3 Tips to Get the Most of Your Online Counseling

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Did you know that you can do online counseling through your smartphone? In today’s digital era, we can access and do almost everything through our smartphones. It is not only to look for information to buy food. Now we can also use a smartphone to get counseling from a professional counselor. Read this article to recognize the usefulness of online counseling. Featured picture: Pexels.
Now we can also use a smartphone to get counseling from a professional counselor. Online counseling
Picture 1. A Woman Is Using A Handphone (Pexels)
 

Professional counselors are licensed mental health therapists who provide assessment, diagnosis, and counseling to people facing a variety of life stresses and psychological problems.

They help people with relationship issues, family problems, job stress, mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and many other challenging problems that can impact feelings of well-being and happiness.

Characteristics of Profesional Counselors:

1. Communication Skills

Effective counselors should have excellent communication skills. Counselors need to have the ability to listen and be able to clearly explain their ideas and thoughts to others.

2. Acceptance

Professional counselors must be able to relate to clients with an open, nonjudgmental attitude. Counselors need to be able to convey acceptance to their clients with warmth and understanding. 

3. Empathy

Counselors must be able to display empathy. It is the ability to feel what another person is feeling. Compassion and empathy help the clients feel understood and heard.

4. Problem-Solving Skills

Counselors must have excellent problem-solving skills. They must be able to help their clients identify and make changes to negative thought patterns and other harmful behaviors that might be contributing to their issues.

5. Develop Strong Relationship

Counselors must be able to develop strong relationships. They must be able to cultivate trust. Counselors need to be able to focus on what their clients are saying.

6. Flexibility

Professional counselors have the ability to adapt and change the way they respond to meet the clients’ needs. 

7. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to look within and identify your own unmet psychological needs and desires. This ability prevents the issues from affecting or conflicting with those of the clients.

8. Multicultural Competency

Counselors must display multicultural competency and adopt a multicultural worldview. It means that counselors try to relate to and understand their clients regardless of their race, ethnicity, religious or political beliefs or socioeconomic background.

Professional counselors must be able to relate to clients with an open, nonjudgmental attitude. Counselors need to be able to convey acceptance to their clients with warmth and understanding.  Online counseling
Picture 2. The Profesional Counselors (BetterHelp)

Why Online Counseling?

 
Online counseling may be the best solution if you have problems to do face to face counseling. In big cities, distance, time, and congestion can sometimes be a barrier to get counseling. The number of professionals counselors is very limited in small cities. Cost is often a barrier to start counseling.
 
Also, there may be some among you feel embarrassed or worried about the judgment of others if you caught meet with a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. There also people who feel awkward to talk about personal matters with strangers.
 
You will not meet the above constraints when conducting online counseling. There is no suitable counselor in your area? No problem. You do not need to spend too much time on the road or travel long distances to meet with your counselor.
There is no suitable counselor in your area? No problem. You do not need to spend too much time on the road or travel long distances to meet with your counselor. Online counseling
Picture 3. Telecommunication (Pexels)
 
You only need your gadget to get online counseling. You also do not need to worry that others will know that you are doing counseling. One of the advantages of the service is also a cost that is cheaper than face-to-face counseling.
 
There is flexibility in conducting online counseling. The counselor and the client can type their response without pressed by time. The flexibility makes the response tends to be more detail. That makes both sides more familiar with each other.
 
You can avoid the judgment of others because you do not need to approach a counselor physically. So is the sense of not ready or feeling awkward. You can do the counseling process wherever you are right now. It is possible whether you are in the office, favorite coffee shop, or even in your own room.
You can avoid the judgment of others because you do not need to approach a counselor physically. So is the sense of not ready or feeling awkward. You can do the counseling process wherever you are right now. It is possible whether you are in the office, favorite coffee shop, or even in your own room. Online conseling
Picture 3. A Woman in a Chatting (UnSplash)

Does Online Counseling Actually Work?

 
Several studies have shown that online counseling has many benefits. Online counseling is considered to be a cost-effective and highly accessible method of providing basic counseling and mental health services. Online counseling help ease psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, or other emotional problems.

Through online counseling, you can get a trusted counselor to moan and groan. You can get input to address your problems. Express your feeling is important to stay mentally healthy. Read more “20 Ways to Stay Mentally Healthy” here.

Through online counseling, you can get a trusted counselor to moan and groan. You can get input to address your problems. Express your feeling is important to stay mentally healthy. Online Counseling
Picture 4. A Best Friend (Pixabay)
 

Cons

No interaction occurs directly. This condition limits the counselor to understand the counselee’s body language which is a part of his/her feeling expression.

Have you ever done online counseling? What do you like and dislike from online counseling? What is your opinion about online counseling? Please write your comment and I will be more than happy to reply to your comment.

Please share this article if you find it useful for others. Sharing is caring.

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8 thoughts on “3 Tips to Get the Most of Your Online Counseling”

  1. Hi Melani and thank you for sharing this helpful information about online counselling. When watching the video posted on your page, the speaker mentions that online counselling is appropriate for most mental health problems. I was wondering what one or two examples would be of mental health problems that are not suitable for online counselling? I would imagine things like anxiety and depression would be common issues to receive help online, but I’m wondering: are they the less common mental issues in general and would they require a type of specializaed counselor? Thanks so much! Kevin

    • Hi, Kevin. 

      Online counseling is beneficial for BASIC mental health issues. It is not appropriate for serious mental problems such as bipolar disorder (the patients experiencing suicidal thoughts).  Since online therapists are distant from the client, it is difficult to respond quickly and effectively when a crisis happens. If a client is experiencing suicidal thoughts or has suffered a personal tragedy, it can be difficult or even impossible for the therapist to provide direct assistance.

      E-therapy can be useful for a variety of situations, but not when it comes to more serious psychiatric illnesses that require close and direct treatment. It is also not appropriate for people with complicated problems.

  2. Thank you for this fantastic article on 3 tips to get the most of our online counselling.Online counselling has many benefits than face to face counselling in many ways.

    When I first talked to my online counselor I was free and I told her anything about my problems because I knew I will not meet her face to face but with a physical one I could hide some due to many reasons.

  3. Mental health and wellness is perhaps the biggest first step to becoming successful. It’s always good to have an outlet and someone to talk to. Thank you so much for providing your readers with an option that doesn’t require all the hassle of tracking someone down in your local area, finding a counselor that you trust, and then having to have face to face personal contact with someone. 

    I know many people in today’s modern age can be uncomfortable with speaking with anyone in the first place. This is a huge step in the right direction. Offering this type of service via smartphone really cannot be beat. 

    I know I personally live in a high traffic area, and I work long hours. Finding the time to go out of my way to get into an office visit is always a nightmare. Sometimes it’s good to be able to chat via web/smartphone and it actually is much more relaxing in my opinion because you can be in your own safe space at home.

    I like that this also removes the awkwardness between you and friends. You don’t have to sneak away if you want to keep the fact that you need someone to talk to under wraps.

    Thanks for helping us to understand that this option is available! It’s very appreciated and will most certainly be utilized. 

    • Hi,  Dalton.  You are right.  It is a good option for introvert people live in big cities. Thank you for your comprehensive and supporting comment. 

  4. Before reading this article I had no clue that Online counselling has these many benefits. This article explained it very well why online counselling is useful, essential and what are the benefits of online counselling. 

    You had a very reasonable points to support the case about online counselling. Thank you so much for sharing this article.

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