Online Counseling for Single Moms

One of the most challenging aspects of today’s society is having to raise your children on your own. Single mothers face more difficulties than one might originally think. It is not only an issue about being more stressed. It is also an issue about finding the proper financial support, balancing work hours and time with your family without any external help, higher exposure to mental health problems, and the list goes on and on.

In 2020, there were around 15.49 million families with a female householder and no spouse present in the United States. If we are to compare the numbers to how things were back 30 years ago, the statistics show a dramatic increase by almost 4 million families with only single mothers to support their home and offspring.

It should, therefore, not come as any surprise that single mothers are facing more and more hardships in managing their homes and children on their own. This is probably the main reason why so many single mothers have started to consider online therapy as a means to aid them.

After all, online therapy presents many tools to deal with the stress and possible mental health issues that single mothers face in this day and age.

Why Choose Online Therapy?

You would expect our current society to be more understanding and ready to aid those parents who struggle on their own. However, that is not always the case.

There is still a lot of stigma associated with single parenthood and not enough support, be it moral or of another nature, to be found. And while groups of like-minded people are out there, they are not always as easily accessible as you might think.

So why is online therapy one of the best ways to seek help? Here are several reasons.

Comfortable

Attending therapy when you have kids can be challenging. It’s especially true for single mothers, who are often the only ones who look after their children. With online therapy, you don’t have to take your baby to appointments or hire a babysitter. 

Online therapy saves you all the traveling hassle as well as costs. All you need to do to connect with your therapist is a good internet connection. 

Parent therapy online is suited for mothers alone and also the ones who want to attend therapy with their children. 

Online therapy is also well suited for mothers living in rural areas or struggling with a disability. 

Adaptable to any schedule

Online therapy allows you to schedule your sessions from the comfort of your home at a time you are not working. As a single mother, you may not even have time to schedule regular sessions, as your schedule is quite busy. 

However, that doesn’t mean that you have to stay without help. Online therapy allows you to easily book sessions anytime and reschedule them if something happens. 

Moreover, you can opt for messaging therapy that allows you to communicate with a therapist daily. It’s extremely comfortable for new mothers whose schedule depends on their baby. You can read a therapist's message anytime you have a free minute. 

Most therapy platforms guarantee daily therapist’s response, while others ensure that you will get at least 2 messages a day. However, you can also decide with your therapist on messaging sessions at a convenient time for both of you. 

After all, choosing online therapy will allow you to get help without limiting your time with the family.

Specialized help at your fingertips

Some single mothers require day-to-day support with their children, while others have more complex needs. Obviously, the therapist you might require to work with depends on these conditions. 

With online therapy, you don’t have to worry about traveling to a different city in order to access specialized help. Once you and your therapist establish what your needs and difficulties are, you can be referred to someone who can provide specific therapy. It won’t matter if they are hundreds of miles away since everything will be dealt with online.

More affordable than face-to-face therapy

Online counseling adds another great advantage to the mix when it comes to financial means. It is not only more accessible but also cheaper than live sessions. You are still getting the support you need along with all the benefits mentioned above but within a more affordable price range.

For many single mothers, that is an essential part of why they would decide whether to access online counseling or not. They will not have to worry about not making ends meet with online counseling, and that is very important for a parent who has so many costs to consider and deal with on their own.

Why Is Online Counseling for Single Moms So Important?

Studies have clearly shown that stress levels in unmarried mothers in the weeks just after giving birth are exponentially higher than those who are married. Therefore it should be no surprise that single moms are exposed to higher stress levels.

As a consequence, they are also more prone to developing mental health disorders, be it anxiety, depression, postpartum depression, or even postpartum psychosis. These are all significant mental health problems and, depending on their severity, can have devastating effects not only on single moms but also on their children.

For postpartum depression alone, predictors that have constantly arisen are single mothers with poor incomes. Children require a lot of attention and care growing up, and they are very sensitive, especially in their first year after birth. They can easily be placed under various forms of risk if their mother becomes unwell and does not do anything to treat their illness.

Newborns are not the only ones that can feel the repercussions of having a mother with mental health problems. As children, teenagers, or even young adults growing up with a mom struggling with mental health problems can lead to them developing unadaptive personality traits or even mental health issues of their own.

These can all be prevented, and risks can be minimized if only single moms were given the opportunity to nip all of this in the bud.

These alone are very valid reasons to offer extra support for single mothers, and online counseling is a good start. While it is true that it can’t aid in all mental health problems (for instance, postpartum psychosis requires direct mental health interventions, which include treatment in an inpatient setting and drug treatments), it can be of great help to others.

Does Online Counseling for Single Moms Actually Have Positive Results?

Online counseling is still considered by some researchers to be less effective than a combination of both live sessions and online input. However, more and more studies show that it can be just as effective as live counseling.

After all, the therapists use the same materials to work with their patients online as they would if they saw them face to face. They also have the ability to observe and evaluate their patient as clearly in both situations (except when texting, of course). And they can always reassess the risks and request further specialized treatment if online therapy is no longer enough to maintain the client’s well-being. 

While online counseling does not solve all the problems a single mother can face, the benefits of online therapy are numerous and can even prevent developing more serious risks associated with single parenthood.

Get the Much Needed Help With Online Therapy for Single Moms

If you are a single mom and are currently struggling with any of the difficulties mentioned in this article, give online counseling a try. You can easily get in touch with an online therapist, present your issues in depth, and see whether you can find a means to resolve your problems together with a specialized professional.

You will surely find this experience of great use to both you and your child. It’s accessible, and you can always adapt things to your needs.

But most importantly, give your child and yourself a better quality of life by preventing stress and other risks from developing into mental health difficulties.

If you want to get more information about online therapy, check our website.