Is E-Therapy for you?

Do you find it hard to make time for therapy?
Do you have mobility issues due to disability, injury, or illness?
Do you have trouble finding the right therapist where you live?
Do you have an unpredictable schedule due to travel, caretaking obligations for others, or because you’re juggling too many responsibilities?
Are you uncomfortable talking face-to-face about your most intimate thoughts and feelings?
Are you anxious about being seen in a therapist’s office?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, E-Therapy might be a good fit for you!

What is E-Therapy?

E-Therapy takes place online instead of in person. You can choose to do all of your sessions virtually or you may combine E-Therapy with face-to-face sessions. The genius of e-therapy is that I can connect with you anywhere, anytime, in a capacity that works for you.

How does it work? 

 E-Therapy offers two delivery options: VIDEO Therapy and TEXT-BASED Therapy

VIDEO Therapy

  • Similar to an in-person session except that we meet in virtual space, on our respective screens; Comparable to FaceTime, Skype or Zoom.

  • Works with your computer, smartphone or tablet.

TEXT-BASED Therapy

  • We will communicate in writing. You will choose from TWO STYLES of communication: our conversations will be similar to i) exchanging emails OR ii) instant-messaging.

  • Works with your computer, smartphone or tablet.

  • At the end of our session you will have a written record of our conversation that you can refer back to. This is stored in your file on a secure, PHIPA-compliant system.

  • Text-based approach can be in real-time (Synchronous) or at pre-scheduled response times (Asynchronous).

Is E-Therapy secure?

Our sessions take place over a user-friendly software platform that meets Canadian privacy and security standards.  It’s critical to use a safe and secure system for online therapy and NOT just common email or internet messaging platforms.

I use OnCall, a platform that complies with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and all equivalent personal health information protection legislation in Canada as well as the College regulating psychotherapists in Ontario (CRPO).

The software I use also lets us post documents and links during our conversation so I can review homework or other documents we might create or work from in session (i.e., if we are using CBT thought records).

If you think you might be a good candidate for E-Therapy, you can read more here: “Is E-Therapy a Good Option for You?” or “How Does E-Therapy Really Work?”

Additional Links on this topic:

  1. Good Therapy (2018) – “Is Online Counselling Right for me?” - https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/is-online-counseling-right-for-me-5-points-to-consider-0112184

  2. Huffington Post (2017) – “Does Online Therapy Actually Work?” - https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/does-online-therapy-actually-work_us_58af1ffde4b060480e05bd79

  3. American Psychological Association (2017) – “A Growing Wave of Online Therapy” - http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/online-therapy.aspx

  4. Ontario HIV Treatment Network (2018) – “Online Mental Health Counselling Interventions” (a recent and comprehensive Canadian study) - http://www.ohtn.on.ca/rapid-response-online-mental-health-counselling-interventions/