Therapy by Skype

For several years now I’ve been offering online hypnosis and therapy by Skype home sessions alongside as my regular in-person sessions in central London. People often wish to have therapy by Skype for all sorts of different reasons. It can be a really helpful service for people living in rural areas or for those who simply find it hard to make it to in-person hypnotherapy sessions.

 

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You may be looking for therapy by Skype or online hypnosis?

 

In this article we will discuss what actually is involved with Skype therapy, why you might choose to see an online therapist and how online hypnosis is different from hypnotherapy in person. We will also outline with which issues or challenges I, as an online therapist, can help you. I’ll discuss how I specifically use hypnosis online to help you with issues such as anxiety, stress, and addictions.

It’s convenient to have therapy by skpye

 

Sometimes it’s simply a matter of convenience. Someone might want to have therapy by Skype rather than having to go to the inconvenience of seeing somebody in person. This could be due to time constraints, a disability or a long journey time. Also it can feel a little nerve-racking or even too confrontational to see someone in person. Having an online therapist can help reduce that feeling of self consciousness. I therefore feel it is really important to offer this alternative way to access help.

 

Work from home? See your therapist from the comfort of your home too.

 

Today, more and more people work at home, so talking with a therapist online is often a very helpful solution. Online therapy or online mental health counseling is much more common than even ten years ago.  I remember a few years back it felt very novel to offer therapy by Skype. We are fortunate to have increasingly more sophisticated technology, available directly in your hand right now on your phone. With the ease of access to fast internet connections, starting sessions and chatting with a therapist can be very straightforward indeed.

 

Are you considering having online therapy by Skype? Click here to get in touch and discuss the help you need.

 

If therapy by Skype is something that you feel you would benefit from please get in touch and even today or tomorrow you could be having therapy from home.

 

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Why do people like having therapy by Skype?

 

There can be many benefits from talking with a therapist online. I now see a number of clients for online hypnosis too. Here are a few benefits to consider:

 

It can be convenient.

Online hypnosis and therapy by Skype is safe and effective. Sessions can be directly via telephone or Skype. During my years of practice it has been common to have a session with someone remotely via Skype and then also send them an audio of the hypnosis section of the session.

Skype therapy sessions provide access to support for those who otherwise might not see a therapist. This could be due to being elderly or having a disability that prevents them easily leaving the home. Many people who have chronic conditions such as chronic pain, cancer or other conditions or experience extreme fatigue, will welcome ways to access therapy from home.

For someone living with a mental health condition or disability, leaving their home or driving could be a challenge. For some people seeking help, in particular someone with a strong phobia will often see online hypnosis help as their first choice. Leaving the house or taking a long journey into central London can feel more daunting than the possible benefits it may give in return. Online therapy can also be a really great option also if somebody lives away from London or in a rural or remote community. Talking to somebody online is often simply time-saving and much more convenient rather than going possibly an hour or more in journey time to see their nearest therapist.

Having your therapy sessions at home has the advantage of there being less time away from the office. Your workday is less affected and this is especially convenient if you have a very busy or packed schedule. If you’re a home worker, there’s no need to travel and it’s easy also to arrange. You don’t always have to stick to fixed office hours either. Sessions can be on weekends, early morning, after your work day or as a part of your lunch break.

 

Compared to some in-person therapy, online hypnosis can sometimes be less expensive.

I also try to lower my prices for Skype therapy since I don’t have the additional expenses of room hire. This means that I can offer you that saving too. Online hypnosis or Skype therapy sessions can be a good way to ensure you get as many sessions as you require without breaking the bank.

 

Online communication may be more comfortable than seeing somebody in person.

I know for a fact how daunting it can be to see a therapist for the first time. You may be hesitant to see somebody in person and it’s always a little easier perhaps to talk by phone or by Skype. If this is a concern, then Skype therapy sessions may be for you. It can feel much easier to talk with somebody in person in the comfort of your own home. Not everybody wants to go out of their way to a location they might not know and then sit in a room with somebody they’ve not met before. Therefore, therapy from home with an online therapist is a wonderful option to consider.

 

Therapy from home

 

Which areas can I help you with through online Skype therapy sessions?

