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Online counselling

What is online counselling?  Online counselling is also sometimes known as e-counselling or e-therapy.  It is a way of obtaining help from a professional counsellor without visiting their office to have a meeting with them.  Instead the counselling session take place online (over the internet). There are various ways of doing this but I work with the following types of online counselling:

Email counselling

Counselling by Skype

Why online as opposed to face to face counselling? Technology has become an essential part of all our lives – it can be useful in personal growth work.  Whilst using the internet as a mode of communication for therapy may have seemed somewhat unconventional a few years ago, online counselling is an effective, confidential and convenient alternative to face to face (f2f) sessions. Although client and counsellor may be thousands of miles apart or just around the corner from each other, it feels as though you are in the same room, especially if using Skype voice and webcam.  The counsellor, just as in f2f sessions, will encourage you to explore the situations that are causing you a problem and help you to focus on what exactly is wrong.

F2f counselling works very well but sometimes people are not able, or do not feel comfortable to undertake this type of counselling for many varied reasons.  In the real world some of us work shifts or work full time and can’t commit to get away during the day and may have young families so can’t make evenings and weekends.

In fact there are a whole lot of reasons why online counselling is growing in appeal.

Do you work away?    Are you worried about seeing a counsellor f2f and prefer to stay anonymous?     Would you prefer to talk to someone outside of their local community?     Do you have a disability which makes it difficult to get out and about?      Do you want a greater choice in choosing a counsellor?     Are you a Carer for a family member or have elderly relatives to look after with no support system and can’t get out easily?     Are you about to move away or go away on business which means it could be difficult to commit to f2f counselling?      Do you live in a remote area where it is difficult to get to see a f2f counsellor?

I have set out below how we can work with each type of online counselling but if you are still unsure and  would like to discuss how online counselling might help you, please send me an email.    Enquiries are always free of charge and without obligation.

What sort of issues can I contact you about for online counselling?   On line counselling may be able to help with a wide range of issues.  However not all types of issues can be resolved through online counselling and I will advise you if f2f counselling or some other form of support might be more suitable for you.  Where I consider that online counselling would not be the most suitable means of support I will make every effort to assist you in a referral to a suitable alternative source of support. I do not provide online counselling for addiction issues through email or Skype text. I am not able to provide online counselling to any person who is under the age of 18.

Getting started…. 

After you have contacted me with regard to online counselling.  (PLEASE DO NOT PROVIDE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON YOUR INITIAL ENQUIRY)  I just need some basic information about you and the issues you would like to explore to see if online counselling is suitable for the issues you wish to explore. I will send you a ‘Pre Online Basic Information’ form through a secure medium.  It just needs to be a little background – not too much depth.   This is just so that I can make sure from the outset that online counselling and the medium you choose will be effective and helpful to you.  (CLICK HERE TO APPLY). Once we have agreed that it is,  I will send you a copy of a basic Agreement and ask to confirm that you have read all the terms for email counselling as well as  providing a little more  information.   We will also agree when and how we are to be in contact.  (These are contact emails).  Once I have received the Agreement back and payment has been received we will start online counselling.

How each type of online counselling works in practice……………………..

Counselling by Email

What is email counselling?  Basically, we correspond by secure email. This works very well for most general issues.  Like most things it has advantages and disadvantages.   There is less chance of either of us missing or misunderstanding something because we can always re-read an email or ask a question about it.  Some people find writing is easier for them and they usually find they can be more open than if they were talking f2f.  It also means that you don’t have to wait for the next weekly f2f or Skype session.    There is a time delay but I will return an email to you within 48 hours.  Another advantage being you are able to refer back to it at any time whereas you can’t do that as accurately with remembering a conversation. It is not, in my opinion, the best option for dealing with addiction issues and therefore I prefer not to use this medium when counselling people with these issues as I often set tasks between sessions, whilst there are ways around it, I find they are easier to go through verbally.

Types of email counselling and how it works:

a)  Weekly/periodic emails:  Once we have agreed to work together via this medium and I have received your completed form and notification of payment, I will acknowledge these.  At that time I will ask you to send me details to my hushmail account (details of which I will let you have) of your secure email address (see “what is secure email below” i.e. if you have decided to create one at hushmail.com or whether you have another secure method.)  Then, when you are ready you send me your first counselling email which I will acknowledge receipt of and within 72hours I will send you your first counselling response.  Thereafter we will continue our counselling email contact through your secure email address.

Emails are usually sent weekly, usually on the same day each week until counselling ends. However I am flexible and we can agree the timing of these between ourselves.  Each counselling response will be numbered.

b)  One-off emails: Some people prefer to receive a ‘one-off’ email reply rather than negotiate an Agreement or pay for a package of emails.  This does not require an agreement to be made beforehand.  One-off emails are particularly suitable if your problem only affects a part of your life and you are looking for new ways to deal with it.  Please follow these steps if you want to use this route.

