenience, and affordability. However, recent advancements in telehealth practices are starting to remove a lot of the most common barriers to good mental healthcare. As a result, online relationship and marriage counseling services like ReGain are literally changing lives.
According to a recent survey in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, the four most common reasons for divorce are lack of love or intimacy; communication problems; lack of sympathy, respect, and trust; and growing apart. As the researches behind the survey point out, these results show that “behavioral motives” for divorce are waning while “psychological and emotional divorce motives” are on the rise. And believe it or not, that’s actually a good thing. Issues like domestic violence, addiction, and infidelity can be almost impossible to overcome. But psychological and emotional issues like lack of intimacy, communication, sympathy, trust? Those are all things a couple can solve if they are willing to get professional help.
Today, thanks to services like ReGain, that professional help is just a few clicks away.
ReGain - Online Couples and Marriage Counseling
ReGain is an online relationship and marriage counseling service that makes it easier and more affordable for couples to get help from licensed therapists. To sign up, you simply fill out a brief survey, and ReGain matches you with a psychologist (PhD or PsyD), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), or licensed professional counselor (LPC). All ReGain therapists are fully licensed in their state and have at least three years and 2,000 hours of experience. However, because different counselors have different methods and different areas of specialization, ReGain works hard to ensure you get the right fit. Once you start the process, if you feel the fit is not right, you can switch to a different counselor.
One of the key advantages of ReGain over traditional face-to-face couples counseling is that ReGain gives you more ways to communicate with your counselor, and all for a flat fee. If you like, you can make appointments to speak with your counselor by phone or video chat. However, you can also speak with your counselor electronically via a private online “room” using any web-enabled device. In your room, you will write about yourself, ask questions, and discuss the issues you and your partner are experiencing. Your counselor will then respond, offering feedback, insights, and guidance.
Another feature ReGain offers that traditional in-person therapy does not is total anonymity. Though all licensed therapists are legally bound to complete secrecy by the HIPPA Act, a lot of people are nervous to discuss personal matters face to face. With ReGain, you are free to use any name you wish when you sign up, and if you never use the video call feature no one will ever see your face.
Does Online Therapy Really Work?
A lot of mental health experts were rightly skeptical about online therapy when people first started trying it. They were concerned that therapists wouldn’t have the opportunity to observe things like tone of voice, body language, and overall demeanor, which can be crucial to psychological assessment and diagnosis. They were concerned that therapists wouldn’t be able to forge personal relationships with patients via teleconferencing. And they were concerned that people wouldn’t be able to adequately communicate their feelings and emotions electronically.
Despite these concerns, the research consistently shows that online therapy works just as well as traditional therapy for a whole variety of issues.
A 2014 study from the Journal of Affective Disorders found that online treatment was just as effective in treating depression as face-to-face treatment. A 2018 study from the Journal of Psychological Disorders found that online cognitive behavioral therapy is equally as effective as face-to-face treatment for major depression, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. And another 2014 study from Behaviour Research and Therapy found that online cognitive behavioral therapy was an effective and affordable way to treat anxiety disorders.
Be Proactive
Of course, ReGain cannot replace traditional face-to-face therapy in every single case. People dealing with more serious issues and mental illnesses require a level of hands-on care that simply cannot be provided via the phone or Internet. Moreover, online-only providers are not allowed to make official diagnoses and cannot prescribe medications. However, counseling from ReGain can help for the vast majority of issues that plague relationships.
While exact rates with ReGain depend on your specific counselor, who is assigned based on your needs, in general you can expect to pay between $40 and $70 per week. If you’ve ever paid for couples or marriage counseling services out of pocket before, you know rates like that are a bargain.
So if you and your partner are struggling, do not feel ashamed, and do not wait around until it’s too late to do anything about it. Click here right now to find out if ReGain can help you.
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