30 days of how to find a good online therapist and reasons for seeking online therapy (for clients)
The following list is put together as a summary from the 30 days of how to find a good online therapy videos I put together from this website (www.aott.com.au – featured in the blog section)
- 1. Trained in online therapy – the therapist has completed online therapy training (according to ACTO, online therapists are required to complete online therapy training).
- 2. Providing a professional service – complete with professional systems
- 3. How do you feel with the therapist? Hopefully you feel good with your therapist.
- 4. Is your therapist one that cares about online privacy principles?
- 5. Convenience – it’s convenient to have online therapy from your home
- 6. Confidence – are you confident in your online therapist and are they confident to hold the space
- 7. Geography – Is your online therapist insured to work with you?
- 8. Research – Do your research – does your online therapist suit your needs? Look them up.
- 9. Legitimate online therapist – Are they are legitimate online therapist? Is the person you’ve found trained in online therapy, or provided such services for some time? It’s important to consider experience in online therapy, as well as therapy qualifications.
- 10. Genuineness – a genuine care and concern for you.
- 11. Flexibility – They need to be flexible and human in the way that they work with you. After all, you are an individual.
- 12. Good with the technology they’re using – Is your online therapist good with technology? You don’t want to become more anxious than you need to be – showing your therapist how to do things.
- 13. Private systems – Does your online therapist care about your privacy – and use encrypted, or secure systems?
- 14. Displaying care – Do they have care, compassion and empathy for you?
- 15. Using the online space – Is your online therapist able to use the online space and attend to connecting to you, despite not being in the same room as you?
- 16. Professionalism with paperwork – Have you been assessed, or ‘on boarded’ properly? Have you been sent paperwork in advance, in order to commence therapy well?
- 17. Being treated as an individual – not a number. Work with your therapist the way you wish to work, or you can always find a new therapist!
- 18. Is your therapist insured and registered to work with you – wherever you are? They may have the skills and ability, though do they have the professional paperwork alongside their skills?
- 19. Therapeutic Contracting. You need your online therapist to contract with you – so that they can tell you how they’ll work. Once you have contracted with the counsellor, you will feel more comfortable with them.
- 20. Trust and relationship building skills you can feel in the room – even in the virtual space. You need to be able to trust your therapist and feel that they’ve built a good professional relationship with you in order for for good therapy to take place.
- 21. Reliable – Online therapy can be unreliable at times, if you have technological problems. Ensure you are being reliable with both your appointments and your technology.
- 22. Professionalism in the relationship – Your online therapist cannot become your friend – they must remain professional at all times.
- 23. Not friends on social media – your online therapist should not be connected to you anywhere. It is best that they are never connected to you on social media, as otherwise this changes the therapist’s neutrality and ability to keep the work with you private, anonymous and confidential. Confidentiality helps build trust in the therapeutic process.
- 24. Registered online therapist – Is your online therapist internationally registered with an international online therapy association?
- 25. Note taking – Does your therapist secure their notes?
- 26. Cultural fit – Are they the right cultural fit for you?
- 27. Do you feel connected? – Do you feel connected, despite the spatial, location or global divide?
- 28. Ask questions of your therapist before you begin.
- 29. Your goals – Can they work on your specific goals with you?
- 30. Your outcomes – Low, Miller & Squire (2012) with their research (the ORS & SRS) suggests therapy outcomes are about goals and outcomes achieved. Ultimately it’s about your satisfaction with your therapy. If it’s not working, find another online therapist.
