What is Text Therapy and Is it Right for You?

Text therapy offers a convenient & flexible way to access mental health support. Find out what it entails & how it can help promote mental health & healing.

Text Therapy: Does it Work?

You’ve been feeling not quite yourself for a while now. It has been a challenge to concentrate at work, enjoy your hobbies, as well as fall and stay asleep at night. You then start to wonder if it’s anxiety, depression, or something else. So, to find out what you’re going through, you finally decide to see a therapist. Your hectic schedule, however, stands in the way of committing to a regular session.

As you explore more about your options, you may encounter text therapy via https://calmerry.com/text-therapy/ or other providers. This involves text messaging or chatting with a therapist at any time, which seems like a convenient and flexible way to get mental health support. But does it work? Can it really help with your concerns or mental health issues?

What is text therapy?

Also called messaging therapy or chat therapy, text therapy involves the use of digital communication, commonly through text or chat, to access mental health support. It allows you to talk with or message a therapist from wherever you are using a secure messaging platform. It eliminates the need to wait for an appointment to seek help or share whatever you’re dealing with.

One important thing to know about messaging therapy is that it can be asynchronous or synchronous. Asynchronous means sending a message and not receiving a reply immediately; the reply window is usually within a day. Synchronous, meanwhile, is similar to a live chat where you message your therapist and they reply right away or in real-time.

Text-based therapy can be helpful in certain issues, including:

• Relationship problems
• Work-life balance
• Temporary life challenges or minor distress
• Stress and anxiety
• Mild to moderate depression

So, does text therapy work?     

Initial research suggests that text-based therapy can provide effective mental health support, like reducing the symptoms of certain mental health disorders. Here’s what the research/studies say about text-therapy:

• A 2017 study – found that text messaging helped sustain engagement in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over time. Individuals who were assigned to text messaging adjunct attended more sessions and stayed in therapy longer than those who were assigned to the control condition.
• A 2020 study – found that delivery of psychotherapy through text messaging showed remission in the symptoms of anxiety and depression. These improvements were consistent with in-person therapy.
• A 2021 review of studies – (preliminary evidence) found that text-based, real-time communication with a therapist is an effective way to deliver mental health support, especially for those worried about stigma and confidentiality
• A 2022 study – found that messaging-based therapy may help reduce suicide ideation in people with depression or suffering from depressive symptoms.
• Another 2022 study – found that text therapy may be as effective in reducing the symptoms of post-traumatic disorder as conventional therapy.

What are the pros and cons of text therapy?

With text therapy, you can get mental health support at your fingertips and even get relief from some of the things you’re experiencing. Benefits include:

• Convenient – Mental health support is just a text away as long as you have a phone/device and an Internet or data connection. You can also text your therapist wherever and whenever you are and there is no need to commit to regular therapy sessions.
• Offers anonymity – With some degree of anonymity, you may find it easier to open up or share more things about what you’re going through without the fear of being judged or shamed. This can then encourage more honest communication.
• Explore more about yourself and your feelings – The nature of text therapy allows you to explore your thoughts and emotions in depth before crafting messages or responses. Writing can also be therapeutic and putting your feelings into words can help you feel better even though there is no immediate response from your therapist.
• Cost-effective – Because of the way it is carried out, text therapy is more affordable compared to live therapy sessions or in-person interactions. It can be a good option if you’re paying out of pocket or if you don’t have insurance.
• Unlimited plans – Some providers like Calmerry provide unlimited text messaging, which enables you to chat as much as you need and get a timely response. This is not the same with conventional or other forms of therapy, which are scheduled or limited to one session per week.

Text therapy, of course, is not ideal for everyone. Potential downsides include:

• Delay between responses – While you can text your therapist anytime, this doesn’t mean that you’ll receive a response right away. If you, for instance, message them at midnight onwards, you are only likely to get a response during normal business hours.
• Requires too much reading and writing – As you put your experiences and emotions into words, you will probably need to write long messages. This can get exhausting if you find it hard to converse with words or in writing.
• Only works for mild or temporary crises – Text therapy is ideal for mild conditions such as stress or anxiety issues and relationship problems. It is not suitable for emergency situations or severe mental health disorders.
• Impersonal with lack of nonverbal cues – As messages cannot convey the tone of your voice and your body language, it can be challenging for your therapist to fully interpret and understand your responses and emotions.

Is text therapy right for you?

Text therapy, for sure, is convenient and affordable, but this does not mean that it is right for everyone. It offers a flexible way to get mental health support and may be ideal if you’re more at ease expressing yourself in writing or find in-person therapy a bit scary or overwhelming. Calmerry text therapy may also be the right fit for you if:

• You are on your phone, computer, or laptop most of the time.
• You have a hectic schedule and cannot commit to regular therapy sessions.
• You feel safe or more comfortable in text messaging.
• You’re okay with the cost or find text therapy right within your budget.
• You don’t need medication management or psychiatric care.

If you try text therapy and it doesn’t work out, there could be a mismatch in the therapist, platform, or mode of communication used. You can consider live video therapy or maybe an in-person session if you have more complicated mental health needs or diagnoses that cannot be tackled or addressed through text messaging alone.

Text-based therapy, of course, can be an effective approach for some people. Here are a few ways to know if receiving mental health support via text messaging is working for you:

• You text your therapist or use the messaging platform regularly.
• You feel better after conversing with or texting your therapist.
• Your moods have improved and you feel like you’re making progress.
• You have more understanding about the feelings, thoughts, or concerns that prompt you to seek therapy.
• You feel that the money you’re spending on therapy is worth it.
• You are excited to check in with or message your therapist.

Why choose Calmerry for text therapy?

Calmerry text therapy offers the most affordable plan starting at $50 a week and $228 per month. There are also other subscription plans where you can combine text messages and live video therapy, depending on your budget and preferences. Other reasons to choose Calmerry for text therapy include:

• Support from licensed and vetted therapists
• Flexible scheduling
• Intelligent counselor-matching process
• Confidential conversations with HIPAA compliance and encrypted therapy chatroom
• Get help anywhere you are
• Cost-effective with no per-session fees
• Resources such as articles, worksheets, and tracking tools
• Switch therapist with no extra charge
• Easily cancel anytime and renew your subscription
• Getting started is easy:

1. Answer a brief survey.
2. Choose a subscription plan.
3. Get matched with a therapist (in an hour).
4. Start texting your therapist.

If you’re considering text therapy, you can try it out for a limited amount of time and see how it goes. If it does help you and as long as you don’t have a complex mental health disorder, you can continue getting support through it. You can also use it to supplement your video therapy session or in-person therapy.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the landscape of mental health support has evolved with the advent of text therapy, providing a convenient and flexible avenue for individuals seeking emotional healing. The efficacy of text therapy, as highlighted by various studies, suggests that it can be a valuable resource in addressing a range of mental health concerns, from relationship issues to stress and anxiety.

For those contemplating text therapy, the ease of getting started with Calmerry, coupled with the option to switch therapists and the availability of additional resources, makes it a promising platform to explore. In the dynamic landscape of mental health care, text therapy emerges as a valuable tool, offering a unique and accessible avenue for emotional well-being.