  1. Please contact me to express that you wish to enter into online email counselling and that you wish to subscribe to a ‘one off’ email.  Contact me on a secure email address (if you are unsure about how to obtain one, if you contact me I can talk you through the process before you send me any personal details).
  2. Write a description of your problem giving me a recent example if possible.  Then tell me how long it has been a problem and what you’ve tried to do about it so far (which hasn’t worked) (500 words maximum).
  3. Send it to me and make a card payment of £28.00 by pressing making a bank transfer (details will be given on contacting me).
  4. I will send you a 500 word reply (approx) within 72 hours of receiving your email and payment.

What is secure email?   This can either be by using your regular email but sending the counselling content in an attachment which we password protect; or

a) Opening an account at www.hushmail.com which is an encrypted eamil address; or

b) If you are pretty competent on the computer you can use a USB or mobile key drive.  How this would work is that you would download an internet browser (Firefox or internet explorer) onto a memory stick or other external devise, open an email account with say hotmail and therefore all the correspondence can be held securely off of a ‘public’ computer.

Which way you do it will depend on how confident and competent you feel you are with computers.

Technical Issues:  When dealing with technology, unfortunately anything can go wrong.  Although in my experience these times are very few.  However, if you were unable to get online you may wish to leave me a text or telephone message on 07563 210718 and I would do the same for you on the number you have provided.   In the event of email not being acknowledged by either party within 72 hours of sending it, we will agree to resend it.  If however you do not respond to my email within a further 3 weeks of sending it I will assume that you no longer wish to continue working with me.

Confidentiality:   Online sessions are bound by the same code of ethics as f2f counselling in that both parties agree to keep the details discussed within a session confidential.  As an ethical counsellor I do attend supervision in order that I can give the best possible service to you.  However this again is totally confidential and any details discussed would be anonymous.     I follow the Guidelines for Good Practice for my professional body for which I am member.  (See the Agreement for further details)

Working online is a very secure medium, providing some basic issues are put into place before counselling starts.  For instance it is not desirable to use a shared or work computer.  However sometimes this may be unavoidable so if this is the case it is essential to take some of the precautions as outlined above i.e. by using a secure email account, keeping all information on a separate USB, preferably pass worded.   Consideration must also be given to the time and circumstances when you are making contact.  It is not desirable if you are likely to be overlooked or disturbed – so ideally a secure and quiet environment should be sought.

Security:  At the end of our email agreement a paper copy of the exchanges of emails will be stored securely offline for a period of 5 years in case you wish to return to counselling.  After that time they will be destroyed by secure shredding.  No electronic records will be stored after the end of counselling and in addition all files will be in pass worded files during our exchanges.

Agreement Form:  Before online counselling can begin, we agree when and how it will take place.  It is helpful that we agree our expectations about the timing of counselling communications because we have to trust each other to respond when expected.  We also need to have a back-up plan for a technology crash (the internet and computers are still not 100% effective all of the time) and other emergency situation.

Charges and How to pay:

One off email from me (of approx 500 words) – £28.00

One email (not prepaid) – 28.00

Or pre-paid package of emails (paid ahead in one payment):-

3 emails (£26.50 per email) – £79.50

5 emails (£25.00 per email ) – £125.00

At the initial consultation/enquiry we can discuss which we both feel is the most suitable and beneficial for you. You can pay by bank transfer (details provided when you have made contact)

3 email packages should be completed within one month

5 email packages should be completed within two months

Please note to gain maximum therapeutic benefit, we need to be in regular contact.

Counselling by Skype

What is Skype?:   Skype is a free, high quality video conferencing program that allows us to see and hear each other using your computer and a webcam and microphone.  It also allows text.  Skype is free to download off the internet, easy to install and set up, is free of adware/malware/spyware etc and most importantly is confidential.  Skype is a “Live” medium i.e. that we will communicate in real time.  Some people prefer this medium as it more in line with f2f counselling.

Skype is very easy to use to download and use.   You can download Skype from www.Skype.co.uk.   If you are not very confident with downloading I recommend you look at the following site which has a good tutorial on how to do it although Skype also provide very clear instructions.  www.teachertrainingvideos.com/skype/index.html.

Types of Skype counselling and how it works:  Once we have agreed to work together via this medium and you have returned the agreement to me and made your payment you should then send me details in an email of your Skype address. I will I will then invite you to be a “contact” through Skype.  (How to accept this is clearly explained in the Skype tutorial above (or if you still have difficulty please just contact me via email and I will talk you through it).  We will agree when we are to be in contact.  Counselling by Skype is for one hour weekly at a time agreed between ourselves.  Usually it is the same time each week.

