Online counselling has come into its own in the last few years, with more of us our now engaging with therapy online, how can you get the most from these method of counselling?
Below are some of the things to consider that can help improve our experience of online counselling.
Space
Ideally be in a space that is private and comfortable and free from interruption. Somewhere that you feel you can be yourself and you feel able to open up. You may want to consider letting others know you won’t be available and attending to other potential distractions such as pets.
Time
Give yourself enough time to prepare for the session and readjust after the session. One aspect that many of my clients missed about moving online from in person as the journey time as they would use this time to reflect upon what they wanted to bring to the session before hand and then reflected on the session itself afterwards. This can be recreated for online counselling by taking a short walk before and after the session.
Internet
Having an internet connection of some sort is essential for online counselling. Check your internet before hand and close down any other apps and browsers you may be using. If you find that your connection is unstable. ask others who may be using the same connection to refrain from bandwidth intensive tasks such as streaming HD video content.
Device
Most modern computers and phones are more than capable of running video conferencing software such as Zoom. If you find your device struggling, shut down any there programs that may be running in the background such as browsers and updates.
A large screen is beneficial to online counselling as you are better able to see the person you are talking to. Ideally they should appear to be a similar size to in person.
Placement of the screen and camera are also important. You want to be looking straight ahead with the camera straight on. This is much more conversational that having to peer downwards and having the camera looking your nose. If you are using a laptop or phone this may mean placing it on a pile of books to raise it up.
Give yourself time before the session to check that the device is on, working and charged/plugged in.
Software
The video Conferencing software I use is Zoom. This is one of the ones recommended by the BACP (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) as it is secure and private. It is also very stable and doesn’t require a lot of bandwidth to run. if you are not already familiar with Zoom it is a good idea to download it, set up an account (a basic account is free and all that you need) and get used to how it works.
One invaluable feature of Zoom is the ability to hide self view. That is hiding the little window that shows yourself on the screen. Hiding this view of yourself makings it much easier to engage and remain engaged. It is also much less distracting and much less fatiguing. For me this is one of the best things you can to to improve online counselling and video conferencing in general. Removing this self view makes it feel far less artificial, to the point that you can forget that you're using technology and just be present in the conversation.
Sound
Being able to hear and being heard are vitally important for any form of counselling. If you are using headphones or earphones, especially bluetooth ones, take the time before the session to make sure they are charged, connected and working.
Lighting
Being seen clearing is very beneficial to the counselling experience. Try to ensure you are well lit with lights in front of you. Try to avoid bright light behind as this will put your face in shadow.
Back Up Plan
Technology is great when it works, but sometimes through no fault of our own things can go wrong. When this happens it is good to have a backup plan. I personally have a good internet connection but if this does go down I then have a hotspot back up and if all else fails we can resort to a phone call until we can get things working again.
Conclusion
These are just some of the considerations to help get the most from Online Counselling. They may not all be available to you all the time and that is okay. The great thing about online counselling is it can be accessed from anywhere with just a phone. Don’t worry if you can’t do all the things listed above. The good news is this is only going to improve as our internet gets faster, as webcams and screens get better and who knows what the next stage in remote conferencing will be.
