Online Video Counselling Services (OVCS) have been wonderful in enabling Christina to work with so many clients who, for various reasons, can’t get to the office. Technology has truly been our friend regarding access to therapy! One challenging aspect though is to keep in mind the appropriate etiquette for OVCS. In addition, Christina will seek your signed consent to engage in Online Video Counselling Services.
The etiquette can be confusing because the patient is generally seeing Christina from their home and Christina, in a way, is coming into their home. This is different to coming to see Christina in her office when the etiquette is more clear. Nonetheless, the counselling session is a meeting between a professional and the recipient of professional services.
You achieving your mental health goals with Christina requires that both work hard. Hence, both need to be fully attentive during the session regardless of whether they are face to face or online. Below are tips to facilitate this:
Make every effort to be on time.
Ensure that your technology is functioning. This includes ensuring that your connection is maintained adequately throughout the session and that your camera and microphone are working.
Dress in a manner that is consistent with what you would wear if you were attending the session in person.
Conduct the session from a place that is private and where there will be no interruptions.
For some clients, especially teenagers, the only private locations is their bedroom. When there is no other reasonable option this is fine. If there is another option, the bedroom is not the right place to be having a counselling session.
It is important that while working together on your mental health goals, neither Christina or you are distracted by attending to phone calls and texts and that for both phones are on silent.
So as a focus can be maintained on your mental health goals neither you or Christina be distracted with eating during the session or breaking from session to prepare coffee or tea.