In today’s fast-paced world, online therapy has become an avenue for people to take a break and care for their mental health without taking too much time out of their busy schedules. However, at some point during this process, one might find oneself at a fork where one needs to decide whether to continue with the therapy or not. Here are some signs that it may be time to put an end to online therapy sessions.

Reaching a plateau
During an online therapy session, it is important to discuss new insights, exercises, approaches, or strategies that can positively impact one’s life. However, this begins to diminish with time, resulting in a plateau. At this point, the therapist may not have any new advice to share, making therapy feel like a pointless expense. Depending on one’s overall health, one should talk to the therapist about terminating the treatment, and the possibility of speaking to a new therapist.

Lack of things to talk about
With repeated online therapy sessions, the same stories are bound to resurface. However, if one notices that the pattern is repeating over and over again, it may be time to consider terminating the sessions. This can be an indicator that the underlying cause is not being addressed, resulting in a cycle of repeated sessions.

Changing needs
Sometimes, one’s needs may change tremendously as one takes therapy. For instance, one may be comfortable with online therapy sessions during the initial stages. However, as the conversations grow more intense and emotional, one may want to double-check the privacy and confidentiality factor by meeting for sessions in person. If the therapist does not offer in-person sessions, discomfort or distrust may set in, slowing down treatment progress.

Ineffective treatment
Every therapist may not be able to provide the treatment one needs. If patients feel like they are leaving every session feeling “stuck”, their therapist may not be right for them. During online sessions, the therapist may even appear distracted or caught up in other tasks, which can be off-putting for some people and affect the treatment progress. In such scenarios, it is better to terminate the relationship or end the online therapy sessions and look for a new therapist.

Feeling ready to move on
Like any other relationship, sometimes people may feel ready to move on with their therapy sessions as well. This may occur when a person feels they have made sufficient progress towards their goals, or want to continue their healing on their own. If this happens, one can choose to stop online therapy sessions altogether, or slowly phase them out.

Mental health therapy sessions can work wonders for some people, helping them improve their communication skills, sleep patterns, overall life satisfaction, happiness, mental function, productivity, physical well-being, and stress management skills. However, these changes experienced during therapy are unique to each individual, making the decision to end therapy a rather personal one. Before pulling the plug, one should evaluate the progress and goals to make a well-informed decision.