top of page
Logo_JPEG.jpg

You can't get to your future,
while your past is still present.

Waves

What Is Email, Text and
Instant Message (IM) Counselling?

If there are any particular barriers that may make face-to-face counselling challenging, daunting, hard to access, time consuming etc, email, text and IM counselling are the perfect alternatives.  

Remote counselling allows you to send an email or text message to your counsellor from anywhere in the world, and at any time. Whether you’re sitting on a park bench, during a break at work, or while you’re relaxing at home when you have some private time and space during your day or evening, you decide.

Emails and texts can be written and sent at your pace. They give you time to think and write about what is on your mind, and at a time which feels therapeutically beneficial for you – either when things are especially difficult for you, or when your mind seems clear and you feel more able to articulate what you want to say. 

This allows you to express your thoughts as they occur, saving them as a draft email or text if that helps you, rather than waiting for several days or weeks until your next appointment.

Instant Message sessions work slightly different to email and text sessions. It's still the same process of writing down your thoughts and feelings, but during a real-time text conversation. IM sessions are particularly good if you want to off-load your worries as you will have live interaction with your counsellor. All methods are inter-changeable and work well alongside each other. I would suggest an email or text session to start off with. There is no word count limit, and they give you the opportunity to include as much information as possible to help me to understand your concerns. 

Waterfall
Shoreline
Tree Roots

How It Works

The act of writing down our concerns, thoughts, and feelings in our own safe space, and in our own time, can in itself be very healing and effective to help process any negative emotions we may be experiencing.

Emailing and texting eases any feelings of anxiety around having to share our worries in the moment of a session. It gives us time, space, and freedom to write down what is on our mind, to figure out what it is we want to say and how we want to say it, rather than waiting until our next scheduled session when we might be feeling different. IM is a great communication medium for anyone who feels they might benefit from an 'in the moment' session, or for someone who prefers 'real-time' sessions. 

All of these effective methods take away the need to speak about our concerns out loud, removing any pressure of trying to verbally express our thoughts and feelings.

Once I receive your email or text message, I take the time to carefully read your words, and then I personally reply with a well thought out, considered therapeutic response, accompanied by any therapy tools I believe you will benefit from. 

Face-to-face sessions usually last for 50 minutes. I spend up to one hour on your  reply. If for any reason my reply will take longer than one hour, due to several issues or concerns for instance, I will contact you so we can discuss further timescales and possible fees. My replies are never automated and are always personalised to each individual. I will reply as soon as possible, but please allow 3 working days, this gives me time to compose your response.

I use a secure Proton email account, so the emails I send to you are encrypted. Email encryption is a process that encodes a message so that only the recipient of the message can read it. If you already have a Proton email account, our emails will be automatically encrypted. If you don’t, I will send you a password protected email so only you can read it. It’s quick and easy to set up a free Proton email account. Proton Mail: Get a private, secure, and encrypted email account | Proton

For text and IM, I use Whatsapp, Signal, and Messenger, all of which are securely end-to-end encrypted.   

Bench by the Lake

The Benefits of Email, Text
and IM Counselling

  • available worldwide 

  • sessions via secure, encrypted email, text and IM

  • you decide when, where, and how often you message 

  • no need to book a time slot for email and text

  • provides you with your own uninterrupted time and space to be free and open in a safe, non-judgemental environment

  • gives you the freedom to write down your thoughts and feelings in the privacy of your own home or private space

  • gives you time to think, to put your thoughts and feelings into words, even if you think they don’t make sense - in time they will

  • I have time to carefully consider your concerns before replying 

  • you have access to transcripts of each session

  • read, re-read and consider my response, before your next session

  • re-reading your response allows you time to take it all in, to process and reflect

  • allows you to see how far you have progressed in your counselling journey

  • there is less pressure to respond to questions, like there is in face-to-face sessions

  • available to you wherever you are in the world, and at any time

  • accessible for people who are housebound, struggle with hearing, social anxiety, mobility difficulties etc.

Bench by the Lake
Man Checking his Phone
bottom of page