There is no one right way to do therapy
There is no single way therapy should look, work, or feel. Each of us is different, and the type of therapy we want, as well as the way it is delivered, can vary greatly.
Both online therapy and in-person therapy can offer meaningful work. Neither is the “right” choice for everyone, and neither says anything about how serious or meaningful the therapy is.
You may feel strongly drawn to one option. You may feel unsure. Or your choice may be shaped by practical life circumstances such as work, caring responsibilities, travel, health, or privacy.
Therapists may work in different ways too. Some offer only in-person therapy, some work online, and some offer a mixture of both.
What online therapy can offer
Online therapy can be a good option if accessibility is an important consideration. Many therapy spaces are accessible, but many rooms, particularly in older buildings in Brighton & Hove, may not be. Online therapy can also be easier to fit around work, caring responsibilities, travel time, or energy levels.
For some people, being in their own space feels less daunting. If travelling somewhere unfamiliar feels overwhelming, or if you know you would feel more comfortable speaking from home, online therapy may feel more manageable.
Online therapy still needs a private space, enough time, and a setting where you feel able to speak freely. It can be just as meaningful as in-person therapy, but it is worth thinking about whether your space allows you to feel settled and able to focus on the session.
What in-person therapy can offer
For some people, in-person therapy offers a different kind of experience. Being in a consistent and neutral space can feel grounding, and the therapy room itself can provide a clearer boundary between counselling sessions and everyday life.
The journey to and from the session can also become part of the process. Some people find that travelling to therapy gives them time to prepare beforehand, and time to think or settle afterwards.
In-person therapy may also feel more connecting for some people. Being in the same room as your therapist can offer a fuller sense of presence. A therapist may notice aspects of how you sit, move, pause, or respond in your body. Some of this can also be noticed online, but being in person may offer a wider picture.
This does not mean in-person therapy is automatically better or deeper. It simply means that, for some people, it offers a different kind of support.
Privacy, space and practical details
Privacy is an important part of therapy. In-person therapy usually takes place in a room chosen with privacy in mind. With online therapy, it is also worth thinking about your own setting, whether you can be overheard, interrupted, or feel fully able to speak.
This may matter even more if you are talking about personal feelings connected to people you live with, or aspects of your life that feel private, complicated, or hard to say out loud.
Practical details may seem separate from the therapeutic work, but they can affect how easy it is to attend regularly, settle into the work, and keep therapy feeling manageable.
Things worth thinking about might include travel time, transport or parking costs, accessibility, caring responsibilities, internet connection, privacy at home, and how quickly you need to return to day-to-day life after a session.
These details are not superficial. They can shape how possible therapy feels.
How each option feels
Practical details matter, but so does your response to each option.
Do you feel drawn to online therapy or in-person therapy? Does one option make you feel more settled, exposed, contained, distracted, distant, or able to speak? Can you get a sense of why that might be?
This does not need to be a purely logical decision. How each option feels in your body can also be useful information.
You may decide that online therapy feels more manageable to begin with. You may feel that leaving your home and going to a therapy room helps you separate the session from the rest of your life. You may feel unsure until you try one option and see how it feels.
These are all useful things to notice, and they can also be spoken about with your therapist.
“What matters is which option helps you feel able to show up consistently, speak honestly, and begin to develop a deeper understanding of yourself.”
You can change your mind
Choosing one option at the beginning does not necessarily mean it is fixed forever.
Some therapists offer only online or only in-person sessions, but many offer flexibility between the two. Your needs may also change over time. Work, health, confidence, location, privacy, or how comfortable you feel within the therapeutic relationship may all affect whether online or in-person therapy feels right.
Keeping an open dialogue with your therapist about how you are finding the format can be useful. The way therapy is delivered should support the work, rather than become something that gets in the way of it.
Questions to ask yourself
If you are currently deciding between online and in-person therapy, it may be useful to ask yourself:
- Where do I feel most able to speak freely?
- Would travelling to and from in-person sessions help me prepare and process, or make therapy harder to attend?
- Do I have enough privacy for online therapy?
- Which option feels like a realistic regular commitment?
- Would I like the option of both?
Many therapists also offer an initial call before you decide whether to start therapy. This can be a good place to ask questions about how they work online, in person, or across both formats.
Choosing what supports the work
The “right” choice is not about choosing the correct version of therapy. Online therapy and in-person therapy can both offer meaningful work.
What matters is which option helps you feel able to show up consistently, speak honestly, and begin to develop a deeper understanding of yourself.
For some people, that will be online. For others, it will be in person. For some, it may be a mixture of both.
