Is online ok?

Whilst using the internet as a mode of communication may have seemed somewhat unconventional a few years ago, online counselling is an effective, confidential and convenient alternative to in-person sessions and is quickly becoming an alternative source of therapy. Online counselling is not a replacement for traditional therapy, and it is not the most suitable or appropriate approach for some people and/or issues. It is, however, a useful medium in which to gain support and tease out issues that are holding us back or causing difficulties in our lives.

Online counselling offers the same support that you would receive when talking to a therapist in person. It allows you to feel safe and to explore your thoughts freely in a supportive and non-judgmental way and work out how to move forward.

What are the advantages of online therapy, counselling and life-coaching?

• Online Counselling provides greater accessibility to, and choice of, professional therapists and coaches worldwide (they are no more than a few clicks away!)
• You can receive online counselling from anywhere in the world – as long as you have access to the internet – using mobile devices
• You can arrange your online counselling session to fit in with your busy schedule. A 50-60 minute gap, such as a lunch break, is sufficient for an online session
• No travelling, with wasted travel time, is necessary
• You can access online counselling conveniently from your own home or work place
• Online counselling is more confidential because you will not be seen entering or leaving a counsellor’s premises.
• People with mobility issues or illness don't need to travel.

What are the disadvantages of online counselling, therapy and coaching?

• A fast enough internet connection is not always available
• You may not develop the same level of rapport with the counsellor/therapist as you could when having in-person counselling
• Valuable ‘process’ opportunities are lost. Travelling to a session often provides the time and space to think about the sessions – what you are going to say/what was said – which is more useful than most people realise
• Some people and issues will respond better to in-person counselling.
• It is not suitable for suicide emergencies.

My qualifications & experience

• As a psychologist I have been in private practice since 2000.
• As a life, career and executive coach I have been in practice since 2009.

My approach

I use an eclectic approach in my work - using the best approach for a particular client, based on their particular challenge and set of circumstances.

I draw mostly from Psychodynamic, Humanistic and Existential approaches. I also draw on the theory of Transactional Analysis and Attachment Theory. I sometimes combine this with practical life-coaching techniques. This combination means that counselling and therapy with me is generally faster than a lot of the other therapy models allow.

I work successfully with individuals, couples and groups.

What age group do I work with?

I work with adults over the age of 18 years. 

What sorts of issues can you contact me about for online counselling?

I have experience and an interest in working in the following areas: 

• Anger management
• Depression and low mood
• Grief and bereavement
• Interpersonal skills development – EQ skills, communication skills, assertiveness, conflict and negotiation
• Low self-esteem and lack of assertiveness
• Personal growth – helping people live more effectively; gain confidence
• Relationship building – giving couples the communication and interpersonal skills to enhance and strengthen their relationships
• Relationship breakup, separation or divorce (for individuals but not for couples)
• Retirement – planning retirement from a psychological perspective
• Retrenchment – helping individuals adapt to retrenchment and view the future as a new opportunity
• Self-esteem counselling – helping individuals improve the way they see themselves
• Sleep difficulties and insomnia
• Stress and anxiety
• Trauma counselling (Acute Anxiety Disorder and PTSD)

Cancelling a session

You may of course cancel a session that we have scheduled. If you give me more than 24-hours’ notice you will not be charged for the cancelled session, and you will be credited for a future session.

Rescheduling a session

If something comes up and you need to change the time and date of our session, please give me at least 24-hours’ notice. If you reschedule within less than 24-hours of a session you will be charged for the session.

Using Skype

I use Skype for my online sessions. Skype is really easy to download and to use and provided you have a relatively fast internet service and a webcam and microphone. Skype counselling, therapy or coaching can be conducted on any type of compatible mobile device – computer, laptop, tablet, mobile phone etc. To find out more about Skype just click on the following link http://about.skype.com.

Using WhatsApp

If you prefer to use WhatsApp to talk to me you can. WhatsApp is really easy to download and to use provided you have a relatively fast internet service. WhatsApp counselling, therapy or coaching can be conducted on any type of compatible mobile device – tablet or mobile phone. To find out more about WhatsApp just click on the following link https://www.whatsapp.com/  

Dialling-in to a local number

For those who may not have an internet connection, or have a connection which is too slow for Skype and/or WhatsApp, I also offer counselling sessions using the telephone. Telephone counselling offers most of the benefits of online counselling.

The good news is that you don’t have to make expensive international calls, instead you can dial-in to a local number and be charged local rates.  The number will be provided to you before our first session.

What happens if we experience technical issues?

We use ‘Plan B’ …

If you experience a technical problem and cannot connect with me using our agreed upon method, at our agreed time, please contact me so we can make alternative arrangements.

If you fail to show online and don’t make contact to let me know what's happening, you will be charged for the consultation.

If I cannot get online and connect with you using our agreed upon method, at our agreed time, I will contact you to make alternative arrangements.

If we lose connection during the consultation, I will attempt to make contact with you via another method. If I am unable to do this, I will be in touch later to arrange how the lost time will be made up.

Invoicing

Please note that if you wish to claim back from your medical aid (South African’s only) you will need an invoice from me completed with certain medical codes. (ICD-10 codes). Please inform me that you want to claim so that I can include the relevant codes..

Medical aid cover

South Africa - Psychotherapy and counselling are both covered by medical aid.
You must deal directly with your medical aid by submitting my invoice together with your proof of payment in order to claim a benefit that they offer. Please note that not all medical aid schemes pay psychologists fees in full.
Please see the “Medical Aid Rates for Psychologists” information on my website.

