what is Online psychotherapy and counselling online therapy

Online psychotherapy and counselling can be called many things; e-therapy, telehealth, skype therapy, online therapy, etc.  It can be delivered by many different methods including online chat and email and video/audio conversations. 

When I refer to online therapy, I mean a talking therapy delivered over the internet using face to face video communication (webcam or mobile).

Why do people choose to do Online Therapy?

The reasons that people decide to work online can (mostly) be divided into two categories; circumstance or choice.

Circumstance might include:

• You don’t live close to the therapist you want to work with. You’re unable to leave your home for whatever reason; young child, agoraphobia, disability, etc.
• You travel a lot with work so cannot always make sessions in your hometown.
• The therapist you want to work with has no availability for offline therapy. 
• You live in a country that does not have access to English speaking therapists or there are no therapists in your country at all. 
• Your schedule varies so much that pinning down times is easier with more flexibility.
• You work anti-social hours, when you are awake, therapists near you are asleep.

Choice could be:

• You do not want to or cannot spend time travelling to and from therapy. 
• You feel you want to be more anonymous. Compared to in person therapy there is no waiting area, no questions about where you are or who you are with, etc.
• You want the flexibility of day/time as you prefer having freedom rather than being restricted to the same day/time each week. 
• You prefer the physical distance between you and your therapist which might help you talk more easily.
• You need or want to keep costs down. Online therapy is often more cost effective as the fee is lower and there are no travel costs.
• You find communication online to be easier than communication in person.

Does Online Therapy Work?

If you have decided you might like to give online therapy a go, you might be wondering if it works at all. 

In my experience, the short answer is yes. 

Clients have told me that it feels like the technology disappears after a few minutes and it's then like we're in the same room. 

Clients can have all the benefits of therapy from the location of their choice. 

There is also a growing body of evidence for online therapy being effective in academic literature. 

In the UK the NHS is using this type of technology more and more to provide services to clients online, for the same reasons as people use it privately.

Who is Online Therapy suitable for?

In general, online therapy is very effective for most people.

However, there are some circumstances that can cause people difficulties:

• Clients who do not have a space that works for therapy. (Quiet, no interruptions, private, etc.)
• People without WiFi or mobile data plans.
• If you want to talk freely and openly about things going on in your relationships, if someone else is nearby it may hinder the process.
• Your internet or mobile connection isn’t stable. It can be really difficult to have to repeat yourself during some parts of therapy if all your therapist saw (and heard) was a pixelated version of you.

I hope this has helped in explaining more about online counselling to you. 

Please feel free to explore the rest of the site and if you would like more information then do contact me, or go ahead and book a session.

I offer all clients a free initial consultation. It gives you a chance to see if this will work for you without charge.

Talking with a qualified therapist will make you feel better.  

Please contact me with any questions either by email on the contact me page or book a free and no commitment session by clicking book now . 

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