Online counselling, teletherapy, e-health, ... new names for new forms of mental support. What we don't know, we often fear. So allow me to convince you of this form of therapy & coaching. 

Why do i choose Online counselling?

  • Because I have been offering online counselling as a psychologist for various support lines of health insurances and companies for more than 6 years through Employee Assistance Programs 
  • Because I'm also heavily involved in the online world of esports and online gaming
  • Because I followed additional training abroad for this (Online Counselling Services & Training - UK)
  • Because the efficacy is scientifically proven (see FAQ below)
  • Because the COVID crisis has only increased the functionality and user-friendliness of online counselling (see Practical below)
  • Because this gives me the necessary flexibility next to work to spend time with my family and to exercise enough myself (Under the motto: 'Practice what you preach!')

why would you choose online counselling?

It's practical:
  • You cannot find a babysitter, you have no transport, it is difficult to schedule a face-to-face meeting between all other appointments, you are staying abroad, the closest expert with my specialization is an long drive away, … All reasons why people do not take the step towards help or coaching. All reasons that disappear with online counselling!
  • You don't have to move and rush as you can have a conversation wherever you want. This can be between other appointments, without having to queue in traffic or stress whether you will get there on time.
  • Documents, useful links or tools are shared faster and you have them immediately on your PC. No pieces of paper you can lose!
It is accessible:
  • You are already taking a big step by asking for my help. I would like to keep the threshold as low as possible for you.
  • Most people feel more comfortable in the safety of their own confidential environment.
  • For some, it's just easier to talk to someone remotely. You get the same professional help without it having to feel like a confrontation. This also reduces the chance that you will bump into your psychologist in the supermarket (I would just say 'hello' nicely, by the way).
  • You don't have to sit awkwardly in a waiting room with someone close by that you may know. You just have to pause your Netflix or videogame and we can start.
  • If you feel comfortable, the guidance will often run smoother and faster. That's been scientifically proven.
It is effective:
  • The conversation remains our most important tool. This is just like a face to face conversation, only now via a screen. The techniques from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy/Training (a form of cognitive behavioral therapy) that I use most often are also easy to translate to an online setting.
  • Many practical interventions can still be practiced via a screen. Think of visualization exercises, breathing exercises, ...
  • Something can still be drawn to clarify or better explain things.
  • It is scientifically based (see FAQ below).

Practical

Which platform do we use then? Please let me know which platforms you have experience with.

For people who are not really familiar with video calls and technology, I recommend Whereby. It's free and you don't need to install any software. You simply click on the link I provide you and we are good to go. The connection is simply made via your browser. Google Chrome would be the best browser for this. Whereby is a safe platform that also works on a tablet or smartphone if you don't have a computer with a webcam. 

Most people have already had a conversation via Zoom or Teams for work. These platforms require free software to be installed on your computer. If this is already on your PC, it will run smoothly via the meeting link that I will provide you after making an appointment.

For gamers or esports athletes I usually use Discord as they often already have an account on it.

FAQ

How much does an online session cost?
Look for prices under the different services I offer:
Sport psychology / Esports performance coaching / Quit smoking / Health coaching
How do i pay an online session?
  • You can instantly pay with a mobile payment app by scanning the QR code of my smartphone through the webcam.
  • I can send a payment request via SMS, mail or Whatsapp.
  • Or you can simply transfer the money yourself after the session.​
Please note: payment for the last session must be received before the next session can take place.
do i need a headset?
This usually improves the sound quality on both sides, but this is certainly not necessary as a client. Usually everything is easy to understand.
can we do a session by phone?
​Yes. Since 2014, I have been working as a psychologist by telephone through helplines of health insurances or for Employee Assistance Programs where employees call in for short-term counselling. The biggest absence there is non-verbal communication (posture, facial expression, reactions, ...), but after helping hundreds of people, I can confidently say that telephone assistance also works. Please note: I only call with Belgian numbers through the regular telephone system. Foreign numbers need to use an online voice call system (e.g. Whatsapp)
Is online counselling scientifically proven to be effective?
Good question. The answer is YES!

