We have worked with on-line sessions for quite a while. However, as clients have become more familiar with tele-conferencing in 2020, our centre has really been able to embrace online couple therapy in a much larger way.
For many clients and therapists alike, online therapy has been a great expansion of the way the way we connect with each other. Even though some of our clients live nearby and COVID-19 risks aren’t high here at present, they’re still choosing to do remote therapy because they find it really convenient and if they are anxious about health, they find it much safer.
Clients get to be in a familiar environment, dressed comfortably and with more flexibility to fit the sessions into their day and still get the same benefits of attending a session in person. They are able to develop a close relationship with their therapist.
At the centre we’ve become more familiar with the technology and streamlining our bookings process for telehealth (online therapy) and the more we do it, the more we have come to realise that counselling through Zoom can be just as effective as face to face sessions.
We therefore welcome clients who are located at a distance, and we work with clients from all over Australia and internationally. This has saved many people from having to physically travel to Canberra for intensives.
Firstly, online therapy has to feel right for you. You need reasonably good internet connection and a computer or tablet is preferable to a phone. When screens are too small, it is harder to read expressions on faces and we are wanting you to get clear messages, and to read our concern and empathy correctly.
If a couple is highly escalated, it may be harder for the therapist to contain the distress, and so for highly escalated couples, if there is an option, face to face sessions may be preferable. However, having said that, all of our therapists are trained in containing conflict in telehealth sessions, and most couples have some level of conflict, so generally speaking we are able to manage that dynamic, even at a distance.
On some occasions we can do sessions where the couple of located in different locations – for example if one is at work or one overseas for work, however our preference is to work wherever possible with the couple together in one room.
The usual contra-indications for couples therapy apply and you read about them here.
As we have said above, online therapy gives us an unique opportunity to connect with clients throughout Australia and the rest of the world. If we fit with you and you fit with us – then distance is no longer a barrier. If, when reading through our website you find that our centre and one of our therapists is a good fit for you – that somehow their training or experience resonates with you on a personal level, and you would like to explore the option of connecting with them – please reach out as we believe we can offer you the same intensely supportive and focused therapy which we provide to those clients who attend sessions on our premises.