Online Counselling and E-Therapy
E-counseling, also known as E-therapy or online counseling, offers an interesting alternative to face to face counseling by providing you with the opportunity to consult with and receive therapy from a professional counselor, within the privacy of your own home.
A free consultation, which would comprise the exchange of one initial inquiry from you as the potential client, and a response from me, the counselor, is available through the website. IM messaging may also be available, and a person initially opting for e-counseling may augment text sessions with face to face or phone appointments at their choosing.
How It Works
We will communicate through the exchange of emails via a secure connection. This will reduce, though not completely eliminate, the potential for a breach of confidentiality. Through these email exchanges we will have the opportunity to explore the issues you are dealing with and, together, attempt to resolve some of your concerns so that you feel better about your life and relationships.
Benefits of E-Counselling
- E-Counselling fits well with people’s schedules. It provides the opportunity to write and read responses at your own pace – when the time is right for you– rather than having to adhere to a pre-booked appointment.
- E-Counselling offers the added benefit of having a written record of all our “discussions”.
- The act of writing the email, reflecting on what you have written, and processing your thoughts over time has a therapeutic effect before I even get a chance to provide a response.
- E-Counselling offers advantages to people in rural areas that face to face cannot. Specifically, it offers access to a wider variety of therapists, maintains anonymity within a small community, and avoids the potential of dual relationships with your counsellor.
When is E-Counselling Not Appropriate?
- E-Counselling is generally not appropriate if you are feeling suicidal or homicidal and in need of immediate help. If you are feeling this way, please contact your local crisis line.
- E-Counselling is generally not suitable if you have been experiencing psychosis or thought disorders of some type. Unfortunately, the presence of these types of symptoms can contribute to misunderstandings when using email based communication and so it is best to use face to face counselling in these instances.
- If you live outside of Canada, I am not able to provide E-Counselling to you as other countries require different licensing. However, I would encourage you to locate a provider within your country if you feel that E-Counselling is otherwise right for you.
- If the issues you want to discuss have the potential to be very upsetting, or you are unsure as to how you may respond to some of the issues that could arise as a result of our communication, you may want to consider face to face counselling to ensure you receive the best support available to you as you work through these potentially unsettling issues.
