Convenience

This type of counselling and therapy is extremely convenient for people who have a busy life and for those on the go. Clients can email or message anytime and anywhere, giving the clients control and choice over their time and money. There is no travelling or having to make appointments.

The therapeutic response is another benefit as email and messaging is similar to a diary in that the ‘sessions’ are written forms of a conversation. Therefore, the client and therapist can refer to them and reflect on them whenever they want, something that cannot be achieved in face-to-face sessions.

Security & Privacy

If we had to build our own face-to-face therapy room we would want it to be safe and secure with thick enough walls and a solid enough door. Similarly, therapists need a safe and secure room for online work. If we want to build a safe & secure online room, we need technical expertise. As this is a virtual meeting place, we have to build our own room using the technical tools to hand. There are ways of making email therapy and messaging therapy safer and more secure, and these are mentioned in the Counselling Online Guide.

There are two types of email therapy. They both offer the client and therapist the opportunity to re-read past content and reflect on the process.

1. Synchronous email therapy: A live chat ‘session’ where therapist and client agree to a time and day, to receive and expect a response from each other.
2. Asynchronous email therapy: This form of email therapy functions in delayed time. You choose when you want to send an email and when to reply. This allows both client and therapist more control over sessions with more time to reflect on their responses.

Messaging therapy like email therapy shows how therapy is adapting to the way people live their lives today. For many people, it is their regular and natural way to communicate.

Some clients prefer instant messaging, as the experience is more like a conversation in ‘real time’. It differs from other mediums such as email due to the perceived quasi-synchrony of the communication between therapist and client.