​Despite the concerns, research consistently shows that online treatment can be very effective for many mental health issues. Here are the results of a few studies:
  • A 2014 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that online treatment was just as effective as face-to-face treatment for depression.
  • A 2018 study published in the Journal of Psychological Disorders found that online cognitive behavioral therapy is, "effective, acceptable and practical health care." The study found the online cognitive behavioral therapy was equally as effective as face-to-face treatment for major depression, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
  • A 2014 study published in Behaviour Research and Therapy found that online cognitive behavioral therapy was effective in treating anxiety disorders. Treatment was cost-effective and the positive improvements were sustained at the one-year follow-up.

​Source: https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/does-online-therapy-work-heres-what-science-says.html

​Novotney writes,
A 2008 meta-analysis of 92 studies found that the differences between Internet-based therapy and face-to-face were not statistically significant (Novotney as cited in Journal of Technology in Human Services, Vol. 26, No. 2). Similarly, a 2009 review of 148 peer-reviewed publications examining the use of videoconferencing to deliver patient interventions showed high patient satisfaction, moderate to high clinician satisfaction and positive clinical outcomes (Novotney as cited in Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, Vol. 16, No. 3).

Novotney reports that:
a 2010 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Novotney as cited in Vol. 71, No. 7) found that videoconferencing can be successful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. In that study, researchers compared the effectiveness of 12 sessions of anger management therapy delivered via video to in-person delivery of the same treatment to 125 rural combat veterans with PTSD. The researchers found that the video-based anger management therapy was just as effective as the face-to-face care.

Wagner, et al found that:
Effects of online psychotherapy outlasted face-to-face counseling: A University of Zurich study divided a group of 62 patients in half and found that depression was eased in 53% of those given online therapy, compared to 50% who had in-person counseling. Three months after completing the study, 57% of online patients showed no signs of depression compared to 42% percent with conventional therapy. (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2013)

Urness, et al report that:
Online therapy found beneficial in treating mental health problems: ...researchers...have shown online treatments are just as effective as face-to-face therapies for a wide range of common mental disorders. Anxiety, social phobias and depression are all conditions that respond well to clinician-supported internet-based treatments, the researchers found, with program participants recording recovery rates comparable to those in face-to-face therapy.
...Telepsychiatry clients demonstrated significant improvements.
Both telepsychiatry clients and traditional face-to-face psychiatry clients were satisfied with their experience of mental health care service provision, and mental health improvements were evident in the telepsychiatry patients.
(University of New South Wales | 2009)

Thompson (2016) writes in his paper Psychology at a Distance: Examining the Efficacy of Online Therapy,
teletherapy appears to produce therapeutic changes in a client in a similar manner to traditional therapy. This occurs in spite of the obvious differences in the medium of transmission and communication (i.e. speaking directly to a person in the same room versus digitally facilitated communication over a distance). Obviously, these studies have some limitations given the small sample sizes and the prevalence of convenience sampling. The evidence provided, however, strongly points in the direction of seeing online therapy as roughly equivalent to FTF (p. 18).

Thompson (2016) writes that "findings appear to suggest that online therapy is clinically efficacious and is roughly equivalent to traditional therapy." (p. 16)

Cohen and Kerr,
determined that there were no functional differences between between the FTF and CM group; both groups had the same decrease in anxiety symptoms. The authors also noted both groups gave similar session evaluations. These findings present a clear case for viewing online therapy as substantially similar to traditional therapeutic routes. (as cited in Thompson, 2016, p. 16)

Cohen and Kerr,
conclude that the ability for either modality to bring about therapeutic change is supported, and both modalities appear equally efficacious. In the criteria of client satisfaction, both modalities were scored quite similarly.” (as cited in Thompson, 2016, p. 17)

Source: https://mindsightcounselling.ca/blog/2020/4/9/the-effectiveness-of-video-counselling-session-what-the-research-tells-us

Testimonials

A good collaboration that ran perfectly fine online. It saved me a lot of time this way.
- client who quit smoking through online sessions

I have to say that I found the online form of counselling a bit uncomfortable in the beginning. However, that feeling was actually completely gone after the first contact. In a way, it even removes a certain barrier in some conversations. It is not always easy to admit that something is going wrong or that you have had a relapse, and that was actually better if you could communicate this in an online meeting.
- client who quit smoking through online sessions