Online or in-person? How to choose what's right for you

Deciding between having counselling online or in person is never a choice that is right or wrong. It’s intensely personal, and should take into account a number of different factors. In this blog I’m going to talk about the obvious ones, and also some that you may not have thought of.

What is in-person counselling?

In -person counselling is meeting with your counsellor face to face, usually at their office or therapy room, at an agreed time and date, for a specific period of time (generally 50 minutes). This provides a private, comfortable and calm space where you can explore your life and mental health.

The main benefit of in-person counselling is often framed as being able to ‘go deeper’, but I’m not sure I completely agree with that. For some people this is the case, but not everyone. And more generally, as we’ve become more comfortable with interacting on video calls, and online counselling practice has evolved, the difference between in-person and online in terms of the depth of the work can be minimal, if it exists at all.

What is online counselling?

Online counselling involves meeting your counsellor via video call at an agreed time and date, for a specific period of time.

Online counselling provides more flexibility and accessibility to counselling and specific counsellors, but can give rise to privacy concerns.

So, which should you choose?

How you answer this question will depend on your unique situation. If you’re able to get to my counselling rooms in Hove, then I’m more than happy to see you in person. But location shouldn’t be the only deciding factor.

The accessibility of online counselling should not be underestimated, and not just in terms of physical accessibility. If you find being face to face with someone difficult, making it less likely that you’ll be able to speak freely, or even at all, then maybe online is a better choice. I’m happy to work with you to make counselling as comfortable as is possible for you. That might mean working with your camera off, being flexible on the time and day we meet each week, or having shorter or longer sessions as needed.

It is important that counselling sessions remain private between you and the counsellor though, so be sure that you have space away from other people, where you can’t be interrupted or overheard.

If you would like to discuss how we might meet for counselling, I offer a free 20 minute telephone call to go through the pros and cons of in-person vs online. I look forward to hearing from you.