It remains nearly impossible for a person suffering from mental illnesses to seek assistance, especially because for many years now, this sector has not been viewed in a positive light. This, together with cultural beliefs, being afraid to be ostracised and being ignorant on this part of illness, has made many endure in pain. Nevertheless, in the recent past, teletherapy has been recvomened as a radical technology not only in the provision of mental health services but also the try to remove the social barriers of seeking help for mental health. Accessibility, anonymity and option for scheduling online therapies have a critical role in destigmatising mental health treatment making it a routine part of people’s life.

Across the world cultures especially in the previous generations, mental issues have not been considered important, and anyone who is demonstrated to have a mental problem is mistreated. Mental health patients have throughout history been ignored, laughed at, or just plain old not understood. Earlier, people did not go in for therapy oronline counseling and such peoples were considered as /weak, failures or personally inadequate and many of them suffered or eschewed treatment. These are dire repercussions of this stigma NDH; have led to under telecom of the mental heath illnesses, reluctance in seeking the help, and even exacerbation of mental heath problems.

Namely, mental health significant progress has been achieved in the last few years, but discrimination from society remains a major issue for most. Community prejudices include ideas everyone requires to keep his or her psychological issues to themselves or that one needs to endure through the problem. Also, the general meaning of stigma can further be experienced by people at the periphery of mainstream society such as women, the gay, black, poor and other such relatives of the oppressed. Consequently, people suffer alone and their mental illness remain unnoticed and unheard.

The role which Web-Based Counseling Plays in Counteracting the Stigma

Virtual consultation has emerged as one of the solutions for the problems presented by conventional office-based sessions. It is less intrusive and noticeable and can be reached more easily which is another way thatIt plays a role in fighting mental health stigma. There are several key ways in which online therapy is helping to normalize mental health care:

1. Availability and convenience  

Obesity of care is one of the greatest barriers to trying to get treatment for mental health. Many people can barely afford to see therapists in person due to distance, financial problems or other schedules. Online therapy leaves out many of barriers listed above. Even with face-to-face contact being limited, clients can even access psychotherapy through video call, phone or even messages meaning they can get help whether they are at home, work or even when they are travelling.

This accessibility is a critical factor in removing the tropical stigma on therapy. When people can go through this process without feeling like they are doing something exceptional and going through a complicated procedure, then it is much easier to go for therapy. Since online therapy provides the patient with an opportunity to have a therapist of their choice and set their own schedule, there is a greater chance that the patient will ask for assistance. Slowly such therapies are becoming part of the regular check-up and with time therapy becomes somewhat of a new norm in the evaluations altering the culture through process.

2. Anonymity and Privacy

 In as much as online therapy has been seen as having its share of disadvantages, the major way in which it minimizes stigma is through the anonymities/privacies it offers. While face-to-face therapy, it is-always possible that someone would see you physically getting into the therapist’s office or just leaving it, which might attract shameful or otherwise uncomfortable attention. The stigmatization processes may be severely oppressive to minorities with health problems because this is the main thing that is making them afraid to be spotted by others.

Unlike face-to-face therapy, with online therapy, clients can attend therapy sessions in the comfort of their own homes and no one will know it. It can decrease the likelihood of exposure significantly thus making it so much easier for people to start on this journey. In this case, people who are very much aware of the social discriminations and prejudices that are associated with mental health, can do online therapies without being stigmatized.

Another advantage of online therapy platforms is the low identification factor where a client is not comfortable disclosing his or her details to a therapist. I have come to learn that, through text, most clients are allowed to get therapists talking through the mediums of text and this is particularly helpful for the people who have social anxiety or for those who experience difficulty in speaking coherently. In this respect, online therapy is less prescriptive than conventional therapy in the sense that clients get the chance to participate in mental health care in compliance with their individual preferences .

