Questions

Counsellors provide a service for those looking for support with a range of mental and emotional difficulties. It can tackle problems at the time of the crises as well as stress and anxieties regarding what may happen in the future. How you connect with the person you choose can impact on how successful the treatment is.

Only you can decide whether you wish to try it. Just talking to someone confidentially (not friend or family) can make a big difference. The service provides a regular time for you to explore your feelings and concerns about the issues you're experiencing. I can help you develop better ways of coping, allowing you to set new goals, move forward and feel fulfilled as you reach for your potential in life.

The MBACP badge I have displayed tells you I have registered with the BACP, the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. By choosing a therapist registered with this professional body you can be certain that I have met the standards of training and experience required by that body. The BACP also holds a Code of Ethics that outlines the way their members should work, and a process to follow if things don’t work out as planned.

After a number of weeks has passed (usually 6) I like to review our work. Reviewing enables us to look back at how you were when you began the sessions, compare the earlier situation with how things are further along and to decide what additional change needs to happen if any.

You get the best results from the sessions if you can open up and be honest. Speaking to a stranger about your innermost thoughts can feel quite scary however, in order to work most effectively you need to take this risk and discuss innermost areas. Regular reviews also allow you to give feedback on your counselling relationship, on your work and on what might be missing.

You will connect with a professional, experienced, registered professional in a private session online. You can call, email, schedule a weekly session in the same way. However, online counselling is still a contradiction in terms for many as traditional methods had meeting a qualified listener in person at its core. Indeed, I had been working almost two decades face to face and I hesitated to change over believing technology could never offer a warm and personal environment. Research proves there is no discernible difference between virtual and In person, online proves to be equally effective for mental health problems. What you are getting is someone who is still experienced and just as qualified. Online counselling is simply different offering pros and cons: • One major advantage is time efficiency, clients no longer have to travel to access the resource. Greater flexibility of session time also being possible. • Clients can feel more comfortable opening up to a stranger from home instead of talking to a stranger in person. • What is important is having a private space and a reliable internet. • I discovered the positives of zoom and am now a convert.

Counselling is an area in which the influence of the Internet is growing rapidly but…. surely it is all about opening up to a person who sits back and understands, who uses their brain to read between the lines, and empathise, they help you link your feelings to their history and your intuition to a new perspective. Can such links really be connected via internet? Can what we expect from a human heart really be applied via technical hardware? Is online communication not all hard-wired, coded technology, can it really provide the cathartic, strategic healing we expect from counselling? I was totally in favour of the traditional method, I too downplayed the use of online counselling assuming only in person worked. Now I know otherwise. Research and experience has proven online sessions can help mental, emotional and even spiritual matters: “Users have reported satisfaction with online counselling and the benefits of increasing access, flexibility on-time and on-demand services” Ref ‘Features & Benefits of Online Counselling’ D; Richards Trinity College 2008 As long as you are working with a registered counsellor you get the same results as when in person. Through online work it’s still possible to: • look people in the eye • focus on heart-felt matters • observe the whole person while the person involved is able to: • be in one’s own environment • to make notes • Spend less time on travel • Sliding scales are available as costs are less • Scheduling is more flexible and convenient • Those with anxiety are better able to reach out. Online is not a replacement for face to face but is here to stay and provides • a great alternative. When safe to do so face to face will be available again. Why not consider having a trial session online?