Pros and Cons of Online Counselling
Recently, I have had several clients question whether online counselling (a video call via zoom/Teams/GoogleMeet/etc) would be right for them. This was asked at the beginning of the the online initial assessment when I’ve been working for The Agency. The Agency is a large national organisation which works primarily online. I can be assigned clients from anywhere in England, Scotland, or Wales. The main concern of these clients was whether we would be able to establish a good therapeutic relationship if we were working through a computer or smartphone screen. Would it feel sterile if we aren’t in the same room? By the end of our 50 minute session, they all said that they would be happy to continue working online with me.
As with most things, there are “pros” and “cons” to working online.
One of the downsides, for me, is that it limits the amount of body language I am able to read. Some clients have very good poker faces. If we were in the room together, I might notice that their fists clenched or they crossed their legs signalling what we just talked about brought up some negative feelings. Online, I have to look for other clues and cues.
Privacy might be an issue for some clients. If there is a full household, will there be a quiet place to talk where you won’t be interrupted or eavesdropped on? Several times I have had clients sitting in their car or garage in order to ensure they have the space they need. This also leads to some risk for the counsellor as they need to ensure no one is in the room with their client.
Technology can also be tricky. However, to date I have not had significant enough internet issues that we have had to look at alternative solutions. There are alternative solutions should everything go wrong; a telephone call might be a back up solution we agree upon.
Despite all of that, there are many upsides to online counselling.
As I mentioned, I am able to work with clients all over the country. I could even work with clients abroad or overseas! This widens the pool of counsellors for clients so they can find someone they click with and want to work with. Some clients may be from a small town and seeing someone further afield may be more appealing as they are not connected to their community. There is little/no possibility of bumping into each other in the pub or local Sainsburys or having mutual friends or acquaintances.
Online counselling allows for greater flexibility for clients. If they need to travel for work (or fun!) and want to keep the momentum of counselling sessions they can do it anywhere. If someone doesn’t want to travel to see their therapist face-to-face they don’t have to. There could be a number of reasons for this. They may want a session on their lunch hour or around their kid’s naptime. There may be accessibility issues or travel expenses that make in-person sessions difficult. There could be a hybrid of some sessions are in-person and some are online depending on schedules.
Being able to connect from the comfort of ones home can make difficult work easier for some clients. They may be more relaxed and, therefore, find it is easier to open up. Online sessions may be less daunting for people with anxiety.
But is it as effective? The research around this subject has been fairly consistent proving that online therapy by video conferencing is as effective as face-to-face therapy and it is suitable for many common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, and stress related problems.
Counselling is a personal journey and clients need to determine what works best for them and what they want from the experience. There are so many ways to meet your needs and suit your schedule. When looking for a therapist, explore different options, ask questions, ensure that the counsellor is qualified and experienced, and that they are someone that you want to work with.