Earlier this month Kids Help Phone announced they will soon be offering a free texting support service for children and youth in crisis.  The organization already offers phone and online chat support and hopes this service will be available by the end of this year.  This is great news for our communities!  It is another example of how technology is being used in creative ways to deliver quicker and more accessible mental health services.  

As we all know the boom in technology over the past 20 years has had a huge impact.  When it comes to offering mental health and counselling services, technology has opened up some new and exciting ways to increase accessibility to services.  While counselling has traditionally been a series of 60 minute face to face sessions, the introduction of video, text based and chat services has meant people can have quicker access and tailor services to fit their particular needs.

Since the question of face to face vs online sessions often comes up - I want to be clear -  face to face counselling will always have a real richness and value to it.  It's the experience of sitting face to face with another person, the non-verbal communication and the value that comes with setting aside and time and physical space for conversations that cannot be replaced.  However, there are also some great advantages to accessing online counselling which are worth considering:

• Quicker access:  Limited to no wait times, flexible scheduling and no travelling means people can access services quickly.  Since timing the need and availability of counselling is so important this is an immensely valuable feature.
• Less intimidating:  Sometimes the thought of meeting with someone face to face is very overwhelming.  This is particularly true for those who struggle with social anxiety and agoraphobia.  Accessing online services (whether video or text based) can go a long way in reducing one's anxiety and making them more receptive to  participating in a session.  
• More reflective:  For those who enjoy writing - or prefer to take their time in composing their thoughts - text based therapy offers a great opportunity to make the most out of counselling sessions.  Text based therapy can take two forms - chat based and asynchronous messaging which is just a fancy way of saying "sending messages back and forth at different times".  As an added bonus you get a written record of the communication with your therapist for further reflection.  
• Greater choice of therapist:  Being able to access a therapist online means you are less restricted by geographical and scheduling limitations.  If the particular qualities or skills of a therapist are important this can be a great way of accessing services you would have otherwise been unable to reach.  

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Some caveats:  When considering online therapy it's important to also exercise some caution - just as you would when seeking any therapist, ask yourself these important questions:

• Are they trained or do they have specific experience in offering online therapy?  
• Is my privacy a priority - is the therapist using tools that meet the privacy standards of PHIPA (the Personal Health and Information Privacy Act in Ontario)?   Are their online programs properly encrypted?  
• Is the therapist regulated to practice in my specific province and country?  

My hope is that I have expanded your ideas about what online therapy can offer.  If you are interested in learning more about how my services may be helpful to you are someone you know please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Jody

To learn more about services with Kids Help Phone check out:  
kidshelpphone.ca/CrisisTextLine-partnership

​Below....a fond memory of my first phone  - we've come a long way since then!  
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Partnering with a Wellness Centre has been a wonderful way to encourage a more holistic understanding of our emotional and physical well-being.  Counselling is one of many services people can use to manage stress, improve relationships and commit to overall wellness.       

If you have some time on November 5th come on out to Beechwood to say hi!