Online counselling can help you get the support you're looking for, whether it's relationship counselling, couples counselling, or counselling for parents. So don't let the thought of therapy remotely put you off. It gives you the choice of working with the right counsellor, regardless of where you are. You can find a counsellor that suits your needs rather than your geography.
As a result of Covid, you may have become more used to speaking with people remotely by telephone or video (who would have guessed that Zoom meetings would become the norm?). During this time, we've got used to working arrangements, school lessons, dance classes, and even socialising being held via video. And so, online counselling has also become part of the new normal. While it might seem a little daunting at first, and let's face it, starting counselling can be daunting, it opens the door for people who might not have considered it before. Remote counselling by telephone or secure video link is a practical, accessible and convenient option for getting counselling. There's more flexibility regarding time and location, and you can speak with the counsellor to help with your specific issue without worrying about public transport or parking. You can find a counsellor that suits your needs rather than your geography.
Before the pandemic, I hadn't given online counselling much thought; if anything, I considered it a little niche. Then when I was working over the first lockdown, and it was all online, it made me look at it differently. I recognised that it made counselling accessible to people when they needed it. So I decided that this was something that I could keep going with. Working online means I can work with people wherever they are in the country without being hampered by distance. The relationship between counsellor and client is meaningful. If someone looks and finds a counsellor they think they might want to work with, it seems a shame that this relationship might not have space to grow or develop just because of geography. I know online therapy is not for everyone, clients or therapists; it's all about choice. I still do face-to-face work for an organisation, and I love it. Working online is a way to help the people I work with best, no matter where they are. It's convenient; you don't have to worry about parking, accessibility or other things that might add to people's stress. Working online from home has made me think carefully about my boundaries. I realised that my pattern has been to keep working, and I have worked to recognise where my workday finishes and where my home and leisure time begins. I love that I get to speak with people from all over the country that otherwise I wouldn't have met or worked with them. I absolutely will continue working online for the foreseeable future.
What to expect
Confidentiality is vital to counselling, so you can feel comfortable and safe talking about whatever you need to talk about. We'll have sessions scheduled for a set time using a secure internet connection on an encrypted web platform. I hold my sessions in a quiet, private room.
It's also essential that you are sitting comfortably for the session. Find a comfy chair in a private room and make sure you have all the supplies you need (perhaps a cup of tea and some tissues because…well, just in case). The session will last 50 minutes, so you might want to use headphones so you don't have to worry about holding a phone or iPad up for the best part of an hour.
Your session is time dedicated to you, so you might want to think about putting your phone on silent and sitting somewhere quiet and confidential. I know home working has challenges, so we'll talk about handling interruptions.
I’m on the telly…
Seeing yourself on screen can be odd (I'm used to it now, but it took a while!), so let me know if you feel like this, and we can discuss it. Your top half should be visible, so place the webcam so we can see each other's body language. With online couples therapy, you and your partner can either sit together or log in from different locations simultaneously.
Counselling connection
One of the most important indicators of how effective counselling will be is the relationship between the counsellor and the client. Finding the right counsellor for you is essential to its effectiveness. I have considerable experience in delivering counselling remotely and work to ensure you feel comfortable. I've found the connection can be positive because we're both in the comfort of our homes. Online counselling can help you get the support you're looking for, whether it's relationship counselling, couples counselling, or counselling for parents. So don't let the thought of counselling remotely put you off. It gives you the choice of working with the right counsellor, regardless of where you are. Get in touch to schedule your free initial consultation to help you discover whether you feel able and comfortable for us to work together. Find the person you connect with and who you think you will work with to help with your issue, and let that be the factor that enables you to decide.
