What is Online Counselling
One of the ways through which mental health professionals now connect with their clients is through online counselling. Using a computer and internet-aided technologies, trained counsellors are now conducting either audio/video sessions with their clients.
Also known as cybertherapy, e-therapy, or web counselling, people can choose to connect with their therapist either through real-time chat sessions, telephonic sessions, or video conferencing.
Advantages of Online Counselling
- You can talk in the comfort of your home
- Online counseling sessions are more anonymous as compared to face-to-face sessions.
- There are a plethora of therapists that work online. You have options to search through qualification, specialization, experience, location, language, gender, their reviews to even their view and way of moving ahead in counseling sessions.
- You have the flexibility to choose your timings so there are fewer chances for you to miss out on therapy follow-ups.
Disadvantages of Online Counselling
- Not all platforms might have policies or control over data privacy and protection
- Some platforms might overlook ethical and legal concerns
- Not every professional might be qualified or specialized and when it comes to accessing free therapy sessions, clients might overlook the qualifications of the therapists.
- Crisis situations might not be easily and effectively addressed.
- E-therapy is sometimes not appropriate for serious psychiatric illness.
- Therapists miss out on observing the body-languagae which is an integral part of the therapy.
How is online counselling done?
Some online platforms might prefer to briefly describe your problem area so they can get you connected to the best-fit therapist for your issues. Others might have a list of therapists, their qualifications and the languages they speak so that you can find a best-fit therapist for yourself. In either case, once you book your therapist, the session starts based on the availability of time slots. Each session is kept confidential where the therapist tries to understand you and your problems. Based on history, a further treatment plan is decided upon and each session is tailor-made based on the client and his problem.
Follow-ups are decided and locked for the upcoming weeks and the therapy hence proceeds.
Data is either stored privately by the therapist or in the database given by the platform itself. Confidentiality is maintained and ethics are generally abided by.
Does online counselling work?
More than a year and a half now, the majority of therapists have now started working online and even the clients now prefer going for e-therapy at the comfort of their homes rather than going for face-to-face sessions. With increasing mental health issues in the past few years, research suggests that online therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy and that the post-treatment results are sustainable.
How much does online counselling cost?
The general fee that the therapist’s charge is based on their qualification and work experience. Although many platforms now resort to giving a few free sessions, a trained therapist will always charge for the services he/she provides. The range of online sessions might lie somewhere between INR 600 to INR 2000, with some platforms having fixed charges for therapy sessions while others having variables, depending on the therapists on board.
What are the best counseling services available?
There are a lot of services out there that gives a list of hundreds of psychologists to choose from but not all psychologists are qualified or certified. Mindworks counselling services has a rigorous process to onboard a professional and therefore has very limited psychologists. We make sure the qualifications, training and experience each therapist has is competent enough and will add value to the client’s life. Mindworks connects you with only certified experienced professionals.
If these tips still don’t work, reach out to Mindworks Counselling for an online counselling session.