Other countries - As I am only registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and no other psychologist professional body, it is unlikely that you will be able to claim from medical aid for our sessions.

Why use a Professional?

Many people who contact me, ask me why they should pay for a professional when they “just need advice” or are “just looking for someone to talk to.”

There are a number of reasons why a professional might be a better option than a friend or volunteer counsellor.

• Professional counselling or therapy offers a lot more than just an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on. A professional is trained to help you understand why you are thinking, feeling and behaving as you are and to help you make or bring about the changes that you want to make.
• There are plenty of people out there who will tell you what to do.  You only need to talk to friends or colleagues and they will all have their advice and opinions. Or you can just click on a site where someone will tell you instantly whether to leave your spouse, quit your job, or skip the operation. But do you really think it’s wise to have a stranger - who doesn’t know you and whose qualifications are unknown - to make major decisions in your life?

A professional is trained to really get to know you, to help you make the most of your strengths and to guide you to make the choices that only you can make. A professional will empower you to take control of your own life.

• Many people worry that they are “crazy” or that “there is something wrong with me”. A professional in a recognized discipline like psychology or social work is trained to know the difference between health and pathology and to help effectively whether your trouble is mild or severe.
• A professional is bound by a professional code of ethics. All personal information shared during consultations is strictly confidential and in accordance with the code of ethics. You cannot trust anyone else to take confidentiality as seriously. Volunteer counsellors often don’t!

If you can afford it, good, competent, professional help is well worth the cost.

Why do I have to pay?

Therapy or counselling by a registered psychologist, counsellor or social worker is a skilled service like those offered by other professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, and dentists. When you become a client of such a professional, you are paying for their training, experience and professional ethics.

How do I know if I need counselling, therapy or coaching?

When emotions or problems start to interfere with your relationships, career or life in general, it is advisable to seek help.

Sometimes it just doesn’t work to try to cope on our own - and it is not necessary to worry and struggle when help is so readily available. Often, all it takes is to work with a professional who can help you stand back from the situation and see the way forward again.

My role will be to help you look at your life with a new perspective, and to help you develop the necessary thinking, strategies and coping skills to overcome the difficulties you face.

What if I need medication?

Psychologists are not qualified to prescribe medication, but if I think that medication would be of benefit to you, and you are comfortable with taking it, I will encourage you to see your Homeopath, GP or a psychiatrist. They will make their own diagnosis and prescribe a remedy or medication for you.

If you are already on medication, I would be happy for you to continue to take it. Again, I will encourage you to be monitored by a medical professional.

This is exactly what would happen if you were seeing me in person.

Which is the best approach - counselling, coaching or therapy?

It depends on the issues you are struggling with. Generally, therapy looks at issues in a more complex, deeper way than counselling or coaching.

As a registered psychologist and certified coach I am able to offer you the full range of services and will be able to make recommendations to you. We will decide together which approach is most suitable and appropriate for you. 

Is counselling and therapy private and confidential?

Yes it is…. but only if you are using a professional bound by a professional code of ethics.

As I am a psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) all personal information shared during consultations is strictly confidential and in accordance with the ethics of the HPCSA, except in the event that:

• You have signed a release of information.
• You are considered to be at risk of harming yourself or others.
• You reveal the abuse of a child.
• Such information being subpoenaed by a court of law.

Your case may be discussed with a supervising psychologist, but all personal particulars will be withheld.

Online privacy and the use of cookies

Like most websites, this website uses cookies set by Google Analytics, which are used to collect information about how visitors use the site. The cookies collect information anonymously, such as the number of site visitors, from where they came to the site and the pages they visited etc. None of this information enables identification of individuals.

Should you wish to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites that you visit and which use Google Analytics, you can do so by visiting this part of Google’s website http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

How many sessions will I need?

That’s a very difficult question to answer. Of course you want to know what you are letting yourself in for, in terms of time and money, but it really depends on your issues and your willingness to work on them.

I do not offer ‘advice’ or a quick solution to your problem. My job is to empower you to make life decisions that are right for you and to give you some tools for doing so. How long we work together will depend to a great extent on what we decide our goals are and what other issues come up in the course of treatment.

As a general guide, 6 sessions is considered to be extremely brief, but may be all you need to feel a lot better. 12-18 sessions is a more probable timeframe, but a complex or chronic (long-term) condition may require more time.

Usually after an initial consultation, I am able to estimate how many sessions may be required. We reassess when we get to the end of them and if we see the need to continue, we can. Usually it becomes clear to both therapist and client when it is time to stop therapy or counselling, so you don’t need to worry about paying for more sessions than you need.

What should I expect from the sessions?

Generally the first session involves my gathering some routine information and getting a general overview of the ‘presenting problem’ - the reason you wanted to see a therapist or coach.

I believe that we are all individuals and so I do not use just one approach when working with clients, but rather use what is known as an ‘Eclectic approach”. That is, I use the best approach for a particular client, based on their particular challenge and set of circumstances.

I allow the sessions to be led by what you the client wants to bring to the sessions, but may suggest a different agenda if I feel it is in your best interests to do so. 

I do offer a free, no obligation, 15 minute session on Skype for you to experience how an online counselling session might feel for you.  It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go into any therapeutic work with you at that time, but it will give us an opportunity to talk about and experience how we might work together to bring about the changes you want.

If you want to take up this offer, just fill in the form and I will respond to set up a time with you.