Is Online Counselling a Good Fit For You?

You may be considering starting therapy and feel unsure about accessing your appointments remotely.

For therapy to be of benefit to you, I believe it is important for you to access your sessions from a medium that you feel comfortable with.

Online therapy offers certain advantages over in-person sessions but also potential challenges.

The aim of this article is to assist you in exploring and gaining more clarity on whether online counselling feels like it would be a good fit for you.

How effective is online counselling & psychotherapy

Online and telephone therapy retain the same fundamental concepts that a face-to-face session does

Research consistently demonstrates that online therapy is as effective as accessing sessions in person. However, whilst there are advantages to accessing therapy remotely it can also bring with it extra challenges.

Who is online therapy suitable for?

There are a variety of factors that can influence whether online therapy is something that would suit you.

Accessing sessions remotely may be more suited to you or less depending on your:

• Your situation

  • Disability;

  • Access to transport;

  • Reasonable internet connection or mobile signal;

• Environment

  • You would need a space free of distractions;

  • You would need to ensure you won’t be overheard or interrupted.

• Comfort levels with using technology:

  • Able to use MS Teams and keep your software up to date to ensure your privacy during sessions. Although I will always try my best to help if you experience any IT difficulties.

• Personal preference:

  • Do you feel comfortable speaking on-line

Advantages & Challenges of online counselling

Advantages

There are a number of advantages to accessing counselling online or over the telephone. Some of these might include:

• No travel time;

• Not having to go out when the weather is bad;

• Being in the comfort of your own environment and;

• Feeling able to talk more openly.

Possible Challenges

If you visit a therapist in their office, the counsellor will ensure that the space they work from adequately protects your privacy, we would both be able to see each other's full body language and there would be no potential technological issues.

When it comes to online and telephone therapy there are some things that the therapist cannot do, such as create a quiet and private space on your end. If you have a busy house or young children it may not be so easy to find the privacy you need.

You may not feel comfortable speaking online as you would face-to-face with someone.

I have written a different article that looks at the potential challenges in more depth and offers suggestions on possible ways around these.

Questions to consider

If you’re unsure about accessing your therapy remotely it might be useful for you to reflect on the following questions: 

• Do I feel confident and comfortable speaking over the internet? Some people can find communicating this way is anxiety provoking whilst others feel more comfortable and are able to talk more freely;

• Do I have a stable enough internet connection or mobile phone signal? A very poor signal could be distracting for us both and make communication difficult;

• Do I have a space that is private where our discussions will not be overheard by others? If you don’t have such a space there may be ways of making your setting more private. For example, placing a radio outside of your door, or accessing your session from a parked vehicle.

• Do I have a space that is free from external interruptions? For example, ensuring others in your location don’t walk into your room during your session;

• Am I confident in expressing my feelings verbally? As some of your body language will not be available to the therapist as it would be in a face-to-face session;

• Do I feel confident in being able to tell my therapist if I feel they have misheard or misunderstood what I’m saying? Research suggests that misunderstandings are more likely to occur than they would in face-to-face sessions. This is because there is a reduction in body language that may make it more challenging for both the client and the therapist to gauge each other's reactions as accurately;

How to choose an online therapist

You may be surprised to hear that anyone can call themselves an online counsellor, psychotherapist or therapist. None of these is protected titles and can lead to unethical practices. It can be confusing knowing what to look out for in choosing a counsellor. Here are things to consider if you are looking for an online therapist:

• Qualifications. Do they have a minimum of a Foundation Degree (Level 5) in this area?

• Is this qualification from a reputable organisation? One that is run by a University, or college or accredited by a therapy association.

• Is the therapist a member and/or accredited by a relevant association? A therapist doesn’t need to be a member of an Association. However, organisations usually have set criteria for counsellors to meet in order to be a member. It is also an indication that the counsellor has made a commitment to following the ethical guidelines of that body. There are many counselling associations out there but some are more recognised and trusted than others.

• Online therapy training. Does the therapist have experience and specific training in this area?

• Does the therapist offer you the type of online therapy you are looking for? There are different types of online therapy, such as:

  • email;

  • text;

  • live chat;

  • Video conferencing e.g. Zoom or Teams.

I have a Master’s Degree (Level 7) in Counselling & Psychotherapy from York St John University. I am accredited by the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). I have undertaken training for online & telephone counselling and have three years of experience working this way.

Online appointments are by the video conferencing software Microsoft Teams.

Still unsure about online counselling?

Sometimes we have to experience things before we are able to figure out whether something feels as if it is a good fit for us or not.

If that is the case you might want to book an initial session to see how you find it. There is no obligation beyond this. The first session is a chance to try things out, such as whether I’m the right therapist for you and how you feel about accessing therapy online.

Questions or making an appointment

If you have any questions or would like to book an online appointment please get in contact with me.