In “When Your Therapist is only a Click Away”, New York Times’ Jan Hoffman discusses the pros and cons of where technology today is taking therapy – out of the counselling room and into the virtual world thanks to online communication options such as Skype and FaceTime. Interestingly, while there may be some aspects that both therapists and clients need to be aware of, such as privacy, security and connection issues, to the greater extent the research cited seems to suggest that clients report similar levels of satisfaction across both in-house and online sessions. Infact the flexibility that online sessions provides clients with may infact outweigh any perceived drawbacks. Imagine, as Hoffman cites, being able to sit back with a preferred beverage of choice , by the pool,  while skyping with your therapist. While this may not be every therapists’ or clients’ cup of tea, and certainly it is important to continue keeping good ethical practice guidelines in mind, therapist and client may , at the very least, feel freer to explore both locations and also scheduled times that are more convenient and conducive for them. Clients also often express gratitude that they can continue to see their therapist for sessions while they travel , or if they should relocate abroad.

Having introduced online sessions into my own practice over 2 years ago, I can testify to the flexibility and continuity it brings to therapy. While on holiday, clients have been able to reach out to me for support when faced with an unexpected crisis. On the other side, I have also been able to provide them with continued care while travelling myself, should the need arise. I have also been able to continue the therapeutic journey with clients who have relocated abroad permanently and assailed their expressed concerns about having to look for another therapist. While I also have experienced some of the technical issues , such as connection problems, highlighted in the article and also note that there is a different ‘space’ that the client and I enter into and do our work within when we have an online session , I also agree with Hoffman that the benefits surpass the mediums’  limitations. It seems to me that in counselling, the most central aspect is infact the relationship between the therapist and client – that this is ultimately the sacred and most vital space within which the magic of therapy occurs. Technology today has thus allowed us to preserve and honour this relationship, across time and space, so that when I promise my clients in our first session that it is infact a lifetime commitment I am making to them, I know I’ve got my bases covered. For more on how to conduct online sessions with clients or to set up a counselling session via Skype , contact Anoushka at anoushka@abehpsych.com. 

References: Reference Link : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/fashion/therapists-are-seeing-patients-online. , “When Your Therapist is Only a Click Away”, Jan Hoffman (2011) , New York Times.