What is psychotherapy/therapy/counseling?

It can be one or several supportive, interactive conversations with me. I ask questions, make observations or suggestions about what you see as problems and we work out together what  you can do to get what you want in your life.

How is online counseling or cyber-counseling different from regular psychotherapy?

It has the same goal and approach as in psychotherapy but it is different in two important ways. The first is that supportive sessions are via what’s called encrypted email which keeps others from being able to read what’s being “said” so the email remains confidential.

The second difference is that  online counseling cannot replace psychotherapy or face-to-face therapy because of the limitations of this form of counseling. It may not be the best type of medium for you or the challenges you want to explore with me…you’ll get to answer a series of questions at a point in the process of signing up which will guide you to the best option for you.

 How does it work or what’s the process?

Our first conversation is to talk about what you expect from this so that you get the most out of our time. It's also about finding out if you’d like to work with me. Then in the first few sessions, I get to know you, about your family or job or whatever makes sense to tell me and what's been happening with you. 

How much can I “tell” you in an email or how much do I write?

 If your message is long it will probably take an hour or more to read and to respond to in a way that does it justice. I’d summarize what I see as the key points then respond to what seems the most pressing. Another email would probably be necessary upon your reply so that would take us into another session.

It’s like a face-to-face appointment with you where I would wait for a considerate moment to tell you that “Your time is up” and schedule the next appointment to continue.

 What if I can’t email you or you can’t email me because of computer/internet connection problems?

You mean we’d be experiencing “technical difficulties”? Then we go to Plan B, use  the telephone to leave a brief message that this is the reason for the delay and there is no charge to you because this counts as a “clarification contact”.  

How about if the emergency I have is not a technical one but related to what we’re working on?

 The way we’d handle that is with the understanding that you would first send an email and then follow it up with a phone message. I would then return your phone message.

 We would handle it pretty much the same way if you “said” that something we’d “talked” about had created a major misunderstanding. I’d send you an email then follow it up with a phone message. You then have the option to respond via return phone message or via email with no charge.

 How do I know that you’re the therapist for me?

This may depend on a few things you should consider. Let’s take a look at the following.

 What are your credentials?

I am licensed in the state of Florida to provide clinical psychotherapy. My undergraduate degree and graduate degrees are from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto respectively.  I have also completed a five month certificate course in online counseling accredited through the University of Toronto.

Are you experienced in your profession?

I have more than 20 years of experience in the mental/behavioral health and medical health fields. I provide counseling to individuals, couples, seniors, families, and groups; gay and straight and all different races and cultures. Many of the issues ( just to name a few), are related to loneliness, depression, anxiety, anger management, self esteem and self confidence, family or marital conflict, job stress, substance addiction, grief and loss and post-traumatic stress.

 Do you have a particular style or approach in counseling?

I help you look at what's happening in your life by having you look at what you're thinking about the situation and why. Then we see how those thoughts may be making you feel good or bad. Lastly, we check out your behavior or reactions and get to better ways of dealing with things. I'll be right there with you, putting in a little humor here or there; calling you on your stuff and letting you know what I think. Then, you take your “home-work”  and work on it until the next time we speak. After all, only practice makes ( nearly ) perfect!

Can appointments be scheduled for my convenience?

 Appointments are usually once a week. At times of emergency, more frequent appointments may be scheduled.

Online appointments are again a little different: you email me which begins the session and I respond three days later which ends that session. In my response I’ll give you a timeline in which to respond to my email if you wish to. It’s important for you to respond then because I’d schedule the date to read and reply to you then just as I would create time to sit, wait and speak to you in a face-to-face office. 

 What happens if I have to miss an appointment ( or a timeline for me to respond by) ?

Then we reschedule and if 2 consecutive timelines are missed a percentage of the full fee will be charged to you for my rescheduled response except in an emergency,

Does my insurance cover this type of counseling?

Most likely, it does not at this time but there is no harm in checking with them especially if you have chosen this type of counseling because you are out of area or the country, travel a lot, cannot get around or out easily due to disability or illness or therapists are not easily available in your area.

How much does online counseling cost?

 An online session begins when I receive your first email describing your challenges and ends when I reply to it and you’d pay per session just as with face-to-face therapy appointments. Each session costs US$85. per session ( not per hour). Sometimes in between those emails, there are “clarification contact emails”( two as an allowable maximum) for which you will not be charged especially as you learn how to use this medium. After the second one,  usually 25 or 50 % of the full fee will be charged for responses depending on their length.

I’ve counseled many people over the years and I know that it takes time to get to the heart of things so I do offer some cost effective suggestions such as:

(i) one month of unlimited TherapEmail messages for a fixed fee. Or

(ii) you pay for 4 consecutive sessions and get 50% off the next session. Or

(iii) you pay for 2 months and get one additional session free which can be used anytime within 6 months of the last session