No Longer Surviving but Thriving: Moving Counselling from In-office to Online

In this course, Beryl Armstrong, MS, NCC, BC-TMH, LCPC, examines a variety of aspects of telehealth counselling with the objective of helping counsellors to move comfortably from in-office to online counselling. Codes of ethics, necessary technology, the importance of having a “Plan B”, attending to work flow matters, determining treatment boundaries, and screening for fit are all discussed. Armstrong identifies the elements of a suitable online therapy space and shows you how to prepare the client for the first video session. She also outlines the treatment modalities which have demonstrated effectiveness via telehealth. The facial expression cues that are important for counsellors to observe in a telehealth session are described. Also covered are aspects such as developing an emergency plan and building the therapeutic alliance, both of which continue to be as important as with in-office counselling.