Online counselling

Online or telephone communication can be a useful way to access counselling/therapy when face to face work is not possible.

It may be that geographical location prevents us from meeting face to face or perhaps it is difficult for you to travel independently. Alternatively, it may be preferable for you to have a consultation in the privacy of your own home.

I am happy to explore the possibility of working with you online or by phone, as follows:

• with new clients who choose to use online communications or who live beyond travelling distance to my consulting room
• with existing face-to-face clients who may be unable to attend in person on an occasional or ongoing basis
• in the event of exceptional circumstances where legal restrictions to face to face meetings are in place (as per Covid 19)

Confidentiality

I take my commitment to protecting your confidentiality as a client most seriously. It is important for us to acknowledge however, that despite every effort to safeguard our online communications, it is never possible to guarantee 100% confidentiality in any online setting.

As per BACP guidelines for online counselling, I use an encrypted telemedicine platform for secure messaging or video conferencing, which is available free of charge.

More information on the boundaries of online and telephone counselling can be found here.

Booking

Should we agree to go ahead, I will email you my online therapy contract and further details regarding how we establish secure communications for your initial session. For more on how to make your initial booking, see here.

Social Media

While social media and other online activities are increasingly part of our every day lives, counselling can be a profound interpersonal commitment between therapist and client. For this reason, it is preferable that our relationship remains between us through pre-arranged consultation sessions.

In order to to support clarity regarding our boundaries and any online presence we both may already have, please familiarise yourself with my Social Media Policy.

Once our therapeutic work has commenced, when we are outside the ‘consulting room’ (face to face or online), I would ask that we use email and text communications only to rearrange sessions if necessary, unless for any other matter previously agreed.

AS.Counselling is accessible on Facebook and Instagram as a resource page only.