At Achieving Balance, I offer remote, online video therapy sessions through various platforms, commonly known as Skype™ Therapy. This form of online therapy or online counselling offers a flexible alternative to face-to-face therapy and, with improving technology, is becoming increasingly popular with clients.

What is Skype™ Therapy?

The use of video counselling, online psychotherapy, or online cognitive behavioural therapy (also known as online CBT therapy) is a natural progression from telephone counselling. It also has some distinct advantages, especially for online CBT, which is very interactive and involves the “live” sharing of such information as formulations, diaries, logs and worksheets.

In face-to-face communication, much information is given and received non-verbally, or through body language and facial expressions. One criticism of telephone counselling is that it loses this important element of communication. While Skype™ Therapy sessions cannot replicate the full experience of face-to-face therapy, it can at least re-introduce parts of the non-verbal interaction.

If you have psychological or emotional difficulties, such as agoraphobia or severe anxiety, or if you travel a lot, have work or childcare commitments, or a disability or long-term physical health condition that makes it difficult to travel, you might find remote counselling sessions helpful alternative to face-to-face therapy.

Benefits of Skype™ Therapy

• As there is no travel time, your time away from other obligations is kept to a minimum
• No travelling also means, in most cases, lower costs
• Lower therapy fees to account for reduced overhead (in most cases)
• Increased flexibility, as you can have sessions wherever you are
• Seeing a London-based therapist, without having to travel into London

How does Skype™ Therapy work?

The content of Skype™ Therapy is essentially the same as face-to-face therapy. Firstly, contact me at Achieving Balance to discuss whether Skype™ Therapy is suitable for your needs. If we agree that this type of therapy is suitable, we will exchange video contact details as necessary. If you have concerns about the technology, we can arrange a brief video chat to ensure this therapy is technically feasible.

Next is the initial assessment session, usually by phone, which is a chance for you to ask any further questions about the therapy, during which I will assess your difficulties. Skype™ Therapy can be used for the whole course of treatment, or as an adjunct to face-to-face therapy. Some clients, for example, will wish to continue therapy during holidays or work travel in order to keep up the therapeutic momentum. Others want to use technology to share worksheets and other written information. It is even possible to record sessions for future reference. For more information about my remote counselling sessions, you can read this article where I address common questions about Skype™ Therapy.

If you are interested in a free, 20-minute consultation to find out if Skype™ Therapy is right for you, please feel free to contact me on 020 7096 8854 or email me at martin@achievingbalance.co.uk. I am available from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Thursday, and Friday mornings.