This article on Yahoo was about Talkspace which allows you to text your therapist. Instead of going to an office in a building and meeting with your psychologist, you can have unlimited texting with your therapist for $25.00 a week. The premise behind Talkspace is to provide affordable mental health care.
I believe there are pros and cons to Talkspace. I like the idea of being able to communicate with your therapist at any time. I have had moments where I could hardly get out of bed. If I could have texted my psychologist, he could have helped me through that critical time by giving me suggestions on how to handle the situation. If someone is feeling suicidal, this is one more person they can reach out for help instantly.
I believe Talkspace is a good idea for short periods of time like when you go on vacation and you cannot make an appointment with your therapist. Another scenario could be a special event like a reunion or when you are about to roll out a big project in front of your boss and co-workers.
In my opinion, for ongoing therapy for the mentally ill, a face-to-face meeting is what is needed. There is so much that is lost in translation over a text. The therapist in a regular session in their office, is trained to observe the client, not just listen to the words coming out of the client’s mouth. There is so much that can be seen in body language, facial expressions, eye movements and hand gestures as well as heard in voice inflections. All of this data can help the psychologist treat the client more thoroughly.
I know for myself, my words can say one thing but the tone of my voice and my body movements reveal my true feelings every time. In the end, I would like the texting easy access to my therapist, but the best method for me is to meet with the psychologist in his office so he can see me and treat the whole me.
You may find the entire article and video on Talkspace at the link below.