Online therapy for addiction: how it works and who it suits

There is a phrase we hear often when someone calls us for the first time: "I would like to start, but I am not sure I will be able to make it to the sessions." Many different lives fit behind that doubt. Someone who lives on another island with no centre nearby. Someone who works shifts and cannot guarantee a fixed hour each week. Someone who, quite simply, would rather not run into a familiar face in a waiting room. For all of these people, online therapy by video call has stopped being a stopgap and become a serious, effective way to ask for help.

At Reconectar, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, we support processes of addiction and codependency with an open method, without residential admission and with direct care from the therapists themselves. We offer that same way of working in person at our centre or by video call, whichever suits each person better. And we want to explain calmly how the online option works, what you can expect from it, and in which cases it is worth thinking twice.

What online therapy for an addiction really is

Online therapy does not mean filling in a form and receiving automatic advice. It means sitting in front of a screen, at the agreed time, and talking to a flesh-and-blood therapist who listens to you, asks questions and works with you session by session. It is the same therapy as always, with the same professionals and the same kind of process; the only thing that changes is that the conversation travels through a video call instead of happening in the same room.

In the field of addiction and codependency, the work involves understanding what sustains the use or the behaviour, putting words to what hurts, building new ways to self-regulate and holding on to the changes over time. None of that depends on being physically in the same room. It depends on consistency, on honesty and, above all, on the bond with the person who walks alongside you.

Why it works just as well for many people

The question we are asked most is an honest one: "does it really work the same as going in person?" For a good number of people, yes. Online therapy has become well established in recent years and, for many processes, it is as effective as in-person care. The key lies in something we sometimes forget: what heals is not the couch in the office, it is the therapeutic relationship.

That bond, the sense of being understood, of being able to show yourself without a mask, of having someone on your side without judging you, is built through the gaze, the tone of voice, the shared silence and the continuity week after week. All of that is preserved at a distance. In fact, some people open up sooner on a video call, from the safety of their own home, than in an office they walked into with a knot in their stomach. For some, the screen lowers the initial shame and makes it possible to say out loud what they had kept quiet for years.

The real advantages of therapy by video call

This is not about selling the online option as if it were perfect, but about recognising what it brings to everyday life:

• You do it from home. No travelling, no hunting for parking, no losing half a morning going there and back. You finish the session and carry on with your day.
• It reaches where a physical centre cannot. If you live on another Canary Island, in a town with no resources nearby or away from the archipelago, distance stops being an excuse. We care for someone in Gran Canaria just as we do for someone who writes to us from Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or mainland Spain.
• Flexible hours. For those who work shifts or travel often, fitting in a video call is usually easier than arranging a journey to the centre.
• Discretion. No one sees you come in or leave. For many people, that anonymity is exactly what they needed in order to take the first step.
• Continuity whatever happens. If you travel for work, move house or spend a while away, the process does not break off. You keep your usual therapist, without starting from scratch every time your circumstances change.
• No endless waiting lists. Getting started is usually quicker when you do not depend on anyone's travel schedule.

Who it fits especially well

Online therapy works particularly well when life puts physical obstacles between you and help. We think of the person who lives on an island with no specialised centre, of someone with reduced mobility, of mothers and fathers who cannot leave the house at certain times, of those who travel constantly for work, or of someone who, for whatever reason, does not want to be seen walking into an addiction centre. It is also a good entry point for anyone who has been turning the idea over for a long time and needs the first step to be as easy as possible: sometimes, opening a laptop is less daunting than walking through a door.

When online therapy is not enough on its own

We would not be honest if we said everything can be solved through a screen. There are situations in which direct presence and supervision are necessary, and it is worth knowing this from the start.

The clearest case is a detoxification with medical risk. When the body physically depends on a substance, such as alcohol or certain medications, withdrawal can cause complications that require in-person medical assessment and monitoring. That cannot be managed by video call. In those cases, the responsible thing is to coordinate that part first with the appropriate healthcare resources and, once the person is stable, to continue with psychological support, which certainly can be online.

Nor is it the ideal option when there is an acute crisis, a serious risk to one's own safety, or a home environment that allows no privacy to talk. At those moments we assess with you what you really need and, if it is necessary to refer you or combine it with in-person care, we say so clearly. Our goal is not to fit you into a format, but for you to receive the right help.

What an online session is like from the inside

Many people imagine something complicated and are surprised by how simple it turns out to be. An online session is, in essence, a conversation of about fifty minutes by video call. We agree on a day and time, you receive a link and, at the appointed hour, you connect. There is no need to install anything strange or to have technical knowledge.

What you do need is little and easy to put together:

• A phone, a tablet or a computer with a camera and microphone. Almost any current device will do.
• A reasonably stable internet connection.
• A private space where you can talk calmly, without interruptions and without fear of being overheard. It can be a room, a parked car or any corner where you feel safe for that while.

That last point is the most important. Not because of the technology, but because therapy calls for privacy. If you do not have it at home, we talk about it and look for a solution together; some people do the session from their car precisely to guarantee themselves that space.

Confidentiality and security

What you share in therapy is yours and stays between you and your therapist, just as if you were sitting in our office. The online format does not change that rule. We work with video-call tools that protect the privacy of the conversation and we do not record the sessions. The whole process is confidential, and any question you have about how we handle your information you can raise freely before we begin.

The bond and commitment at a distance

A legitimate worry is whether, through a screen, you end up disconnecting or taking the process less seriously. Our experience is that the opposite happens when the frame is well looked after. We keep the sessions at the same time, with the same regularity, with tasks and agreements between one and the next, and with a therapist who truly knows and follows you. Commitment does not come from the place: it comes from the relationship and from both sides holding up their part.

We do ask one thing of you for it to work: treat the online session with the same respect as an in-person one. Set aside that time, switch off notifications, be alone and present. That small ritual of sitting down, closing the door and connecting makes all the difference.

Combining online and in-person

You do not have to choose once and for all. Many people alternate: they start in person and move to online when their situation changes, or the other way round. Some do most of their sessions by video call and keep an in-person meeting in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for particular moments. As the same therapists carry out the support, moving from one format to the other does not force you to rebuild the bond or to retell your story. The process is a single one; the way of meeting adapts to your life.

How to start at Reconectar

Getting started is easier than it seems. You write or call us, we arrange a first appointment and, in it, we listen to your situation without rushing and without judgement. From there we decide together how to continue: in person in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, by video call, or combining both. There is no residential admission and no fixed stages; it is an open method that adjusts to you, with direct care from the therapists from the very first conversation.

If you have been turning it over for a while, do not let distance or timetables be what holds you back. Book an appointment and let's talk. The first step, sometimes, fits inside a video call.

Frequently asked questions

Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?

For a large proportion of people and processes, yes. What makes the difference is the bond with the therapist and consistency, and both hold up well at a distance. There are specific cases, such as a detoxification with medical risk, where presence and supervision are needed; there, online care is not enough on its own, and we will tell you so clearly.

What do I need to connect to a session?

A phone, a tablet or a computer with a camera and microphone, an internet connection and a private space where you can talk calmly. We send you a link and you connect at the agreed time; you do not have to install complicated software.

Is what I say on a video call confidential?

Completely. What you share stays between you and your therapist, just as in an in-person session. We use tools that protect privacy and we do not record the sessions.

Can I switch from online to in-person, or alternate the two?

Yes. You can start one way and change when you need to, or combine online sessions with an in-person meeting in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. As the same therapists care for you, the process continues without interruption.