Working Together Online

How we work together online..

You may be wondering what it means for us to be working together online, for counselling or therapy.

Online therapy happens in my private counselling room.  This ensures you experience confidentiality, security, and visual continuity.  I provide a safe space for you to explore how you are feeling and thinking.  We can do this through talking together,  and also paying attention to your experiences during your therapy.  When we work together online, it will be using the Zoom platform.  Zoom is easy to use for both video and voice only sessions.  

I will send you an email with a link in to your therapy session.  At the time of your session, you just click on the link, and this will take you to my online waiting area.  I will be notified that you have 'arrived' and then I can let you in to the Zoom room.  Once we are both in the room, I lock the room to ensure your privacy and confidentiality.  (This doesn't prevent you from leaving, but it stops others from entering).  If you don't want to work via video, we can work together online, using the voice only function, with the video turned off.

What happens in a therapy session?

You might find it really hard to just sit and talk, and that's okay.  If it's easier we can find other ways for you to express what's going on for you.  This could be through art, music, guided visualisations, or movement.

As part of your therapy process, we can also look at psycho-education.  This is about helping you to understand how and why you are affected by trauma.  It helps you to understand the effect trauma has on your brain and body.  Your body and mind is very clever, and find ways to protect you.  This is normal.  However, these coping strategies may feel challenging, difficult to cope with or understand.

We can explore different emotional states, triggers, and resources.  This can support you to cope with and reduce distress.  It also helps to make sense of the experiences you have.  Making sense of experiences is helpful, whether its flashbacks, dissociation or anxiety and panic.

Trauma is held in the body.  It affects how you feel physically.   During therapy, I will be paying attention to and noticing, how you hold yourself physically.  I may also invite you to explore the meaning of this..  I may encourage you to physically move, or to experiment with changing your posture during the session.  We can then explore how this feels for you.  Learning to move your body, and hold yourself differently, can enable new ways of experiencing and supporting yourself.

Safety and Connection

I am experienced in working with different parts of the self - which is a normal state we all experience to some degree.  Some people experience this in a different way as more distinct parts of the self, or as dissociative identity disorder.  All parts of you are welcome here.

If you are experiencing a crisis, I will support you collaboratively with safety planning.  This is to reduce risks of harm to you.  We will work together to agree what support you need during this time.  Online therapy can be helpful during times of crisis, when motivation to physically attend appointments may be low.  You may also feel safer and more comfortable in your own surroundings.

I am committed to supporting you with your wellbeing and safety.