3. So there simpler mode of reducing Face of Therapy is also a robust and effective option for therapy.

 Conventional treatment has always been depicted in a certain manner; the therapist, chair and couch and extremely controlled kind of communication. In some ways it is reassuring, but may also appear to be threatening or unattainable to others. That is why people prefer online therapy instead of traditional, as it is more informal and allows you to come up with the right time. While sitting in their personal space, clients can engage in the therapy process using devices with which they are literate, for instance smartphones or laptops.

Such a shift in how therapy is perceived can be miseaningful to the many people for whom it can be liberating. In contrast to traditional therapy where a client meets her therapist at the clinic/vigorous/for a set number of sessions per week, the experience with an online therapist feels a lot more natural. This is particularly important as the nature of therapy can be associated with shame or weaknesses owing to the tasks being set on the internet, and the relative ease with which the tasks can be accomplished. When therapy is perceived as a normal and natural part of life as any person does, then the available stigmatization indicators of mental health care tend to disappear.

In addition, the rise of online therapy applications like BetterHelp and Talkspace and others makes the list of therapists more diverse. Clients are free to select from a list of providers and it is not necessary that all of them are certified clinical social workers thereby contributing to the fact that the concept of one- size fits all therapy is gradually fading off. Since more diverse options of online therapy are available, people get to perceive it as a regular form of help. 

4. Bringing Mental Health In the Wellness Discussion

 In the last few years, mental health has somehow shifted to a more general discussion of health and fitness. Today, a lot of people have news that the state of wellbeing of one’s mind is as crucial as the wellbeing of the body, and that they have to pay attention to the state of their emotions. But as online therapy widely discussed and used – it is an addition to this process of inclusion of mental health into a list of essential aspects of human life.

Due to endorsement by celebrities, prominence in media and going viral in social media platform, the call for mental health care has gained prominence. Many people from celebrities down to sportsmen, movers, and shakers, actors, and social media influencers are now out in the open discussing things such as mental health issues and therapy. This has ensured that besides being a proof of glamour, getting assistance from health professionals for a mental ailment is considered a sign of power.

Therapy through the Internet has been used in making mental treatment part of this discussion. Names like BetterHelp and Talkspace ring a bell, which is a clear indication that people need not to struggle in order to join the conversation. When the message is that therapy is an everyday device used by normal folks going about their business, the idea of the undesirable is weathered. 

5. Reducing the Fear of Judgment

The main consequence of stigma that seems to be the most crippling is the loss of the fear of being stared at. Some persons have fear that if they go to therapy they will be seen as ‘crazy,’ or deficient. Online therapy creating a space which can be protected from people’s insight helps to get rid of fear of judgment. It also allows people to get a therapy on their own without necessarily having to worry how others are going to judge them.

It can be argued that the most valuable asset of the therapy process is the clients’ capability to self-direct this process. One benefit of teletherapy is the flexibility of using it; to see a therapist is up to the individual and include the time, place, and even how they do it. One big advantage of using online therapy is that the stigma is

significantly reduced as more and more people use it for the treatment of any mental disorder. 

The fourth topic area is The Future of Online Therapy And Stigma.

Despite the achievement made some of the barriers have been played down with regard to mental health. Virtual therapy is not yet available for everyone, and some patients can experience certain difficulties when joining the online sessions – technological or financial ones, for example. However, there can still be cultures that dissociate themselves from mental health care because of some culturally instilled beliefs or myths. However, as a form of therapy practiced via the internet it has the potential to set a very long-term cultural trend. The more people embrace online therapy as a way of managing their health, then it becomes part of the daily practice. Taking into consideration the further development of telehealth technologies and constant vivid discussions of the issue of mental health, it can … overcome the stigmatization of good. 

Conclusion

Therefore, online therapy is a tool for combating the prejudice that is so resistant to social change when it comes to attitudes concerning mental health. Accessibility, anonymity and convenience are the benefits that Online therapy affords to everyone willing to seek a professional help without fear of being judged or face the consequences. Continued use of online therapy as part of a normal regime will indeed bring about a society that embraces mental health care and treatment, thus, bring about such a society where the mental aspect of health is a normal part of the general health.