Not all therapy can be done face to face. Therapy online is often an acceptable alternative.
I’ve been working with people online almost since my very first days as a therapist. Many people were a little sniffy about it back then. It was seen very much as being the poor relation to face to face therapy.
Lockdowns changed all that. Therapists realised that it was a matter of adapting their views or going out of business. Whilst zoom may not be suitable for the youngest of children, I have worked with many children and adolescents, from across the globe, using televisual means of communication.
Client after client is now arranging to see me online, rather than face to face, for they know what I’ve known for years: online therapy can be just as effective – when used skilfully – as is the more traditional face to face experience.
I offer effective psychotherapy to clients in Oxford and Reading both face to face and via remote means of working together. Televisual platforms such as zoom offer a whole new way of working and my experience is that they are as effective as working in a room together.
Over my career I have worked with adults, tweens and adolescents from France, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, The United States, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, New Zealand, Australia and far more countries besides.
Of course, it all remains a matter of personal preference. If your son or daughter expresses the need for face to face psychotherapy then (assuming I’m too far away to be local) I’m probably not the right person. Still, when the client doesn’t mind it really doesn’t matter very much.
How does it work?
Well, we arrange a time and date just as with any other face to face client. I then send you a zoom link. You run a test call in order to ensure that your microphone and camera are working properly. You’re then set up from your end.
We then join the meeting at the allotted time and all continues as normal.
Payment is either made by bank transfer for British citizens or via paypal for overseas clients. I shall ask you to pay me on the day of the session. I’ll send you all the necessary details in good time.
If your child or teenager is too far from my bases in Oxford and Reading but still wants to resolve their issues then help is available online. Whether it’s school refusal, OCD, performance anxiety, depression, asperger’s related problems, sports performance, generalised anxiety, emetophobia and a whole lot more besides, I’ve worked with it online. I’ll be more than glad to help your child too.
Expectations on my part
I’d obviously like your child to be on time. I’ll often have a client straight after my session with your child, so I won’t be able to make up the time by staying online later than the allotted hour. I’d also ask that your child comes to see me in a good state of mind. Coming online straight after rushing in from school might not be appropriate. Giving your child supper as they talk to me is an unhelpful distraction. Expecting to be able to talk to me for ten minutes at the start of the session is also unhelpful, for it shortens contact time with my client.
Your child will need a quiet and private space, free from distractions, interruptions and competing technologies.
What, you don’t use skype!?
No, I’m afraid not. Skype isn’t considered suitably confidential by UKCP, my regulatory body. I could use Microsoft Teams, if zoom doesn’t suit you for whatever reason. I could also use Whatsap.
Is online therapy good for all clients?
The youngest client I’ve worked with online was nine years of age. She was perfectly able to sit for the appointed time, focus on our conversation and follow instructions. You are the best judge of whether your child is old and motivated enough to do the same. It’s my experience that shorter sessions may be necessary for the youngest of online clients and that these sessions (necessarily being devoid of the play, sand, painting and other elements commonly used with the younger clients) are best suited to those of 11 years of age and upwards.
Get in touch and we’ll arrange a time to begin!
Your son or daughter deserves the very best start to life. Whatever’s holding them back can be resolved and if you’ve decided that I’m the best person to help them to do just that then please contact me to take the next steps. You could call me on 07786123736, email me on paul@resolvedcounsellingforchildren.com or message me using the contact form at the foot of this page. However you contact me, I look forward to hearing from you.