What are the benefits of Virtual Counselling in Calgary?
During the pandemic of COVID 19, we all learned to switch over to virtual formats and ways of living. Many of us worked from home, did our meetings virtually and were forced to learn Zoom, Google Meets etc. overnight.
We learned that we could do more from home than we previously thought, but we also learned, typically the hard way, some of the downsides of technology (think Zoombombing… If you don’t know what this is, count yourself lucky.)
As with everyone else, our team was forced to adapt and join the online movement. Before this, we had been major proponents of in-person therapy over virtual counselling, and had long held the belief that in-person therapy was superior to telehealth (aka healthcare services delivered via online, over the phone, email or video conference). We would defend our position to colleagues based on assumptions that building a relationship was more effective in person, and that during virtual counselling you missed the nuances of a person’s gestures and body language. We would raise that a person dedicating time to attend in-person helped with intentionality and that the ambience of the room was a part of the therapeutic experience. We had assumed that without this, the experience would be lessened, the connection reduced and any outcomes would be poorer. We were wrong.
As with most things in life, we were forced to change and evaluate our thinking out of circumstance. When COVID 19 hit, we moved our practice online to keep providing services to our clients and we began to offer virtual counselling in Calgary and telehealth services to Albertans in replacement of in-person counselling. To our surprise, therapy felt just as effective for ourselves as practitioners, and also to our clients.
When we were forced to challenge our negative assumptions of virtual therapy services, we quickly learned that in many cases, the benefits outweigh the limitations.
5 Reasons to Book Virtual Counselling in Calgary
Based on our experience, we wanted to give you the top 5 reasons for why virtual counselling is beneficial:
Location, Location, Location - Virtual counselling services can be accessed any time, anywhere (or in our case, anywhere in Alberta). This is helpful for those who travel or have mobility issues, as well as individuals who reside in rural areas and do not have access to mental health professionals.
Specialty care - Prior to virtual counselling, people were relatively limited to the expertise of the professionals residing in their local area. Now, you can access professionals from other locations permitting you to work with experts in specific subjects or therapeutic interventions that may not be readily accessible locally to where you are. This increase in accessibility means the opportunity for better care, better therapeutic matches and a greater opportunity to benefit from specialized expertise.
Less barriers, more access - For a variety of reasons some individuals may find it challenging or intimidating to attend in-person therapy. There can be psychological barriers in the form of specific mental health issues to mobility limitations based on disabilities or chronic illness.
Comfort and safety - Our office is a shared space with our clients but at the end of the day, it is a space that we designed, furnished and created. We work in it daily, we decorated it and it is familiar to us. Clients attending virtually get to attend from their home, their office, their spaces. This can make connecting easier and being vulnerable feel safer.
Also, let’s be honest, sometimes we just don’t have the time or desire to commute, and sliding a session into our day from home or the office can be what works best for our schedules.
Just as effective - Despite our early protests regarding how this format may impact the therapeutic process, the research does not support this. As professionals we are supposed to follow the evidence and it is pretty clear, virtual counselling in Calgary is just as helpful as in-person for most concerns.
As you can tell from our list above, virtual counselling services have some big upside. However as with most of everything, telehealth services in Alberta are not without some limitations, which we would be remiss to not acknowledge and explain.
3 Reasons Virtual Therapy in Calgary Might not Work for Everyone
Top three reasons why Virtual Therapy may not be a good fit:
Adolescents or Children - We would not recommend counselling for children under 12 via telehealth. This largely has to do with engagement and the types of techniques employed with this population. Sustaining a child’s attention in a productive matter via video conference is in keeping with the phrase ‘herding cats’
As for older adolescents, it is case dependent, with many factors being considered (support systems at home, presenting concern, etc). Some will readily engage in this format, especially if they are psychologically minded and motivated. If not, virtual counselling can serve as an opportunity to have other distractions running in the background, literally.
Personal difficulties with non-verbal cues - Let’s face it, many of us communicate with our facial expressions, body language and other non-verbal cues. While video conferencing options can pick up on these, sometimes telephone sessions can create a gap in communication for those of us who are less verbally expressive or aware. Also some clients are seeking to improve their ability to communicate or engage with others, and in our experience, these areas are often best worked on in-person versus an online format.
Privacy - Privacy and confidentiality are crucial to establishing a safe space to be vulnerable and open. If you don’t have access to a private space, virtual counselling is not the best option. In these cases, we much prefer you come to our office where we can ensure your safety to share openly, without risk of anyone overhearing.
For the record, we are still big fans of in-person therapy and maintain the belief that the ambience of the room, environment and setup is part of the therapeutic experience. However, we also celebrate the upsides of virtual counselling, recognizing that this format increases accessibility, reduces barriers and improves convenience; all of which increase the opportunities to connect and for people to improve their mental health.
If you are interested in learning more about our secure and private virtual counselling services for Calgarians and or those residing in the province of Alberta, we would love to hear from you.
Please book a free consultation or send us an email. We look forward to meeting you (virtually or in-person)!
