Working Online

Online therapy and mindfulness training can be just as effective as meeting in person, and in some ways more flexible. A little preparation beforehand helps the technology fade into the background, so we can focus fully on the work.

Privacy and confidentiality

Please join from a private room where you can be alone, ideally somewhere nobody can see your screen, overhear us, or walk in. When you call in from home, life continues around you. Partners, children, housemates or pets may be present, and not every circumstance can be controlled. In order to get the most from your session it will be helpful to minimise potential interruptions and the chance of being overheard, as far as reasonably possible.

Privacy helps to create a space where you can speak freely without censoring yourself because someone else might hear.

People, pets and pings

There are many ways we can get interrupted and distracted, which can break the flow of an important moment. It's important to try to minimise this. Even if it doesn't feel disruptive to you, it will probably interrupt my attention, which may affect the service I am offering you.

Before we begin a session, it helps to:

• Find a space where others will not need to pass through or access during the call.
• Ensure others in the household know you are not to be interrupted.
• Where possible, give child and pet care responsibilities to others for the time we meet.
• Put your devices on Do Not Disturb.
• Close applications and tabs you're not using.
• Turn off pop-up notifications from email, messaging and social media.

What you can expect from me

I usually have other applications open during our sessions: your notes, or resources we're working with. I may type as we talk. Everything I do is in service of our work together. I won't be checking email, browsing, or looking at social media. I'd encourage you to give yourself the same permission to step away from everything else for the duration of the session.

Optimising your connection

If possible:

• Position yourself close to your router, or use a wired connection.
• Ask others sharing your connection to avoid streaming, gaming or large downloads during the session.
• Clear the cache if connecting to the call on a browser, and close all tabs and apps that can slow your computer down.
• Check for software updates and restart your device to refresh with plenty of time before the start of the session. This is especially important if you haven't shut down and restarted your computer for a while.

Why this matters

These preparations might sound excessive, but therapy is a significant investment of your time, energy and money, and it depends on sustained attention and a sense of protected space. In a consulting room, neither of us would expect to be glancing at a phone, or a partner walking in mid-conversation. Even small interruptions can pull you away from an emotionally significant moment, or make it harder to explore something deeply if you think someone else might overhear.

Of course, life doesn't always cooperate. A child might need to be home from school, or a genuinely urgent delivery can't be missed, and pets can't be expected to understand professional boundaries. But it can be helpful to think through these points in advance. Often a few preparations can make a big difference to help prevent avoidable interruptions and distractions.

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