 

Here are some of the concerns with which I help people with using therapy by Skype online.

 

Primarily I help people with stress and anxiety and depression.

Online therapy is proving to be more and more popular. Again, especially if people have phobias or high levels of anxiety, which means that travelling or using public transport or simply leaving the home is tough, an online session is a very good option to consider.

A phobia is also effectively helped through online hypnosis. Often the work we need to do involves slow exposure to the event, situation or objects of concern. This means that interactive sessions via Skype can be motivating and very productive. Though it may be beneficial to see you in person, an online Skype therapy session can be very helpful.

 

Quitting smoking using therapy by Skype.

You might not have considered seeing someone online to quit smoking. However the program is very similar whether in person or online. Click here for more details. Everything carried out during the in-person sessions can be achieved online as well.

I run a two session quit smoking program and this can easily be run online. During your online Skype therapy sessions for quitting smoking we will talk through your habit and you will enjoy some powerful hypnotherapy too. The hypnosis section I may carry out by sending you a recording to listen to. However this will not be a generic recording but powerful suggestions tailor-made to your habit and personal situation. A great advantage of this online way of delivering hypnosis is that you can listen to the session a number of times. You can therefore gain the benefits of the hypnosis also away from the session time and receive again the benefits of your therapy at home whenever you wish to do so. My smoking quit smoking hypnosis program is highly effective.

 

Pain management and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Helping people with pain management and irritable bowel syndrome has become a specialty. Online hypnosis or therapy by Skype for IBS can be particularly effective for those that may be in a lot of pain or discomfort. It is common that symptoms of pain, diarrhoea, bloating or discomfort and the accompanying fatigue will discourage people from coming to in-person sessions in central London. It can just feel a bit too daunting. Often a drawback of seeing me in person is a worry that the journey may exacerbate IBS symptoms. This means that Skype therapy sessions are an ideal solution.

 

Work life balance and therapy by Skype.

Are you working too much? Are you working long hours without seeing friends or family? Does it feel like you are juggling work and lifestyle balance issues?

This might be a concern about overworking, feeling burnout or overwhelmed. It might be worrying about family, children, taking time off, or finding that you’re working more hours than you need to. If you find it’s difficult to find time to do things you want to do, then an online session is actually an ideal solution. Sessions can work around your schedule rather than you having to squeeze them in.

 

Addictions online therapy.

I help a lot of people with various addictions, and these can range from cocaine, alcohol abuse to other drugs or substances. I also see clients for overeating and binge eating as well as sex addiction or compulsive sexual behaviours around pornography or the internet. In fact an addiction can be almost anything which you gain some benefit from but feel compelled to do. You might feel it has gotten out of control and is negatively affecting your life, health, work or relationships.

An addiction can be accompanied by feelings of shame or guilt. In some cases I am the first person a person is opening up to about their challenge. All therapy by Skype sessions are confidential. Due to a concern about embarrassment or shame, it can be that people, when they come in person for a session, are worried about others seeing them enter the building or leave. However Skype therapy sessions have the advantage that you can talk to me from the comfort of your own home. No one will see you enter the office or leave. It can also sometimes feel easier to open up online than in person in front of someone too.

If you feel that you would like some online hypnosis or experience therapy from the comfort of your home. Then Skype therapy and therapy by Skype is an ideal solution to consider.

 

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How do Skype therapy sessions or online hypnosis work in practice?

 

For your therapy by Skype sessions, you can use either Skype, telephone or another form of online platform, even WhatsApp video. If you have never used Skype before, you’ll find that it’s a wonderfully easy way to arrange meetings or chats with friends or colleagues. Many years ago it felt ambitious or cutting edge to use a Skype for therapy sessions but now it is commonplace. I also suggest that you should familiarise yourself with Skype and its platform before you start your session. Ensure you know how to adjust the audio and video settings too.

A benefit of live video is that it ensures that we can also see each other’s body language and facial expressions. It’s easy to position your webcam, camera, phone, or tablet so that we can easily see each other.

