Online Counselling:                                        

Online is becoming increasingly popular as a way of having counselling. It can be as effective as working face-to-face with a therapist, possible platforms can be E-mail, Instant Messaging (Chat) or Webcam.

Working online is the same as face-to-face counselling in that clients have the choice to have a number of sessions leading on from each other or they may have just one to try it out and give it a go. Some clients start online and then move to face-to-face therapy, the choice is always with the client.

Counselling can provide someone with the support they need at certain times in their life. This could perhaps be when they are going through a difficult time and need to talk to someone, or perhaps they would like to explore and work through a difficult decision that has come up for them. Online counselling provides the same service here as face-to-face working.

Benefits of online counselling over meeting face to face:

• It can be more practical, you don’t have to travel long distances to see a therapist, it can fit around your commitments.
• You can access it from the comfort of your home or other confidential private space. 
• It may be easier to ‘meet’ someone online rather than face to face, sometimes it can be easier to talk about challenging issues online without the actual presence of someone in the room.
• Online counselling also works well as a stepping stone allowing someone who is anxious to get to know their counsellor before moving to face to face counselling.

Online Counselling it may not suit everyone:

• If you do not feel comfortable with the technical aspects of working online or if you do not have a good internet connection (especially for Webcam).
• If you are unable to access a private space at home or elsewhere.
• At times it may be more difficult to interpret what is being said, there is less non-verbal interaction.
• If you have severe mental health issues, or are actively suicidal.

How Webcam works:

• We will be online at the same time, counselling will use verbal and optical exchanges as would happen with face to face therapy.
• Choosing to use a webcam allows us to see and hear each other which helps form the therapeutic relationship.
• The session will be carried out through an encrypted platform called Zoom which is secure. Zoom is easily downloadable on your phone, tablet or PC.
• Although we will not be in the same physical space, Webcam is the most similar method to a face to face session as we can both see and hear each other at the same time.
• Webcam allows us to pick up on verbal and non-verbal cues which can assist with the counselling process.

For more details on how telephone and messaging counselling works please see the individual sections on my website.