My online therapy/counseling starts tonight.

[Sparkle1984]

My 1:1 online therapy starts tonight. It's there anything in particular I should do to be well-prepared? I've been waiting for this for a long time and I'm looking forward to it. It will be the first time I've ever had one to one help.

[Annie0904]

I would write everything down that you want to say in preparation. I hope it goes well for you :hugs:

[Rennie1989]

What Annie said, maybe write down how your feeling, what you would like to discuss about, any issues you want to tackle etc. The therapist often lets you know after the first session.

Good luck tonight!

[rebeccad]

How do you do online therapy ? Sounds interesting x

[NoPoet]

Bear in mind the first few sessions are about explaining what you're going through and getting to know one another so the therapist can build a clear picture. They may want to ask a few questions. Make bullet points of the things you want to talk about. If you need to talk about a lot of things, make sure you prioritise the things that you feel are most urgent as it is not always possible to discuss everything in one therapy session.

[Sparkle1984]

Thanks for your advice everyone. :) It went well, although the only thing is when using instant messaging services like this it can take a while before you get a reply as obviously it takes longer to type than to speak. However, this is the way I feel most comfortable getting help at the moment. I think I'd be more nervous about using a voice-based service such as Skype or even the phone. Anyway, I'm allowed 8 sessions initially, with the scope for this to be increased later if necessary, so hopefully I'll get a chance to discuss everything I want to discuss.

Rebecca - the online therapy is carried out via Google Chat instant messager. I think it is good if you don't want to speak with a therapist face-to-face.

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Is this done through the NHS?

[Sparkle1984]

It's not through the NHS but it is with the voluntary sector, so it's possible to get it for free or subsidised. :) The website is turn2me.org. When I filled in the form for the online counselling, I had to wait about a month to hear back, which isn't too bad.

[Annie0904]

I am pleased it went well for you x