The normal procedure with therapy by Skype sessions is similar to a face to face session. We normally have an initial email or phone conversation so that you can explain more about what you would like to work on and I explain how sessions run. Then, if you choose Skype therapy, I will ask you to pay for session fees before your session. I also ask you to complete a brief background questionnaire and I send you my working agreement which outlines how sessions are run. Then it’s simply a matter of booking a convenient time. Since your session will be by Skype or online, it’s much easier and there’s simply a lot more flexibility around when sessions can be held. I run sessions both early morning, in the evening and often during the day I have free slots as well. You can also pay online by PayPal or bank transfer and most sessions are of 50 minutes in duration.

However, my quit smoking package contains two sessions. The first session is for 90 minutes and the second session for 50 minutes. However, with all online sessions which will involve hypnosis (hypnotherapy), sometimes we will have half the session live by Skype and then I will send you a recording of the hypnotherapy section of the session. You will listen to your recording as many times as you like in the comfort of your home and at a time that is convenient for you.

 

What about technological disruptions or failures?

 

I always request that before you start your session, you are familiar with Skype or whichever platform we are using for online hypnosis or online therapy sessions. Ensure you have a good Wi-Fi internet connection. Also, it’s important to ensure that during your session you won’t be disturbed by other people and that you are in a confidential quiet place. It can be very useful as well to provide an alternative phone number or email address. This is in case we get cut off for any reason.

 

London Hypnosis skype sessions for  addiction

 

Technological requirements for online therapy by Skype

 

Please ensure you have the following:

A fast internet connection, a computer that has an integrated microphone or a headset with a microphone, webcam for face to face online therapy sessions, an up to date valid Skype account (which is free) and a location that you can easily and comfortably sit which is private and free of distractions.

It can be very tempting, when at home, to answer other people who call to you or get distracted by incoming emails, texts or other telephone calls. Ensure you have no distractions at all. If you use a mobile phone or tablet, ensure that it has sufficient battery life. If you require a tripod or other device to hold it, ensure you have one available.

 

Your suitability for online therapy by Skype

 

Like any other therapy, Skype therapy requires your agreement to my terms and conditions and the filling in of a brief background questionnaire. Questions on this questionnaire will include asking about your current mental health and any other concerns that you might have.

 

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Research articles about online therapy by Skype

 

Below you’ll find some links to some useful academic articles that talk about the efficacy and usefulness of conducting therapy online, whether that’s therapy by Skype or another online platform.

A 2014 research paper published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, showed that therapy from home was just as beneficial as therapy delivered face-to-face for depression.

A 2018 study found in the Journal of Psychological Disorders explains that online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is, “effective, acceptable and practical health care.” This research concluded that anxiety online therapy delivered equal or just as effective results as in-person sessions for major depression, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

A third study in 2014 which was detailed in Behaviour Research and Therapy found that an online therapist was very effective in treating anxiety disorders. It always pointed to treatments being good value for money and that the positives gained from this offering of online therapy from home lasted for at least a year.

I hope you found these articles about therapy by Skype useful, and if you are considering booking online hypnosis, please get in touch. I’m available by email via my contact page. You could already be talking to me online and having a therapy session as early as tomorrow.

 

Below, I’ve included a short video that discusses psychotherapy online.

 

I have included below a transcript for this video. You may find this video useful. It discusses seeing an online therapist and the advantages of talking with therapists in this manner.

I work as a clinical hypnotherapist, so specialize in online hypnosis. However, you may find that other types of therapy would be useful for you too. These will be available too and these therapies will be available too using Skype. Please be in touch with any questions you may have.

 

 

When I was first approached by Better Help to possibly collaborate with them on a YouTube series. One of the things that was really important to me as a psychologist and online therapist, was that I would have autonomy over what I talked about. What topics I chose to present. And also, you know, my own views when necessary or appropriate to share them. I was granted that by Better Help.

They basically said, you know, we trust you, as a clinical professional and we’re gonna trust you to go out there and talk about what you know. And one of the things that I really wanted to address is the fact that I’m not just here to say that online therapy or Skype therapy is the answer for everything. You know, I think it can be incredibly helpful for many people. I’ve seen it myself working with people from a few months up to over a year.

