What is Counselling? – Saaya Health

By Sania Sohail

| August 30, 2021

What is Counselling?

Counselling is a process through which you are able to seek support for problems or difficulties that may be causing emotional turmoil or stress. Usually, counselling sessions are carried out in the following manner:

The process begins when the client and counsellor set aside a time for their session.
Each session is typically 50-60 minutes long.
The counsellor and client mutually decide on how long counselling will go on for depending on the client’s need.
Confidentiality is extremely important in the counselling profession as the relationship between a client and counsellor is one of trust and respect.

Counselling can help us deal with many personal topics in life such as anger, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, marriage and relationship challenges, parenting problems, school difficulties, career changes, etc. It can also help those who seek to improve communication and coping skills, strengthen self-esteem, and promote behavior change for optimal mental health.

What to look for in a therapist

It is a therapist’s responsibility to create a space for the client that feels safe, is free of judgement, bias, and any prejudice. Counselling is not advice-giving, rather, it is meant to empower us by means of helping us identify and improve our unhealthy thinking and behavior patterns.

How does online counselling work?

We live in a time where the world is becoming digital, and that includes counselling. Online mediums such as mobile apps, video conferencing tools, email, or any online platform that allows conversation to take place virtually are used in online counselling.

Saaya Health offers online counselling via video conferencing. Our counsellors do not prescribe medication through the online counselling sessions. We do not offer chat therapy sessions because we believe that video conferencing has the highest effectiveness and is the closest to the in-person experience.

Concerns about online counselling

People may worry about the level of security or protection of their private information on a digital platform as internet security and privacy is a global concern. For this purpose, Saaya Health has developed technology that not only gives a user access to counsellors that meet international requirements for counselling but also follows the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation guidelines. Videos are not hosted on servers and cannot be recorded and your data is safe via encrypted password.

Benefits of online counselling

Research shows that online counselling is as effective as in-person counselling in terms of benefiting our wellbeing (Acierno et al., 2017) (Turner et al., 2014) (Crow et al., 2009). Some benefits are mentioned below:

Decreased travel time and travel cost to reach the therapists office

Increased access to specialized treatment

Reduces the stigma experienced by the client who seeks counselling

Quality treatment can reach those who may not be able to leave their homes such as people with physical or mental illness

References

Acierno, R., Knapp, R., Tuerk, P., Gilmore, A., Lejuez, C., & Ruggiero, K. et al. (2017). A non-inferiority trial of Prolonged Exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder: In-person versus home-based telehealth. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 89, 57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.11.009

Aldridge, S., & Rigby, S. (2001). Counselling Skills in Context – British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (pp. 12-30, 96 – 119). Hodder & Stoughton.

Crow, S., Mitchell, J., Crosby, R., Swanson, S., Wonderlich, S., & Lancanster, K. (2009). The cost effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa delivered via telemedicine versus face-to-face. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 47(6), 451-453. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2009.02.006