Hi, and welcome to this blog post, where we will be talking about the accessibility advantage of online counselling.
Accessibility in this post will refer to both people living in rural areas, where the population might be small, and therefore they might not be able to find a therapist nearby.
The town might be so small that the person accessing counselling might be self-conscious of people knowing they’re going to therapy, for whatever reason that might be.
Therapy needs to be a safe space, so if keeping it to themselves helps, then online therapy is a good solution.
The issue of accessibility also applies to people with physical disabilities or difficulties accessing transport to a face-to-face therapist.
Some of us work on a first or second floor, without lifts or accessibility, so clients that need support with their wheelchairs or other support might not be able to reach us, unless they do it online.
What an option, to be able to meet with your chosen therapist, through encrypted, secure online platforms like Zoom, for example.
Let’s discuss empathy in the online environment, as it relates to accessibility.
Like everything in life, we are only able to empathise as far as we have experienced a similar situation.
And this is human, by the way.
Our abilities to empathise depends on whether we are sensitive to what’s in front of us.
Empathy is important as an online counsellor.
Being aware of the practical issues of accessing counselling will allow the therapist to come up with the best solution for their clients.
Online therapy is one way of paying attention and providing an alternative therapy service.
Let me discuss a bit further what people with physical disabilities or logistic issues (living in rural area, for example), could benefit from online counselling.
Imagine a person going to a session in the centre of London.
They might be from a rural area or use a wheelchair and the closest therapist might be 50miles away!
The burden of going from point A (this person home) to point B (therapist location in central London) is massively inconvenient!
What to do? What options are available now in this age of technology?
Online counselling.
Why?
“Logistical Convenience”.
It simply covers the whole spectrum of people’s travel logistic difficulties.
What was once impossible – accessing therapy with our chosen therapist – is now made possible through the medium of the internet and the wonderful platforms available to do so safely.
Sadly, this simple issue can get in the way of the individual acquiring the much-needed, long-term, sustainable engagement that would give them the therapeutic support that they so desperately require.
This could be anything from an extra 30 minutes of travel after a hard day’s work, to living in the country and possibly having some kind of physical disability, which is why this technology can now really serve as a convenience to the client.
What is best is that the client can also feel more comfortable in their own home.
So, going back to the topic of empathy, the fact that more and more therapists are offering online therapy, tells us that counsellors are thinking about how to reach those clients that would otherwise never find their way to them.
Understanding people’s needs and living situations in an empathetic way, allows us to support more and more people than we could have imagined even 20 years ago!
Are you living in a rural area or have a disability that keeps you from accessing therapy freely and comfortably?
Have you considered online therapy?
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