And I’ve seen how being able to message, WhatsApp and also have video Skype sessions with somebody is really, it almost enriches the therapeutic experience in a way. At the same time, I have a private practice where I see people face to face and I thoroughly enjoy that and there are people that I see there that I wouldn’t consider seeing online either. They wouldn’t be appropriate, we wouldn’t be able to do the level and depth of work we’re doing or it just wouldn’t feel comfortable. And that’s okay. Those two things can both be true.

And I think one of the things that I want to start to have people think about is there’s a place for both an online therapist and offline therapy too and it’s really a matter of, you know, deciding what’s right for you, but also what’s most appropriate for you with the help of a professional.

When I talk about certain counseling styles or approaches as being appropriate for you, what I mean by that is that it would be the best approach for the particular problem that you’re dealing with. And I think that one of the, um, concerns that a lot of people have is that online mental health counseling is trying to replace offline counseling. And I can tell you 100% that that’s not true. I’ve had many conversations with the founder of Better Help where he has mentioned that his audience isn’t to compete with brick and mortar practices or put psychologists, hypnotherapists or licensed professionals out of business. His mission is to provide mental health access to the people who aren’t going to come into the therapy office. They might be isolating at home. And I 100% support that mission and I think it’s important and we have a problem with access to mental healthcare in this country and Better Help is one solution as are other online companies. These can include online hypnosis offerings.

I was mentioning earlier that there are things that I personally believe that an online therapist is more appropriate for or offline therapy is more appropriate for than having therapy from home via Skype. I’ve actually spoken about this  in other settings  because it is something I feel pretty passionate about and I have to say that my opinion has been well received by companies like Better Help in terms of hopefully how they, how they work with the people that present for care. So I just wanted to spend a couple of minutes talking about my own – This is my own personal opinion about the things that are most appropriate for an online therapist versus offline therapy. So in my view, I see online therapy as a wonderful place for people who are struggling with difficult life transitions for circumstances where they’re experiencing more stress than normal for circumstances where you know, they have a very clear cut issue with anxiety or social anxiety and a treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is very structured can, can benefit them.

And that therapy, because it’s not as interpersonal as others is perfect for online counseling because it involves a lot of homework. It involves worksheets. It involves learning specific skills and techniques. So milder disorders like mild anxiety, mild depression, adjustment disorders, phobias, even PTSD as long as like the person has received care initially elsewhere. These are all things that can be addressed through online counselling with an online therapist. You know, think about somebody who has a phobia and maybe they reach out to a counselor or hypnotherapist from their home because they can’t leave their home. And just just to clarify, agoraphobia is a disorder where people are really terrified of being trapped, trapped in a place where they might have a panic attack. And so essentially they start to restrict their activities and restrict their activities until many of them can’t leave their house without really feeling significant distress.

So if somebody like that that is at home and they can reach out through the internet and connect to a counselor, online therapist or have Skype hypnosis and that’s a great first step. Is that going to cure them? Absolutely not because agoraphobia, to be successfully treated needs that person to be able to go outside and to resume normal activities. And sometimes that involves a therapist going to their house to help them with that process. Obviously online mental health counselors aren’t going to be able to do that, but could they be the bridge that got that person who’s afraid to leave their house from that initial supportive approach to counseling where they can actually have a better life, 100% and this is what the gap that Better Help aims to fill with their services with therapy from home services.

My point to this, to this particular video and bringing these things up is that I want to clearly communicate that anything that I share with you is going to be fully from where I stand as a professional psychologist. And more importantly, what I believe as just a human being on this earth trying to do the best that I can. And so I won’t tell you that something is appropriate that I don’t think is appropriate. I won’t share with you that anxiety online therapy or online counseling is the cure all for everything because I don’t believe that.

And so you can always expect to hear my honest opinion on what I believe from my own experience and knowledge base as a, as a licensed psychologist, I hope you found this video helpful and interesting. If you did, please like it below and feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel where we’re going to be producing more and more videos on a variety of different mental health topics. And please reach out if there’s something specific you would like us to cover or address in an upcoming video.

To book sessions get in touch today.

author avatar
Jason Demant Clinical Hypnotherapist
London hypnotherapist. Seeing Clients in King's Cross and online.