As we are all part of the digital age Psychotherapists have embraced these changes and there are more and more therapists choosing to offer counselling online.
Online therapy is much the same as face to face therapy with a few things that need to be ensured before counselling can begin.
Please note that because I communicate email and offer online counselling and supervision I am registered with ICO, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The platform used needs to be discussed and agreed. Skype and Facetime appear to be secure options but there are even safer options such as VSee which offer encrypted video calls.
As a therapist I will ensure that the time we meet online I will be in a confidential and quiet place. Usually in my practice which is discreet. The onis is therefore on the client that during the hour set aside for their therapy they will also be situated in a quiet area without any interruptions to allow the client to feel emotionally safe as they would actually visiting my practice.
When seeking counselling or supervision it is important to realise that we do not have to be in the same country. My indemnity insurance offers world wide coverage and the BACP suggests that online therapists work according to the governing body of the country in which the therapist is. I am therefore bound by the ethical code of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists online and across borders, as much as in face to face counselling. Best practice would dicatate that a therapist/supervisor offering counseling would of course become familiar with the ethical code for psychotherapy in which ever country the client/supervisee resides.
The last thing to consider is that payment cannot be done in person and so therefore a bank transfer or paypal payment is usually completed before the decided therapy time.
