There's still a widespread belief that online therapy is a "lesser" option — something you choose when you can't access "real" therapy. The research tells a different story.
What the studies show
Multiple randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses have found that video-based therapy produces outcomes equivalent to in-person therapy for the vast majority of conditions — including anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD and relationship issues. The therapeutic alliance — the quality of the client-therapist relationship — forms just as strongly online.
Where online therapy has advantages
For many clients, online therapy is not just equal — it is superior. Being in your own environment reduces the activation that can come with entering a clinical space. There is no commute, no waiting room, no social performance required before and after the session. Clients often report feeling more able to be themselves from their own home.
Accessibility changes everything
Before online therapy, geography was destiny. A person in Payyanur, Kannur, or a small town in Kerala had access to fewer mental health resources than someone in Mumbai or Bangalore. Online therapy erases this entirely. Aswin works with clients across all of Kerala, India, the Gulf, the UK and beyond — with no reduction in session quality.
When in-person might be preferred
For some presentations — severe PTSD requiring somatic work, for instance — in-person work may be preferable. Aswin assesses this individually and advises accordingly. In-person sessions are available at his practice in Payyanur, Kannur district.
Try online therapy today →"The medium matters far less than the relationship. If you trust your therapist, if they know you, if the work is personalised to you — healing happens. Online or in-person."