FAQs · Online therapy · Practicalities
Online Therapy Questions — Plain Answers Before You Book
These are the questions people most often ask me before we first speak: how online therapy works, what it costs, who sees what you say, and what happens if things get hard. If yours isn't here, ask me on a free introductory call. No question is too small.
- 12 questions answered
- £80 a session
- UKCP registered
- Free introductory call
Online therapy
How does online therapy work?
What it is, whether it works, and what you need to join a session.
Online therapy is counselling or psychotherapy over a secure video call rather than in a room. It's the same work, with the same confidentiality, the same professional standards and the same registered therapist. The difference is that you join from home, or anywhere private, instead of travelling across London to a consulting room.
Once we've booked a session, I send you a private Zoom link. At the agreed time you click it on your computer, tablet or phone, and we talk for 50 minutes. Sessions are private and encrypted, and nothing is recorded.
Yes. Research shows that therapy over video can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy for many difficulties, including anxiety, depression, relationship problems and stress (Backhaus et al., 2012). What makes therapy work is the relationship between you and your therapist, and that builds just as well on a screen.
Some people actually find it easier online: no waiting room, no journey on a bad day, and the chance to talk from somewhere they already feel safe.
No. All you need is a steady internet connection, a device with a camera and microphone, and somewhere private where you won't be overheard. The link opens in your browser or the free Zoom app. There's no account to create and nothing to pay for.
Sessions and fees
What can I bring, and what does it cost?
What we can work on, how long sessions are, the fee, booking and cancelling.
Whatever is weighing on you. People come to me with stress, depression and low mood, loneliness, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome and big life changes, among much else. I have a particular interest in counselling for men, relationship counselling online, divorce counselling, co-parenting counselling and counselling for single mothers, and many of my clients look for a Black therapist in London.
If you're not sure whether what you're going through is “enough” for therapy, it is. We can talk it through on the introductory call. There's a fuller list on my online counselling page.
Sessions last 50 minutes, usually at the same time each week. We agree the day and time together, and review how often we meet as we go.
Sessions are £80 for 50 minutes, and the introductory call is free. I keep a small number of reduced-fee places for students and people on a low income. You pay by bank transfer after each session. Everything, including cancellations, is on my affordable therapy in London page.
Start with a free introductory call. You can send me a message through the booking form, message me on WhatsApp, or call or text me on 07957 343528. I'll reply personally to find a time that suits you.
Give me at least 24 hours' notice and there's nothing to pay; we simply rearrange. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice may be charged in full, because that time was held for you. If something genuinely unforeseeable happens, tell me as soon as you can and we'll be sensible about it.
Confidentiality and safety
What if things get hard?
Who sees what you say, what happens if you get upset, and what to do in a crisis.
Yes. Everything you tell me is treated in strict confidence, in line with my professional body's ethical code. I take my work to clinical supervision, as every registered psychotherapist must, but never in a way that identifies you.
The only exception is if I believe there's a serious risk of harm to you or someone else. Then I may need to share information to keep people safe, and wherever possible I'd talk to you about it first.
That's all right, and it's more common than you might think. Therapy is somewhere you're allowed to feel things fully, and tears, anger or going quiet are all welcome. You don't have to hold it together for my sake.
You set the pace. If something feels like too much, we can slow down, pause or talk about something else, and you never have to go further than you want to. Towards the end of each session I leave time to help you settle before we finish, so you're not left raw when the call ends. If the video ever drops at a difficult moment, I'll call you straight back.
If you're in immediate danger, or at risk of harming yourself or someone else, please don't wait for a session or for a reply from me. Call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. For urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. To talk to someone now, Samaritans are there day and night on 116 123. These numbers are at the bottom of every page.
I'm not an emergency service and I can't offer help around the clock. If we're already working together and things get worse between sessions, tell me, and we'll think together about whether you need more support than weekly sessions can give.
When online therapy with me may not be the right fit
I want you to get the right help, even if that isn't me. Online sessions with me may not be the right choice if:
- you're in crisis, or at immediate risk of harming yourself or someone else
- you're experiencing severe symptoms such as psychosis or mania, or you need a psychiatric assessment, a diagnosis or medication
- you're under 18. I work with adults only
- you want couples or family sessions. I see people one-to-one
- you can't find a private, quiet space for a 50-minute video call
If any of these apply, your GP is a good first step. If you're not sure, I'm happy to talk it through on a free introductory call and point you towards the right support.
Need help right now? Call 999, NHS 111 (option 2) or Samaritans on 116 123. See all urgent support.
Still wondering?
Ask me anything on a free introductory call, no pressure to continue.
If your question isn't here, or you'd just like to hear how I work, get in touch. It's a short call and there's nothing to pay.
First step
Free introductory call
£0
- No obligation
- £80 a session after that
- Anywhere in the UK