There are clear Advantages to Online Counselling/Psychotherapy. These became obvious in the health and safety crisis we are experiencing.
Online Counselling/Psychotherapy can help people to obtain services when normally they could not, especially in this time where face to face contact is limited.
Other reasons people seek online counselling are time restraints, transport problems or location. Working individuals can access therapy during non-working hours with more ease. Online Counselling/Psychotherapy is adaptable for different disabilities. Parents with no childcare or with busy schedules can obtain services easier.
This way of therapy has been shown to be helpful and treatment has been shown often to be faster, which is sometimes desirable, although it also holds the issue of feeling immersed strongly. I will address this making sure that the pace of your therapy is according to your own wish.
There are of course requirements of you as the client, which are unavoidable and wouldn’t exist in face-to-face therapy forms: a good internet connection or phone line is absolutely necessary. Privacy is another requirement. In order to work together online, you will need a room where you feel private and cannot be overheard.
There are also some Disadvantages to Online Counselling/Psychotherapy:
Misunderstandings and misinterpretations can happen, which is the reason that clarification may be more necessary in the process.
Emergency handling may be an issue. Therefore Online Counselling/Psychotherapy is NOT suitable for everyone. People in acute crisis are not suitable for this form of therapy. I will do my utmost to discuss all eventualities and precautions with you and also discuss what supports you may have available. This is of course same in face-to-face therapy forms.
Confidentiality is key, as it is in face-to-face counselling. Therefore an end-to-end encrypted platform is a must. To ensure fully secured sessions I use a platform that has been specifically designed for online counselling, which is also easy to access. You will receive a direct link to access the sessions at the agreed times.
