Having psychotherapy sessions online hopefully should not differ greatly from the experience of therapy you may have when you meet with a therapist in person. However, there are some important differences that have to be taken into account when deciding if online sessions are suitable for you.
Generally, online therapy is better suited to people who are not experiencing severe emotional distress, but who need a professional to help them reflect on their current difficulties, break negative patterns and facilitate change.
I can help you make that decision if you are unsure, as I always assess clients for online suitability during the initial session. If I feel that your relationship difficulties are such that the physical presence of the therapist is recommended, I will say so.
Therapy sessions take place using the Zoom video conference platform. If for any reason you do not wish to use Zoom, I can also work via FaceTime, Skype or any other video platform of your choice.
For online therapy sessions to work, you will need a fast internet connection, as this is fundamental to have a smooth video link that doesn’t break up mid session. High-definition video calling requires an upload and download speed of at least 1.2 megabits per second.
As in any kind of therapy, you will ideally set aside a regular time for your sessions, usually an hour a week, when you have access to your quiet place. You will need to have access to a quiet room, in your house or office, where you can sit comfortably and where you know you won't be disturbed for the duration of the session. To maintain privacy, it's important to also consider if people, who may be passing near the room, would be able to hear you or not. You will have to make sure that you are sitting comfortably so that you are not distracted mid session by your back hurting! It's important to think in advance about what you might need during the session, perhaps a glass of water and tissues.
If you are having couple therapy, ideally you will be sitting on a sofa or chairs, next to each other so that you can be both be visible at the same time on your device’s camera.
The most important difference perhaps is that, when you are having a session via a video link, your body language and non-verbal signals may not be visible to me fully, and at times this can lead to misunderstandings, as I may be missing a valuable non-verbal cue. Usually this is not a big problem as through dialogue and clarifications we can make up for the missing non-verbal cues, but it’s nevertheless important to be aware of this.
