02 What are the Advantages of seeking HELP online?

Have a look at some of the advantages of using Online Email and Chatroom Counselling. Some are reasonably obvious but others may not be so apparent. Please weigh up both the benefits and costs involved.

What are the advantages of Email and Chatroom counselling?

Email counselling offers benefits to large numbers of people seeking counselling. In fact more and more people are turning to online counselling for its convenience and value.

Convenience
Online counselling makes it easier to seek counselling: IF you are a Rural dweller; housebound; busy professionals or someone who is unable to attend regular counselling sessions, then now you have the opportunity to go online anywhere, anytime and work on personal issues. This can mean the difference between you getting counselling or not. With website work and emails, you are not restricted to a set appointment time - you can read or send email at your own convenience, and log into your personal start page when YOU are ready to do so.

Anonymity
With email counselling, there is no direct contact. This helps you avoid embarrassment when bringing up certain issues. It is often easier you to type an honest account on the screen than to say things face-to-face.

Value
Email counselling invariably costs you less than regular counselling. Because you are only charged when the counsellor responds you can spend more of your own time considering the counsellor's advice or questions without paying through the nose for a professional to site while you do. YOU also have more time to think about and formulate questions, comments and answers.

Efficiency
You can maximise the productiveness of your interaction with the counsellor by carefully constructing your emails for greatest effectiveness. You and the counsellor are able to reflect carefully on your conversation and thus express your thoughts clearly and concisely. Less paid time is used up with the personal time you need for your thinking.

Chatroom Work
Chatroom work allows real-time connection to a counsellor. With text chat all interactions are logged by the counsellor and a copy of that log is sent to you within a short time of the session. This allows you to go back over exactly what was said. This often gives folks new insights, but also a precise record of the words shared. The Chatroom is secured so that only you and the counsellor are present. Appointments require awareness of time zone differences which you can determine by clicking on the chatrooms choice in the front page header. Followup takes place via email and interactive page work.

Yahoo Messenger
With Yahoo Messenger you get all sorts of options in your chatting with the counsellor. You can see illustrations, hear voice chat if you have a microphone and speakers, and have useful documents instantly transferred to your machine. IF this is the option you wish to use simply say so in your communication to your Online Counsellor.