Online Counselling and EMDR Therapy

If you are looking for a counsellor you can see from your own home, this page explains how I work online: what you need for a session, how your privacy is protected, what we can do together on a screen, and how to get started.

Most of my sessions are online. I am based in Nottingham and work with adults across the UK, offering person centred counselling and EMDR therapy over video.

Who you would be talking to

I am a Registered Member of the BACP (415570) and an EMDR practitioner, with twelve years' experience as a psychotherapist, including work for the NHS and the charitable sector. You can read more about me and my training.

Whoever you choose, it is worth checking that your online counsellor is registered with a professional body such as the BACP or UKCP. Registration means they work to an ethical framework, have regular supervision, and have somewhere you can go if something goes wrong. Online therapy is easy to set up, and that makes it more important, not less, to know who is on the other end of the call.

What you need for an online session

You don't need anything special. A laptop or tablet is easier than a phone, because you can set it down and forget about it, but a phone will do. Beyond that, a few things make a real difference:

• A private room where you won't be overheard. This matters more than the technology. If you share a home, it can help to let people know you are not to be disturbed for the hour. Some people sit in a parked car.
• Headphones. They keep the conversation between us, and they make it easier to hear and be heard.
• A steady internet connection. If you can, sit close to your router and close anything else that is using the connection.
• A few minutes either side. Going straight from a session back into work or family life can be jarring. A short walk, a drink, or simply sitting for a moment helps you land.

It is worth agreeing with your counsellor at the start what happens if the connection drops, so neither of you is left wondering. Most of the time it is a short wait and a reconnection.

What a first online session is like

Many people feel nervous before a first session, and a screen can add its own awkwardness. You might notice yourself on camera, or feel unsure where to look. That usually fades within a few minutes, and it is fine to say if it doesn't. Turning off the view of yourself can help.

The first session is mostly about getting to know each other. We talk about what has brought you here, what you would like to be different, and anything you are unsure about. I explain how confidentiality works and what happens to anything you tell me. You don't have to tell your whole story at once, and you don't have to know exactly what you need. You can go at your own pace.

By the end, you should have a sense of whether talking to me feels right. If it doesn't, that is worth knowing too. The relationship with your counsellor matters more than any particular method, and it is fine to look for someone who suits you better.

How your privacy is protected

Everything you bring to a session online is confidential, in exactly the same way it would be in a room. I work to the BACP Ethical Framework, and the limits to confidentiality are the same online as they are in person.

I run my sessions through Therapywork, a piece of practice software I helped to shape and now use in my own practice. The video calls are encrypted. My notes are encrypted on my own device, with a passphrase only I know, and they are not uploaded to Therapywork or to any shared server. That matters to me, because a counsellor's notes are some of the most private records anyone keeps about you.

Whoever you see, it is reasonable to ask about security: how they hold sessions, where their notes are kept and who could read them. A good counsellor will be glad you asked and able to answer plainly.

What we can do together online

Person centred counselling is mostly a conversation, and in my experience it works online as well as it does in a room. Many people find it easier to talk from somewhere familiar, with their own cup of tea and nobody seeing them come and go.

EMDR can be done online too. The left-right movement at the heart of EMDR, called bilateral stimulation, works over video, and I have written about whether EMDR online is effective and what to consider first. You can read more about how I work on my EMDR therapy page.

One worry people have is that something is lost on a screen. Therapywork includes tools that help the work feel less like a video call:

• bilateral stimulation for EMDR, with a way of tracking how distressing a memory feels from one session to the next
• a shared sketch pad we can both draw on, for the times something is easier to draw than to say
• a family tree builder, called a genogram, for mapping relationships and patterns across generations

None of these are essential. They are there if they help.

When online might not be the right fit

Online therapy suits most people, but there are a few times it is worth pausing.

If you can't find anywhere private, it is hard to speak freely, and that is worth solving before you start. If you are working through very distressing memories with EMDR, being in the same room can feel safer for some people. I have limited sessions at The Magnolia Centre in Mapperley Park, Nottingham, and we can talk about what would suit you.

Counselling, online or in person, is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis, your GP or NHS 111 can respond more quickly than I can, and Samaritans are available any time on 116 123.

If you work in the emergency services

I specialise in EMDR for emergency services personnel. For some people in the police, ambulance or fire service, seeing someone online, away from their own patch, makes it easier to take the first step. If that is you, I have written about EMDR for emergency services staff and about whether counselling stays confidential from your employer.

The same can be true if you work in the NHS, where support through work may be run from the building you work in. Counselling for NHS staff sets out the options and their limits.

If cost is a barrier

Private sessions are not the only route. In England, NHS Talking Therapies services are free, you can refer yourself without seeing your GP, and many offer sessions by video or phone. If you are employed, your employer may have an employee assistance programme that covers a few sessions of support. These services can be a good place to start, and you can always look for private support later if you need something longer or more specialised.

Sessions, cost and getting started

The first step is a free conversation of up to twenty minutes, by phone or video. It is a chance to tell me what you are looking for and to ask anything you want to ask, including anything about how online sessions work. There is no obligation to book afterwards.

Sessions are £65 for fifty minutes, and usually weekly at the same time each week. Longer ninety-minute sessions are also available; please ask.

You can get in touch here, email liz@emdr-therapy.co.uk or call 07714 191505. If you would like to know more about the way I work first, my person centred counselling page explains it.