Introduction to Online/Telephone Therapy

​

​

​

​

 
 

 

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and Challenges
 
Some things you may enjoy about therapy online/via telephone are:
•    You can create a comfortable and private space in your own home from which to attend therapy.
•    You may find it easy to talk, focus and express yourself.
•    You may enjoy wearing comfortable clothes, bringing a cup of tea and avoiding a commute after a therapy session.
•    We may be able to be more flexible about scheduling.
•    We will be able to continue our work together despite the pandemic.
•    Research shows that online/telephone therapy is as effective as in-person therapy.

​

Some of the challenges we may face could be to do with an internet connection. I will share some instructions below to help get you set up. 

​

Another challenge could be that we do not see the whole of each other. I will explain how we can set up our devices for eye contact, but our cameras generally limit the view to the top half of our bodies. We will have to use more verbal explanations as a result. 

​

It may be quite a demanding experience, especially for those using computer screens in everyday life at the moment. We may spend some time building resources and developing a self-care plan to support you.

I encourage you to treat the online session as you would an in-person session and implement as many of the same boundaries as possible.

​

Find a comfortable space with privacy. This could be a comfortable armchair, your office desk, garden, a parked car or the living room floor. I suggest sitting on something where your back is supported and encourage you to get up and move if you start to feel uncomfortable.

​

You may wish to put a note on the door of the room requesting that other people not disturb you except in an emergency.

​

I encourage you to use headphones or earphones. This keeps the content of our sessions private, improves sound quality and also minimises distractions. 

​

Please close other applications and browser windows on your device and put your phone on silent or turn it off just as we do in person. 

​

You are welcome to bring water or a cup of tea or coffee with you to the session. Please avoid alcohol and drugs prior to and during the session and please do not smoke or vape during the session. 

​

Your pet is welcome to join you; however, it is important to be aware that this could be distracting for either or both of us.
 
Give yourself time after the session to process the session before rejoining your family, working or making other calls. 

​

Technical Instructions

​

When you book an appointment, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from my scheduling system followed by a reminder the day before our session. Both of these emails contain the link for you to join the session at the scheduled time. 

You may like to download Zoom/VSee prior to our session in preparation, however, no prior download is necessary and you may connect directly from the link provided in your confirmation/reminder emails.

​

Video Conferencing Platforms

​

I use a video conferencing platform called Zoom/VSee in order to protect our privacy and confidentiality. Our calls cannot be intercepted or recorded.

​

When VSee is not available, I use Zoom. 

​

Bandwidth Requirements

​

The call quality on Zoom/VSee is usually very good. It can be improved by you using an Ethernet connection as opposed to Wi-Fi, however, Wi-Fi or 3G/4G will usually work well too. Our first session may involve trying a few of these options. Usually, if your internet is good enough to stream YouTube or Netflix, it is good enough for video conferencing. 

​

I recommend closing all other browser windows and programmes running in the background to make the call quality as good as possible.

​

Troubleshooting & Reconnection

​

In the event that it is not possible to connect using a video conferencing platform, I suggest trying to reconnect three times and then communicating via WhatsApp in order to decide whether to reschedule or try a different method of communication.