Online CBT Therapy
Online Therapy-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
At CBT Canary Wharf, we offer Therapy Online (also called Remote Therapy, Teletherapy and Video Call Therapy). As a qualified cognitive behavioural therapist, I have delivered effective online cognitive behaviour therapy for many years, particularly for clients who travel regularly or have relocated. Since 2020, the demand for online therapy has grown, especially with more people working remotely and seeking convenient ways to manage their mental health conditions. Many of my therapy clients value having their cognitive-behavioural therapy sessions online.
Why choose video call therapy sessions over face to face CBT sessions?
There is a lot of research available documenting the effectiveness of online therapy sessions. Video call sessions allow you to receive the same high quality, individually tailor-made CBT sessions from the comfort of your own home, office meeting room or hotel room. As long as you have a strong wifi connection or reliable mobile data, there is no reason (technologically) why you should not opt for online therapy sessions. Another benefit to therapy sessions online is that they save you the travel time to and from your sessions. They allow for the continuity of treatment when you travel; many of my clients value having their sessions when they are away for business or pleasure. Online therapy sessions also provide you, the client, with more choice. You no longer have to seek therapy from a therapist in your own country-you can seek therapy from a therapist anywhere in the world.
Advantages of Video Call Therapy
There are many advantages to online CBT sessions:
- Convenience: you can fit your therapy session in around your schedule.
- Cost Effective: it eliminates on travel time, travel expenses & time away from your desk/work.
- More choice: online therapy allows you to choose a therapist anywhere in the country, or world, for that matter. You are not restricted by geographical location.
- Achieve your goals whilst maintaining a healthier work/life balance.
- Accessibility: if you live in a remote area, i.e., in a small village or in the countryside, you may not have a good choice of suitable therapists in your area. Similarly, if you have mobility issues, online therapy provides you with the opportunity to have remote therapy sessions easily, from the comfort of your own home.
Contraindications For Online Therapy (reasons it may not be right for you)
The reasons online therapy may not be right for you largely fall into two categories: clinical contraindications and technological/circumstantial contraindications.
Clinical Contraindications
- Actively suicidal-if you are suffering with severe depression and are having suicidal thoughts, I strongly recommend face to face therapy.
- Severe substance abuse-a therapist needs to assess and monitor a client’s physical symptoms and this is much easier in a face to face setting.
- Active psychosis.
- Social isolation-if you live alone and are socially isolated, it may be more beneficial for you to attend your therapy sessions in person-this is not necessarily a serious contraindication, but something for you to think about-is getting out of the house important to you?
Technological/Circumstancial Contraindications
- Poor wifi connection: the basic requirement for a successful online therapy call is good, strong, wifi. If you do not have a good strong wifi connection, it would be important to ensure that you have a good mobile data service, i.e., 4G with good coverage.
- Lack of Privacy: 100% privacy is important to have when you’re on an online therapy call, so that you can talk freely about your difficulties, without fearing you will be overheard. If you won’t be alone during your therapy calls, or if there is a good chance that you will be interrupted, this may not be the right therapeutic modality for you.
- Audio-Video settings: it is important to have a good set of headphones or airpods for your Online Therapy calls.
- Personal safety concerns: wherever you choose to have your Online Therapy sessions from (home, work, hotel room, etc.) your physical and emotional safety is of paramount importance. If you don’t feel safe in your chosen environment/location, I would strongly suggest that online therapy may not be the right therapeutic modality for you.
Which online therapy platform will we use for our sessions?
I’ve chosen to use Zoom as my online therapy session platform, for no other reason than it is popular, reliable and relatively easy to navigate. The great thing about Zoom is that you do not need a Zoom account to join a “meeting”. Zoom refers to it’s Zoom calls as “meetings”, so for the avoidance of doubt, I, too, will refer to our sessions as meetings.
If you prefer not to sign up for a Zoom account, that is absolutely fine. You can still accept my invitation to a therapy meeting without a Zoom account. If you’ve never used Zoom before, don’t panic! This is my first rodeo with Zoom too, as host. When Skype closed down, I had to learn how to host a meeting on Zoom. We’ll be fine-trust me:).
However, before we arrange an assessment session via Zoom, we need to have a chat about whether therapy online is appropriate for your individual problems, so please get in touch with me to arrange a preliminary phone call so that I can get to know you a bit and learn more about the problems you’re having and the help you’re seeking.
Pre-assessment phone call for On-line Therapy Sessions
In order to assess your suitability for CBT, please email me to arrange a brief (15 minutes) call with you (free of charge) at a time convenient to you, prior to the initial Online Therapy assessment. This will allow me to find out more about you and the difficulties you are experiencing. If we agree that Online Therapy is appropriate for you, we will arrange a day/time for your online assessment via Zoom. If I think that a different type of therapy might be more beneficial to you, I will let you know. Once the initial assessment is confirmed, I will e-mail you a copy of my terms and conditions, as well as a client details form for you to complete and e-mail back to me. The assessment session is an opportunity for you to learn more about CBT and what the treatment will involve, and will allow me to gain a better understanding of your difficulties. It is also an opportunity for us both to see whether we are a good fit.
In preparation for your video call therapy sessions please ensure you follow these steps:
| 1. Sign up for a free Zoom account (or use Zoom without an account) |
| 2. Download the correct App, based on what device you will be using for your online therapy sessions |
| 2. Take time to familiarise yourself with how to join a Zoom call |
| 3. Invest in a good quality microphone so that we can both hear each other-this is worth investing in and can be found at most good computer shops |
| 4. Take time to test your video settings and ensure that you are familiar with how to turn your video camera off, if need be |
| 5. Take time to test your audio settings to ensure that I can hear you when you speak |
| 6. Plan to have your therapy session in a room/location where you will have privacy and will not be disturbed or interrupted |
Cost of Online Therapy and Payment Terms
Please see my Fees page for details. Once we have agreed on a date/time for your first Online Therapy call, I will email you confirmation of your appointment, with everything you will need ahead of our appointment, including my bank details, in order to make payment by bank transfer. If you have health insurance, you will need to check with your insurer as to whether they cover Online Therapy.
