Email Counselling
A less traditional approach to counselling - communicate at your own pace….
What is Email Counselling?
We will have a weekly exchange of therapeutic emails.
I will spend 50 minutes responding to you, the same amount of time we would have together in my other methods of counselling. I encourage you to also spend 50 minutes preparing your emails.
Email counselling is different to the other ways we can meet due to the time delay in our responses. We will agree a timeframe for our emails to each other each week – for example perhaps you send your email to me before 6pm on a Tuesday and I respond before 6pm on a Thursday.
Is Email Counselling confidential?
I have undertaken specialist training in Online and Telephone Counselling that is approved by the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO). In order to take steps to keep our emails confidential I use a secure email service and will send you details on how to set this up for yourself too. It is free and also simple to set this up.
Why choose Email Counselling?
- Saves time and money as there is no travel
- You have more time to think and prepare
- If you like to express yourself through writing
- Flexibility – you can write your response in your own time
- Suits those with accessibility issues
- No need to show your face or speak
Things to consider
- Do you have somewhere comfortable and private to sit?
- Do you enjoy expressing yourself through writing?
- Do you enjoy reading?
- Do you have enough free time to write and read my responses?
- How would the gaps in our communication feel for you?
How do I get started?
STEP 1: Click here to book in for an introductory session.
STEP 2: I will email you details of how to set up a secure email account with Proton Mail for yourself and the registration form for you to complete.
STEP 3: You set up your secure email account.
STEP 4: I will then email confirming a date and time for you to have sent your email by and the date and time I will reply by.
STEP 5: You pay the fee for the introductory session.
STEP 6: You send your introductory email (1000 words max) - remember to write and send it through your new Proton Mail email account.
The first emails we exchange will be the introductory session - our way of meeting each other. It gives you a feel for contact by email before deciding if you would like to continue on to email counselling with me. It helps me understand what your expectations are and I get to learn a little bit about you. There is no obligation to carry on to email counselling at this stage. Some ideas of what to share in the introduction email are:
- An overview of any experience of counselling you might have had already – let me know how that went for you and what you liked/disliked about it, how long it lasted and whether it was face to face or another method.
- Why Email Counselling appeals to you.
- An overview of the main issues in your life currently that you’d like support with.
- What you’d like to get from counselling – how will you know when you’ve got there?
- Any questions you have for me.
STEP 7: I will send my email response by the agreed date and time.
STEP 8: Once you’ve read my response you then email me to let me know if you would like to continue on to counselling or not. If the answer is yes then I'll email a Counselling Contract for you to sign and return.
STEP 9: The fee for counselling sessions is due 48 hours beforehand.
