Distance Counseling

Distance telephone counseling is for individuals who live in areas where therapeutic services are limited or language is a barrier. It can also be useful in situations where you are seeking a particular type of therapeutic modality that is not available locally. Distant telephone counseling is appropriate for people who are highly motivated and who have the resources to engage in regular adjunctive practices that will augment and support the therapeutic process done through telephone counseling and email exchange.

Its very important to note that distance telephone counseling is not appropriate for individuals who are experiencing severe emotional instability or who have a psychiatric disorder.

The therapeutic process begins with an assessment. This is done through a combination of email and telephone contact. To begin you will send me an email outlining (1-2 pages) the issues and current situation that motivate you to seek counseling. From there an initial telephone consult will help us get to know each other a bit and to determine if the issues you want to work on fit with the skills and experience I have to offer. There is no charge for this initial contact. If we both agree to proceed, you will send me an autobiography (4-5 pages) and answer some questions that will help me to know more about your background and help you clarify the issues that you want to focus on for the therapy.

After the intake process is complete, the therapeutic work takes place in a combination of email and telephone counseling sessions. In an ideal situation the telephone counselling and email sessions would be supplemented by meeting in person, once or twice a year, to do some intensive individual or group work.

Clients engaged in distance counseling need to be prepared to do regular practices of journaling, meditation, dream work, and/or creative expression on their own to augment the sessions. As well, I encourage clients to explore body-centered therapies that might include therapeutic massage, cranial sacral work, reiki or other forms of energy healing modalities.

The fee for the sessions is paid in advance by cheque, email cheque if you have Internet banking, or PayPal (www.paypal.com to sign-up). The fee structure can be discussed by phone or email. The client pays the long-distance telephone charges. A cancellation policy applies the same as for in-person sessions.