Adopting Teletherapy in Your Practice: Challenges and Solutions

Teletherapy refers to mental health counselling that a client receives over the phone or online. Remote-based therapy can include using audio-only telephone counselling or audio and visual videoconferencing for individuals, couples, or group therapy.

Research has shown that counsellors have reported that teletherapy is just as effective for clients to achieve their goals and desired outcomes as sitting in a counselling suite and receiving face-to-face therapy. Though some counsellors and clients may disagree due to personal preferences and challenges they may have experienced.

Within this article, I am going to address the most common issues therapists face trying to navigate the world of teletherapy remote working and how to overcome these dilemmas to help therapists who are thinking about transitioning their private practice to a more seamless, easier, and financially beneficial working alliance between counsellors and clients.

The Challenges to Teletherapy

Connectivity

Whether conducting a session over the telephone or online, connection issues are one of the most common issues faced by counsellors and clients alike. Inadequate phone signal or internet connection can make the therapy session feel disjointed and affect the therapeutic working relationship between yourself and the client.

Solution: To eliminate the technical issue, it would be a suggestion to check signal strength and broadband streaming connectivity by either getting in touch with your current provider or using an internet-based tool that is easy to find on a search engine. I would also recommend discussing with your client or applying to your counselling contact an alternative method of hosting the session if you were to encounter technical problems, such as non-audio-based options such as text, email, or instant messaging.

Privacy

Yet again, this can become an issue for both counsellors and clients because of the potential fear of unpredicted interruptions or being overheard by others.

Solution: It is always an idea, especially when working with new clients, to ask if they are in a space that is private and confidential, where they won't be heard or influenced by other people in the environment in which they have chosen to hold the session. If you are concerned about family members or those with whom you may share a space, then I would suggest noise-cancelling headphones that are relevantly affordable, and if you are considering working on a video format from home to remove personal objects and belongings such as photographs to maintain your own privacy and separation from home and work-life balance.

Communication Barriers

Being unable to physically see your client may become a challenge for some therapists when delivering teletherapy. Reading your client's body language can be a useful way to understand how your client is feeling or experiencing their current situation.

Solution: As for those who provide sessions over the telephone, I would recommend making the best use of your listening skills to your clients tone and pace of voice. Clients who find themselves sighing repeatedly during sessions tend to feel exacerbated, whereas clients who talk very quickly may feel nervous or overwhelmed. If you offer video therapy, pay attention to subtle differences in your client's facial expressions. When they relive an encounter, how do they look? thoughtful, inquisitive, or angry? and relay this information back to the client to show that you have truly been in their frame of reference.

Compliance

As therapists, we have a legal and ethical duty to keep clients records, personal data, and any client notes safe. Those who are technophobic may believe the best way to keep this information safe from hackers and cybercriminals is to retain client records under lock and key within a filing case, but this creates a problem within itself as by law therapists are required to keep client files in some cases for years after the client has ended the therapeutic relationship. Which can be a strain on counsellors resources.

When conducting therapy via video, it is essential to use a video provider that complies with GDPR and health regulations. The optimal choice is a solution specifically designed for healthcare, such as Konfidens. Konfidens offers a secure and compliant video feature, along with additional functionalities for clinical notes, scheduling, payments, and client list management. With Konfidens, you can be confident that you are operating in accordance with all relevant rules and regulations.

Solution

Move client files online. You could spend the time creating and managing individual client records in a multitude of online folders or invest in a system such as Konfidens. The online system is encrypted to keep sensitive information private and allows you to store client data and case notes in one quick, easily accessible place, which saves therapists time to complete the work that matters to us.

‍

Charlotte is a Person-Centred Psychotherapist and Counselling Director at The Empathy Project CIC. A Registered Member of the BACP, Charlotte presented her research thesis on how negative feedback impacts us as counsellors at the PCE Europe Symposium in Athens in 2023.

The Empathy Project is a non-profit community interest company supporting people through low-cost, long-term counselling. They also run a series of CPD workshops for therapists with all proceeds supporting the project.