What are the advantages of online therapy?
Does online therapy replace traditional face 2 face therapy?
Is online therapy very different from traditional therapy?
How about my privacy and confidentiality?
What aspects of mental health do the services of cafe therapy cover?
How long will it take?
How much will it cost?
How long do the therapy sessions last?
Who does the therapy?
How soon will the therapist respond to my email?
Can I ask for specific advise about a psychological disorder?
How do I book instant chat or telephone therapy sessions?
Do I need to be a member to benefit from online therapy?
How do make my comments known about this site or it's services? How do I make a complaint?
What are the advantages of online therapy?
- Online therapy allows the individual to be able to reflect on their feelings and thoughts without the intrusion of any non-verbal signals from the therapist and vise versa.
- Clients who find it difficult to schedule for weekly face 2 face sessions will be accommodated.
- There are no time zone barriers or restrictions.
- There is 24 hour availability for convenience to allow for personal commitments and convenience.
- It allows the client a greater variety of ways to express themselves, they are able to choice whether to disclose or not different aspects of their identity, emotions and issues.
- The use of real time and text based chat enables therapy to be in the here and now.
- Online therapy may accommodate clients problems/ illnesses as there is no need for travel.
- Clients with disabilities may find online therapy more accessible, i.e. hearing impaired clients.
For further information, please refer to - all about online therapy.
Does online therapy replace traditional face 2 face therapy?
- This is dependent on the client, where face 2 face therapy is determined as the appropriate method, online therapy is typically ruled out. So ultimately NO it enhances the availability and convenience of therapy and services. The use of email, telephone and instant messenging makes online therapy very accessible and easy to take advantage of.
- Some clients may be better suited to face 2 face, whilst for others online therapy will be more beneficial or/ and practical.
Is online therapy very different from traditional therapy?
For the majority the determining factor is the use of type rather than spoken dialogue (with the exception of telephone therapy). In terms of goals and ability to help clients, online therapy has no real difference to traditional therapy. However, some of the unique differences are what make online therapy a good and desirable choice, for example:
- You may feel you can self-disclose more rapidly than with face 2 face therapy.
- You will have greater opportunities for reflection from your own and the therapists perspective.
- It will enable you to be more succinct in your expression of feelings and concerns.
- If you are normally uncomfortable with talking about your concerns/ feelings, writing them down will be easier for you. Writing becomes an easier tool to uncover deep emotions and truths that many find difficult to express, when face 2 face with someone.
- Generally you may feel less inhibited and ready to move toward solutions at a quicker pace than with traditional therapy.
- Online therapy allows the individual to be able to reflect on their feelings and thoughts without the intrusion of any non-verbal signals from the therapist and vise versa.
- It allows the client a greater variety of ways to express themselves, they are able to choice whether to disclose or not different aspects of their identity, emotions and issues.
How about my privacy and confidentiality?
- Realistically it is much more plausible that privacy could be compromised when using face 2 face therapy rather than online i.e. therapy takes place from your chosen location.
- Online therapy runs protocols that not only protect clients credit card information (pay-pal) but also your identity and communications.
- Please refer to my confidentiality. in your terms and conditions.
Our therapy specialties are diverse and can incorporate the common everyday stresses to more complex disorders. Importantly your therapy will be tailored specifically to meet your needs.
This category includes: Generalised Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (for example).
Mood disorders commonly include: Depressive Disorders and Bipolar Disorders.
Eating disorders, incorporating: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge Eating and Over -Eating.
Factors such as self-worth, self-competence and self-acceptance all affect our level of self esteem.
Sometimes life changes (even positive ones) result in loss, bereivement and consequently grief.
As you change over time so do and must your relationships and this applies throughout all relationships in your life.
Stress can occur anywhere at work, school, college, at home or in our relationships.
- Effects of bullying / abuse
How long will it take?
It is really too hard to say just how long therapy will take as it is dependent on each client: what you want to achieve, how ready you are for the therapy experience and your situation, this will however be discussed with the initial correspondence. What you should know is, if you employ the services of cafe therapy, you are in control, you may only need a one off email or many email sessions and the same for instant chat and telephone therapy or you may wish a combination of all three methods. We will advise you but ultimately it is your choice.
How much will it cost?
This is ultimately linked to the above question and so an almost impossible question to answer but for a rough guide read the answer to - how long will it take? and follow this link for the cost of the different therapy methods. It is of course, more cost effective to buy your sessions in bulk, if you think that one session will not be enough for what you want to achieve.
How long do the therapy sessions last?
The instant messenger and telephone sessions must be booked in advance and last for 50 minutes, they commence on the hour, however it may be necessary for some extra time at no extra cost, allocated for initial information gathering to help you gain the most out of your future sessions. Please see - your therapy options. Obviously this does not apply to email therapy, the cost of which includes your concerns and a full detailed response based on your email with direction for future sessions (any interim emails from cafe therapy regarding your situation, which may be necessary to give an informed response, will not be charged for).
Who does the therapy?
The therapy is done by a qualified psychologist, who is further qualified in advanced psychotherapy and eating disorders and is a registered member of the BPS abiding by their codes of ethics. For further information please see - about us.
How soon will the therapist respond to my email?
Requests for email therapy will be responded to within 48 hours. If you feel this is too great a time lapse - arrangements can be made for more frequent correspondence between you and ourselves. If you find this to be the case, please make your needs known at the start of your email to the therapist or by contacting us direct, detailing your request and email reference.
Can I ask for specific advise about a psychological disorder?
Yes. This is your time and therapy, however, if it is something that we feel we are not best suited to help you with, we will tell you so and give advice as to where you may find help.
How do I book instant chat or telephone sessions?
It's very simple, please refer to - or follow this link now - therapy options and follow the instructions for your chosen method of therapy (i.e. apply now..). If you are still unsure please contact us so that we can help you.
Do I need to be a member?
You do not need to be a member to use the therapy services of this site. Membership is required to use the mental health forum of cafe therapy. We thoroughly recommend that you do consider joining the forum, as it can be an invaluable support to your therapy choices and is a secure place to share with people from across the world, similar circumstances. For information about how it works and it's benefits, follow this link - members forum and then to join us click here.
How do make my comments known about this site or it's services? How do I make a complaint?
First and foremost - please do make your thoughts and experiences of this site and services known. We are always interested in making our site more usable and providing the best service we can for all our clients. You can do this by either adding it to your email or better still through our contact us page. We look forward to hearing from you and will always endeavour to provide you with a response.
