Online Psychotherapy via Skype
Dr. Peter Strong - Professional Psychotherapist and author provides Online Psychotherapy via Skype
- Individual Online Counseling Sessions with Dr Peter Strong -
Online Psychotherapy - the modern choice
Online Psychotherapy is becoming more widely accepted as both an adjunct to traditional office-based therapy and now as an alternative to traditional in-person counseling. People want choices and they want to learn practical techniques and methods for better managing their emotions. The Online Therapy option makes it very much easier for busy people, or those living abroad or in rural areas to get the help they need.
Of course, online psychotherapy is not recommended for people with a medical condition or for people at risk of self-harm or harming others. If you feel that this describes you, then you should contact your medical doctor or authorites. The online approach is intended for ordinary people who are healthy, but are suffering from non-clinical anxiety, depression and stress. Online Psychotherapy is not intended to treat a medical condition - it is intended to treat the human condition!
Almost all of us struggle with anxiety, depression and stress and what most people are seeking are insights and practical tools to help them better cope with anxiety, depression and emotional stress.
An Online Therapist can help you learn different ways of working with your anxiety, panic attacks or with your depression to facilitate healing and resolution as well as learning how to cope better with stress.
Get Help from an Online Psychotherapist
Healing emotional suffering requires that we learn to form a stable and compassionate relationship with our emotions, rather than fighting them or running away from them or simply becoming overwhelmed by them yet again. This is central to all forms of psychotherapy and is certainly a major focus of the form of psychotherapy that I teach. In the Mindfulness Psychotherapy tradition, we call this learning to "sit" with your emotions - learning to be a friend with them rather than an enemy, which never works. This is what we focus on during online Skype psychotherapy sessions. It is easier than you may think, it's just that we are not used to approaching our emotions in this way.
But, one of the favorite reasons why people come to me for Online Psychotherapy, is that many people are searching for a better alternative to traditional talking therapy. Most, if not all of my clients have already tried this route and feel that the need something more than just talking about their emotions. Talking about our emotions is important, but talking is not always enough to resolve the underlying anxiety, panic attacks, depression or other emotional suffering.
I have developed a system of based on Mindfulness Therapy, a system that I devised in the 1980s that is really effective for anxiety and other forms of emotional stress. This system is desigened to teach you how to change the underlying emotions that create stress, anxiety and depression. Skype sessions are a combination of teaching and practical work - all designed to give you the skills you need to change your habitual patterns of emotional reactivity - all designed to stop you from being a victim of your painful emotions, so that you can heal and move on.
It is easy to get started with counseling with an online psychotherapist - simply fill out the Contact Form below or email me directly.
Is Online Psychotherapy as Effective as in-person Therapy?
There is a growing body of evidence to support the claim that online psychotherapy is a good quality alternative to traditional "office-based therapy." Of course, the comparison depends on what form of psychotherapy is being compared. Generally, the evidence supports the use of Cognitive Therapy (CBT). A controlled study conducted at the University of New South Wales, Australia, found that internet therapy over an 8-week period produced significant improvements for subjects suffering from depression when compared to a control group. In fact, 34% of subjects "no longer met the diagnostic criteria for depression." That is actually quite a big change after such a short course of psychotherapy.
Is Online Psychotherapy Good for Anxiety and Panic Attacks?
In my experience with Skype-based psychotherapy, I would say emphatically yes to that question. One of the advantages of online psychotherapy is that clients feel much more comfortable and less intimidated when working from the comfort of their own home - and feeling comfortable is a very important factor for successful psychotherapy.
Most of the clients who seek my Online Psychotherapy services are struggling with anxiety in one form or another. Anxiety is a major problem and affects 1 in 4 adults. Anxiety is widespread throughout the US and Western Europe and Health Authorities are struggling to cope with this epidemic. This is why Health Authorities are encouraging adopting Online Psychotherapy - because there are simply not enough therapists available to cope with the demand.
Can I continue taking my anxiety medication and start Online Psychotherapy?
It is generally agreed that the most successful treatment for anxiety and panic attacks involves a combination (Combination Therapy) of anti-anxiety medications, prescribed by your medical doctor, and some form of psychotherapy. Medications treat the symptoms, but psychotherapy is needed to change the underlying cause of your anxiety disorder or epression. Often, people will use antidepressants to reduce the severity of their symptoms to a manageable level and then seek psychotherapy to work on the underlying emotions that need to be resolved and healed. Hopefully, after a course of therapy you will be able to stop taking medications. Most people do not like taking medicines and would prefer to stop when they feel ready.
How many sessions of Online Psychotherapy will I need?
Of course, this will vary from person to person, but I feel strongly that the client should see noticable changes after each session. It should not require years of psychotherapy to get better. In the Mindfulness Therapy approach, which is very focused and relies on teaching you practical exercises to practice between sessions, most people experience major changes in their anxiety or depression after 4-6 sessions.
Is Online Psychotherapy suitable for everyone?
Most people who do not have an underlying medical problem can benefit from Online Psychotherapy. If you think you may be suffering from a medical problem or clinical depression then you should always consult your medical doctor for guidance. Most people who are suffering from anxiety or depression do not have a medical condition, they are simply struggling to cope with difficult emotions. If you are looking for help to better manage your anxiety, depression or stress, then online counseling is an excellent choice.
Some people prefer being in the same room with their therapist, and this will be very important for certain styles of psychotherapy, but for the cognitive-based approaches, including Mindfulness Therapy, there is no need to be in the same room. In fact, you may be able to do the mindfulness exercises better if you are in the comfort of your own home.
How do I start Psychotherapy Online?
It is very easy to get started. Simply fill out the short Contact Form or email me directly at pdmstrong@mac.com. Let me answer all your questions and when you are ready, you can schedule a Skype session of Online Psychotherapy.
ONLINE COUNSELING SERVICE
CONTACT FORM
Get Help from a Professional Online Psychotherapist via Skype for Effective Online Psychotherapy for Anxiety & Depression