There are three forms of Skype counselling;

a) Skype Text (Live)

Skype text is just like text on a mobile telephone, but on the computer and is in real time.

At the prearranged time I will contact you via Skype and we will conduct counselling via text. Skype keeps a transcript of our text and you can print it off and re-read it at another time.  I would however ask you to bear in mind that at all times our counselling communications are confidential and should be treated as such and not shared with any third party.

Skype counselling by text is not, in my opinion, the best option for dealing with addiction issues and therefore I prefer not to use this medium when counselling people with these issues as I often set tasks between sessions, whilst there are ways around it, I find they are easier to go through verbally.

b) Skype Voice (Live)

Skype voice is like being on a telephone but on the computer.  It is also free.  You will need a microphone and headset unless your computer has built in facilities.

We will also agree when we are to be in contact.  Counselling by Skype voice is for one hour weekly at a time agreed between ourselves.  Usually it is the same time each week.    At the prearranged time I will contact you via Skype and we will conduct counselling. Skype sessions can be recorded if you would like them to be so you can go over them again at another time.  However we will discuss this aspect before we start counselling. I would however ask you to bear in mind that at all times our counselling communications are confidential and should be treated as such and not shared with any third party.

Skype counselling by voice is, in my opinion, a good option for dealing with all issues where a client decides that f2f counselling is not an option for a variety of reasons.

c) Skype voice & webcam (Live)

Skype voice & webcam is my preferred option if a client does not want to attend f2f counselling as both the counsellor and the client can gain a lot more information by body language etc than just text or voice.  You will need a microphone, headset and webcam unless you computer has built in facilities.

We will also agree when we are to be in contact.  Counselling by Skype voice & webcam is for one hour weekly at a time agreed between ourselves.  Usually it is the same time each week.    At the prearranged time I will contact you via Skype and we will conduct counselling. Skype sessions can be recorded if you would like them to be so you can go over them again at another time.  However we will discuss this aspect before we start counselling. I would however ask you to bear in mind that at all times our counselling communications are confidential and should be treated as such and not shared with any third party.

Skype counselling by voice/webcam is, in my opinion, the best option for dealing with all issues where a client decides that f2f counselling is not an option for a variety of reasons.

Technical Issues:  When dealing with technology, unfortunately anything can go wrong.  Although in my experience these times are very few.  However, if you were unable to get online you may wish to leave me a text or telephone message on 07563 210718 and I would do the same for you on the number you have provided.

Confidentiality:  Online sessions are bound by the same code of ethics as f2f counselling in that both parties agree to keep the details discussed within a session confidential.  As an ethical counsellor I do attend supervision in order that I can give the best possible service to you.  However this again is totally confidential and any details discussed would be anonymous.     I follow the Guidelines for Good Practice for my professional body for which I am member.  (See the Agreement for further details) 

Working online is a very secure medium, providing some basic issues are put into place before counselling starts.  For instance it is not desirable to use a shared or work computer.  However sometimes this may be unavoidable so if this is the case it is essential to take some of the precautions as such as keeping all information on a separate USB  preferably pass worded.   Consideration must also be given to the time and circumstances when you are making contact.  It is not desirable if you are likely to be overlooked or disturbed – so ideally a secure and quiet environment should be sought.

Security:  At the end of our work together a paper copy of the exchanges of transcripts will be stored securely offline for a period of 5 years in case you wish to return to counselling.  After that time they will be destroyed by secure shredding.  No electronic records will be stored after the end of counselling and in addition all files will be in pass worded files during our exchanges.

Agreement Form: Before online counselling can begin, we agree when and how it will take place.  It is helpful that we agree our expectations about the timing of counselling communications because we have to trust each other to respond when expected.  We also need to have a back-up plan for a technology crash (the internet and computers are still not 100% effective all of the time) and other emergency situation.

Charges and How to pay:

Live session (one-hour)  – text/audio/webcam – £38.00  per session

Or pre-paid package of sessions (paid ahead in one payment):-

3 one-hour sessions (£36.00 per session) – £108.00

5 one-hour sessions (£34.00 per session) – £170.00

At the initial consultation/enquiry we can discuss which we both feel is the most suitable and beneficial for you.  You can pay by bank transfer (details provided when you have made contact).

Please note to gain maximum therapeutic benefit, we need to be in regular contact.

Please use the form to apply for online counselling.  Please do not put any details of the issues that you may wish to discuss on this form.  I will respond to you and send you a basic information form via a secure medium – Thanks.