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In the post-2020 world, many industries have found new and innovative ways to make sure their productivity stays intact. More and more companies are making the jump to fully remote work to combat the coronavirus pandemic, and the ones with the best ability to adapt are soaring past their competitors. Working For therapy, working with a fully remote practice and the clientele is not entirely new, but the practice of online therapy is exponentially increasing in popularity, especially in the past few years. It’s an effective way for therapists to routinely engage with their clients. But is it worth it to make the jump? Will you be compensated to the same extent? To obtain the answers to these questions, read on.
Online Vs. In-Person Therapy
As you may have implied from the name alone, there are several key differences between practicing therapy online and in-person. Scheduling sessions with your clients tend to be far easier in online therapy. Commute and prior engagements can remove a large chunk of availability for you and your clients, but working online eliminates those hassles and opens up the calendar for more flexible scheduling.
Online therapy also opens the door for more ways to communicate with your clients. Perhaps the most reliable of these methods is via video conference, but you can also opt for using text messaging as well as a standard phone call. Both forms of therapy are similar in that they offer a lot of flexibility in terms of how many clients you take in, but keep in mind that many remote companies have a set minimum number of clients that you have to maintain in order to secure your employment.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of where you choose to work, your niche can remain intact. This means that people with more specialized roles, such as family therapists, will be able to continue their practices as they see fit. There are advantages and disadvantages to both areas of work, but it is easy to see why online therapy is growing in popularity.
How Does Compensation Work?
Not all online therapy programs choose to pay therapists in the same fashion. This isn’t to say that you won’t be fairly compensated, but the way in which you do get paid can differ from company to company, so it’s important to understand those differences first. Like a lot of other industries, online therapy companies can choose to pay their employees using a typical hourly salary. While it is fairly common, it is by no means the only form of payment they use.
Some online counseling companies, such as BetterHelp, choose to pay their employees on a client engagement basis. To get the most bang for your buck, you have to routinely engage with your clients and make an effort to bring in new ones. You might not be working full-time at one of these positions, and that is taken into account to ensure that payment isn’t doled out unfairly. That answers the question of how you’ll be paid, but will you make a similar amount to your in-person counterparts?
According to ZipRecruiter, the average comes out to a little bit more money than in-person therapists, but that isn’t necessarily a given. A lot of personal factors can account for your wage that might add up to more or less money. Some questions you should ask yourself include:
- What kind of college degree do you have?
- What is your level of past success?
- How much prior experience do you possess?
- What kind of therapy do you practice?
- Will you be transitioning to online therapy full time, or using it as a supplement for your other work?
The answer to the compensation question is not exactly cut and dry, and the answers you have to the questions above can greatly affect your income. It’s important to think these over carefully before you decide to make the jump.
Conclusion
Is making the transition to online therapy worth it? The answer to that question may be vastly different for some than it is for others. Of course, the area of online therapy is still a growing market. In the end, it could prove to be far more beneficial to you than in-person work, but it will depend on how you choose to approach it. If you do decide to make the jump, you may find that it pays off in dividends in the long run.
