This blog post has been written to help guide you through the process of accessing counselling online during the COVID19 pandemic.
It is important to know that throughout this time, you can still access counselling. Whilst some of our worries might be about our health, our loved ones and managing the upheaval, people still need to access talking therapies for a wide range of issues.
I use the video conferencing app, Zoom. This is deliberate; Zoom uses less bandwidth, making it less likely to crash during sessions, but it is also more secure that other platforms, such as Skype and Facetime. You will need to install the Zoom app to use it. It works on phones, computers and tablets.
We would arrange a session in exactly the same way as a face-to-face session. Just before we are due to start I will email you an invite. You can click on this link. It will open the Zoom app, and we are connected.
Things to Remember
We want to keep our sessions private. I will be using a space in which you cannot be overheard and I will not be interrupted. I recommend you try to do the same thing wherever you choose to access therapy.
Zoom has a text app too. This means, if there are things that are diffi
cult to say, or you are worried of being overheard saying, you can always type them to me instead.
Some people find online therapy to be very intense. This is partly because it can fill our focus and force us to concentrate hard. If you need a break, please say so; we can always talk about something easier for a time to give you chance to reset.
It is possible to pay for your session using online banking.
If, for some reason, the call is interrupted and can't be resumed, you will not be charged if this takes place in the first 25 minutes. If it takes place in the second half of the session, I still charge for the session.