The very beginning of the search for a psychologist working remotely may come down to entering the appropriate term in the search field.
If you suspect any specific problems, start with the related passwords. A good online psychologist not only publishes his services on the Internet, but also shares his knowledge and experience and spreads reliable scientific knowledge in his field of specialization.
Remember here that the online psychologist you choose to service is to have your full confidence and qualifications to help you.
When searching for an online counsellor, what to look for?
A individual seeking psychological support should have direct and simple access to accurate information about the proposed psychological treatment and about the person who offers these services, even in distress, with a skewed view of truth.
Therefore, the first thing you should pay attention to when going to the online psychologist’s website is whether it contains all the necessary information.
What details does the psychologist’s website contain?
- Name and surname of the therapist
- specific qualifications and authorizations,
- rules for the provision of services,
- payment ,
- form of therapy.
If the psychologist did not even include his basic details, i.e. name and surname, it is hard to imagine the likelihood of establishing a therapeutic partnership based on trust.
It is also good practice for specialists to post their photo , which additionally helps to build trust.
You should be able to access a specialist’s credentials and qualifications – that is, find information about the studies and training done, as well as the experience acquired.
Ideally, the psychologist will give you specific data, the adequacy of which you can check: for example, the number of a diploma.
Service principles are a broad concept. The most important thing is that at least a few words on the website should specify how you can use the services of this psychologist. Such rules may include, for example:
- how to make an appointment,
- how long is the visit,
- through which medium the sessions can be held (e.g. via Skype),
- telephone number or e-mail address where additional information can be obtained.
- It is very important that the online psychologist indicates what kind of ethical standards he cites.
As you might expect, online psychologist services are paid . You should have access to the price list and payment methods, thanks to which you will be able to immediately find out whether a given option is within your financial possibilities.
The psychologist should define the current within which he operates .
It is also important that the psychologist provides a number of additional and more detailed information .
This information is not always available on the website – sometimes it is sent before starting psychotherapy or the psychologist informs about it himself at the first online meeting or is also included in the privacy policy or regulations.
This information includes:
- a specific response time to the first message (if psychotherapy is to consist in exchanging text messages),
- the need for patient data and GDPR concerns to be provided
- the requirement of the patient’s age of majority or the written consent of legal guardians,
- information about data encryption,
- contact information in the event of a technical failure,
information on data confidentiality.
