All About Online Therapy as an Effective Alternative to Face-to-Face Counselling

What is Online Therapy?

Online therapy is exactly the same as any other kind of therapy or counselling but normally carried out using either video or, in some cases, the telephone.

Unlike self directed therapy (which can also be online), online therapy still involves interacting with a therapist or counsellor,

The obvious advantage of online therapy is that counselling sessions can still take place even if the client is thousands of miles away from the therapist’s clinic, although the time difference between different global locations can be quite significant.

Are There Any Disadvantages to Online Therapy?

There are a few things to consider before opting for a course of online therapy:

1. Research suggests that anywhere from 55% to 90% of ‘communication’ is non verbal. This means that the client and therapist may miss important body language cues when using a video screen that only shows each others faces.
2. The quality of the internet connection, size of the video screen, quality of the microphones and video camera resolution will all effect the overall therapy interaction. As you can imagine, if the video is very ‘jittery’ or the spoken words seem to echo, then the process is going to be less effective.
3. Online therapy may only be available or accessible to those people who own the required technology and have access to the internet.

There are still a large number of people in the UK and around the world who simply do not have access to these services.

Online Therapy with Paul

At present, only Paul offers online therapy using the Zoom Professional video service.

Zoom offers end-to-end encryption for security and confidentiality.

Our system uses 80mb fibre broadband, a 1080p high definition camera and 27″ LED monitors which ensures high quality pictures and sound.

Whilst some clients have used their smartphones for counselling sessions, we generally recommend using at least a good laptop computer with a headphone and microphone headset to gain the most benefit from the process.

Paul offers general counselling sessions online which last around 55 minutes and cost £90.

Our 10 session CBT programme, which includes access to our online learning system, is also available as part of our online therapy service.

We also offer free initial consultations using the same Zoom Pro. video system.

Arrange a FREE initial consultation

If you’d like to find out more about online therapy for mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular problems and the potential solutions in a safe and confidential environment without you having to commit to any therapy or counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet our therapists and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.