Strengths and Benefits of Online Therapy

Online Counselling Consultation

From anywhere in the world the best counselling support is on your screen! Let's meet up on Zoom, Skype, or Whatsapp and have a chat! You deserve peace, love and happiness in your life and Ronald will help you restore that!

Online Counselling by Zoom or Skype Benefits:

Here are some of the reasons that draw people to participate in counselling online. Do some of these benefits of using this facility stand out to you in preference to face to face meetings? 

Anonymous: Some people feel more safe and are able to open up more in an online room than they are in face to face counselling sessions, you can have video on or off and use your own virtual name!

Convenient: You can book online anytime 24/7 and choose a time that suits you best. If something pops up unexpectedly you can reschedule a new time easily by email. You are able to focus more fully on the counselling process due to it being at a time and place that is right for you. You can attend a session from your office, your home, and engage other family in the session easily if you wish.

Time efficient: There is no need to take time off work for travel or to arrange a child sitter. No parking worries and no other down time apart from your unique session time only.

Accessible: Whether you live in the country, the city, another country, or you are out at sea, online counselling offers increased access to services from rural and remote locations or to people with a disability who may need special access or are unable to leave their homes or travel to an office or clinic. Therapy online is also very convenient for people who travel extensively, as it can be accessed from wherever you are in the world.

Cost-efficient: More often online counselling is less costly than face-to-face therapy. Also there are no travel costs, parking fees, child-care costs, or costly down time from your work.

Easy to try: If you have never tried counselling before, feel a little unsure about what happens, or you are perhaps a little uncomfortable when thinking of traditional models of counselling, experiencing a free chatwith an online counsellor can give you the chance to try online counselling out and see what it might be like, without actually having to actually meet anyone in face-to-face.

Limitations of Online Counselling

Unfortunately, not all issues are appropriate for online counselling. Online counselling is simply not a suitable medium to deal with crisis situations. 

For example: If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, online counselling is no replacement for getting urgently needed help.

Similarly, if you are currently experiencing or at risk of violence or abuse there is a limit to the amount of support a counsellor online can provide.

It is important to get in touch with someone who, if necessary, can offer you the practical support you may need.

• Call me 0400 606 321
• Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline is available 24 hours a day for kids, teenagers and young adults on 1800 55 1800
• Suicide call back service 1300 659 467. A service for people who are suicidal, people caring for someone who is suicidal, and people bereaved by suicide. Provides ongoing support.

DV Connect provides free help for women, men, children and pets affected by domestic and family violence across Australia.

• Womensline is for women, children and young people; available 24 hours a day on 1800 811 811
• Mensline is for men, available 9am – midnight on 1800 600 636

What else Do You Need to Know about Online Counselling?

The limitations associated with online counselling should not stop you from seeking help here, however be aware that counsellors may offer you a referral to a more appropriate service, or even contact those services for you with your permission.

Even if the above issues do not apply to you and you think online counselling would be appropriate, there may be further limitations that would not be an issue in face-to-face counselling. 

For example: Text based communications are simply not as smooth and detailed as verbal communications, which may lead to more misunderstandings or less insight. Both client and counsellor would say more in a face to face situation than when typing – it is simply easier to speak than it is to type. However you will have written notes to refer back to at any time if you save them!

Some non-verbal cues normally present in a conversation are not accessible, increasing the risk of misinterpretation for both client and counsellor. People usually skilled in how to communicate and read tone, feeling, humor, etc. will find these skills simply do not apply in online communications. Yet the energetic communication is still quite strong with counsellors familiar with and opened up to their energetic inner force.

In face to face counselling the counselling office environment will generally ensure privacy and lack of interruption to a session. If you’re participating in a session from home you could be subject to different interruptions that could disrupt the session or threaten your privacy. Security may be an issue. While counsellors do all they can to keep the content of your sessions secure, some Internet communications, particularly email messages, may be vulnerable to interception by third parties.

Technology can be unreliable. Computer and computer network issues can result in lags in response time, connection failures, message delivery failure, disruption to audio or video, or even system crashes. Despite policies in place addressing these issues, they can still cause huge disruption to the counselling process.

Finally, it is difficult at present to make any definitive statements about the efficacy of online counselling. Many studies have found online counselling and therapy to be effective for a wide range of issues, however when compared to face-to-face counselling it is often found to be not as effective, perhaps due to some of the issues listed above. Therefore, it is an important factor to consider when choosing your mode of counselling.

Minimizing these issues with Online Counseling

That may sound like a lot of potential problems for online counselling, however there are ways to minimize the impact they have on your experience.

Since text based counselling lacks nonverbal cues, if you are unsure by what a counsellor means, please don’t hesitate to ask for confirmation of meaning, especially if you feel it is challenging or potentially offensive.

Utilize emoticons where possible, especially when saying something light hearted.

Set aside time and space in your house so that it is unlikely you will be interrupted or overheard.

Find suitable antivirus software and keep your passwords private. If your computer has multiple users, consider creating separate user accounts.

Have a backup plan. If counselling finishes unexpectedly, do you have a plan for readjusting to an unfinished session? 

Take some time to look after yourself, for example leave some time before you engage in other commitments such as work.

Would you like to know more about online counselling? Send me an email.