• Perhaps you are unable to commit to regular face-to-face counselling sessions because of work, personal or other commitments.
• You might not be able to get away from home due to responsibilities to others; you might have small children or be caring for a relative.
• It could be that you have a disability or are not well enough to attend regular face-to-face appointments.
• Online counselling is ideal for deaf people as it saves the need for an interpreter or finding a counsellor with sign language.
• You may find making or keeping appointments stressful, or you are not comfortable with seeing someone face-to-face.
• Maybe the anonymity of an online relationship would feel more comfortable.

Many people find it is helpful to write their thoughts; they can reflect on what they have written and see the progress they are making as e-mails are exchanged. If you have access to a computer and can use e-mail, you might find that this method of communication is a safe and effective means of support, enabling you to begin to find a way forward through your problems.
 

Email Counselling
With email counselling you will use email to communicate with your counsellor. You and your counsellor will send emails to each other, working together to help you resolve issues confidentially, as you would in a face-to-face session.

How It Works
For Email counselling all you will need is a personal email address, the communication is completely confidential. An email counselling session lasts for 1 hour – this time will be used by your counsellor to reply to your emails. When your counsellor receives your email, they will first read and then reply to your email. The time that the counsellor takes to reply to your email will then be taken from your hour. This cycle will continue until the hour is used up. The hour may be spread over a couple of days or even weeks, depending on how frequently you would like to email your counsellor.

What You Will Need - System Requirements For Email Counselling:

• A broadband or dial up connection
• A personal and secure email address that you have regular access to
• You must ensure that you have all of these facilities and that they are working correctly before you book, or start your session.