01642 913060 ABCreachus@outlook.com

Fingertips online therapy

Because we know that young people are very comfortable with digital media, ABC are able to offer online counselling sessions which sometimes feel less scary than talking face to face. Although we have been offering this extension service since 2015, it has really enabled support/therapy to continue during the COVID pandemic lockdown.

Online counselling may be a preferred option for some young people and the potential benefits of receiving counselling online are many and include: being able to access counselling in the privacy and comfort of your own home or place of your choice, having the opportunity to reflect upon messages and being able to have a copy of what has been said so that it can be referred to later. Instant Messaging is also convenient for talking in real time to a counsellor outside of school.

Live on-line chat counselling sessions are normally up to 50 minutes per session. It can be decided between the counsellor and the client how many online sessions may needed.  Usually this will be between 8 and 10 sessions.

Online counselling safeguards

A secure, encrypted platform called Doxy.me will be used for online counselling session to allow for the highest possible security and confidentiality of the content of the sessions. Your personal information is encrypted and stored on a secure server not connected to a school system. Additional safeguards should be considered such as if your computer may be accessed by others and  creating a password that remains known only to you.

The online service might not be suitable for young people who may be using self-harming behaviour to cope with their feelings, or who have any thoughts of suicide.  If you are in a state of crisis or emergency, please dial 999, contact a crisis line such as Childline (0800 1111) or Samaritans (08457 90 90 90) or you can walk into your nearest Accident and Emergency Hospital for support.

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