REASONS PEOPLE CHOOSE ONLINE COUNSELING:
- You may feel more free to be yourself online.
- You may feel more comfortable receiving therapy in the privacy of your home.
- You may feel more comfortable writing about your problems than talking about them.
- You may write about what is bothering you sooner than if you were talking.
This can bring faster resolutions to problems. - Writing may help you to think through your problems and to feel your emotions.
It can bring focus, clarity, insight, and emotional relief. - You can read and re-read your emails, and chat transcripts.
- Writing enhances your relationship with yourself.
- There are more therapists to choose from online.
- You can email your therapist any time of day.
- You can take as long as you want to write.
Sometimes when you need the help of a therapist, online counseling is your best option. Maybe you’ve never reached out to anyone before, and this feels less frightening, safer for you. Maybe you are unable to leave your home. Or maybe there isn’t the right person to support you where you live.
Online counseling can be an effective way to receive support and guidance to work on your problems.
Some people choose online counseling over face-to-face therapy because they’re more comfortable with writing, and feel they can be more honest and open about their problems. Some people find online counseling gives them a way to talk about things that they might not have otherwise talked about.
Many people find email counseling preferable because it gives them time to think through what they need to say, and the opportunity to read and re-read their therapist’s responses.
While others prefer online counseling in real-time (with instant messaging or video sessions) because it combines the advantages of email counseling with the immediacy of the therapist’s responses. And both mediums allow you to converse in the comfort of your own home.
CHAT (INSTANT MESSAGING), PHONE OR VIDEO SESSIONS
Online counseling using instant messaging or video conferencing is very similar to seeing a therapist in-person. With a chat session we write back and forth without seeing each other, and with video we see each other and talk.
First, we make an appointment to meet in my private chat or video conferencing room. When we meet, you tell me how you’re feeling, what is bothering you, or anything else you need to talk about. I listen, offer support and understanding, ask questions, and give you feedback, and strategies if I think they may be helpful to you.
As we meet more times, we’ll develop a closer, more comfortable, relationship that will help you to delve more deeply into what’s bothering you, and allow me to be more helpful to you.
If you like, we can talk on the phone toll free if you are in North America or the Dominican Republic. My fee for phone sessions is the same as it is for chat and video sessions.
If you would like to make an appointment with me, email me. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I will answer all of your questions free of charge.
E-COUNSELING WITH EMAILS
Counseling with emails involves our writing back and forth to each other discussing what is bothering you. Some people choose to consult only once or twice while others choose to have an ongoing therapeutic email relationship.
If you’re unsure what to say or where to begin, you can use the following as a guide. Briefly describe:
- The present situation or problem; examples are helpful
- Some background
- How you have dealt with it
- What you think and feel about it
- Your questions for me