Life is busy and while you may have the best intentions to make time for yourself, it is not always possible to fit everything into 24 hours! With the option of online therapy you are able to schedule time for yourself without the hassle of travelling to the therapy room. Simply schedule your session at a time that suits you, find a private space that feels safe and quiet, join the link and meet online to explore whatever is on your mind.

But before you do please consider the following tips:

• Allow yourself time after your online therapy session to decompress

If you are doing your counselling session at home or in the office, allow yourself a moment before you walk back into the main living or working area. When scheduling your online session give yourself at least 15 minutes before you need to be on another call or online meeting. Give yourself some time to grab a drink and decompress before putting your office face back on.

• The disinhibition effect of online therapy

Being aware of how our level of disclosure may be different when working online compared to face to face counselling. Often when we are online it feels easier to disclose more about ourselves more quickly. This can be helpful however may also leave you feeling a little raw or vulnerable if we go too deep too quickly. There is no reason to hold back if this doesn’t bother you however simply being aware of the disinhibition effect can help us to build a relationship with our counsellor and disclose content at a pace that suits our individual needs.

• The combined emotional and screen fatigue

Often when working through our emotional content we can feel tired afterwards. When we do counselling online we have the additional screen fatigue to account for also. If possible, try and schedule your online counselling on a day when you don’t have high demands that require a lot of energy or attention to fine details. Our emotions can use up a lot of energy and so feeling tired after a session is very normal. If you have 15 minutes to spare after your session it is worth going for a quick walk around the block or resting your eyes with a short mindfulness activity.