I have offered telephone and/or video sessions to my clients for many years, both within the NHS and in private practice. I was using these tele-health formats of psychological therapy long before the Covid pandemic hit, when online/remote appointments started to become more common place. Currently, all of the services I offer are online, rather than face-to-face.
For the many people who are open to accessing psychological support online, and where this is clinically appropriate, I’ve found it to be a very effective, and convenient way for people to access high-quality psychological therapy.
The primary benefit of working online with me is that you can live anywhere in the UK, and engage in my services, from wherever you live.
This is important because there are relatively few private practice psychologists in the UK who focus specifically on the motherhood experience, and even fewer who offer both (a) Therapy for mothers, and (b) Interventions for mothers to support their own children with childhood emotional wellbeing. The fact that you can therefore access my therapy from anywhere in the UK is a huge benefit to many of my clients - For example, I am currently based in Yorkshire, and I have worked with clients from the whole expanse of the UK - From Kent & Devon, all the way up to Scotland. I’ve also at times continued to work with my clients while they are away on business trips, or even holidays, which of course is only possible due to the flexibility that online therapy offers.
Another benefit of working online that my clients have described to me include having a greater flexibility regarding the timing of our regular sessions, since there is no extra travel time to consider. Several of my clients even find they can have session with me while their children watch a film, or nap, in another room for example - This means they can continue to meet with me if their children are home on holidays or sick leave, etc, without the hassle of arranging last minute baby sitters, or needing to cancel sessions. While I don’t recommend this as a regular occurrence, as an occasion needs-must strategy it really can be invaluable - Either to keep the momentum of therapy going, or provide valuable outlet for you during a tough week, as well as saving you money in reducing the need for paying late cancellation fees.
My clients also describe the benefits of not having to worry about driving and parking for a session - When I worked face-to-face, this was always the number one stressor that my clients expressed as our sessions began.
On the other hand, there are also responsibilities that come with agreeing to engage in online psychological therapy.
The primary responsibility you have for engaging in online therapy is planning ahead of time where you will be for the session, and what equipment you will use.
For example, it is important to log in with a reliable device, which has a good camera and microphone, and which ideally has the latest version of Zoom (the video conferencing platform that I currently use) already downloaded onto it.
You will also need to have a plan to log onto Zoom from a place that is appropriate for a therapy session. That is, it will need to a place that is quiet & private, and a place that feels ‘safe’. It will also need to have a reliable, strong & stable internet connection, and be place where you will ideally have no interruptions, for the duration of the session.
Beyond these basics, there is no right or wrong way for online therapy to occur - For each person, the set up will look different. For example, some of my clients prefer to log onto their sessions from a sofa, or their bed, while others prefer to sit at a desk or table at home, and/or log in from their work during a break. Some of my clients use earphones for the sessions, to enhance both clarity of our conversation and privacy, while others simply use the microphone on their device. Some bring a cup of tea or coffee to the session, and others just a glass of water.
Of course, you won’t need to work all this out on your own - I will always guide you in determining whether online therapy is appropriate for you, given your specific struggles. If we agree online therapy would work for you, then we can also certainly explore together what a ‘safe’ & ‘therapeutic’ remote-therapy space feels like for you, and we can explore any of the potential options or challenges that come up for you in creating that space.
Together, we can brainstorm how you can make the most of our online sessions.
Contact me at hello@mindbodysoulpsychology.co.uk to find out more about how online psychological therapy can work for you.