Tag Archives: online counselling

Reflections on Quickly – and Ethically – Moving Online

Posted by: Annelise Lyseng, M.Ed, CCC, R. Psych on May 29, 2020 9:04 am
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Before March 2020, I had hoped to eventually take a course to learn more about online counselling in case I ventured into it at a future date. Little did I know that I would soon be plunged unceremoniously into telehealth thanks to the impacts of COVID-19. I am happy to report that it has been a fairly smooth transition, with special thanks to colleagues who researched digital counselling platforms and configured doxy.me and VPN access to our online records management for our team. Here are a few of my key takeaways from the transition to online counselling:

  • Ethics first: For our team, this meant carefully revising our informed consent documents, emergency planning protocols, and intake process. We had to consider the additional risks, particularly around security and privacy, connected to telehealth and communicate these effectively to our current and new clients. I completed several extensive online courses that clearly outlined the ethical and legal considerations of telehealth. This training was invaluable, and I felt more secure in my practice after thoroughly reviewing these unique ethics.
  • Find a community: Amidst the dubious benefits of working from home, such as sweatpants and fridge proximity, I struggled with being physically distanced from my vibrant and supportive team of colleagues. We continue to engage in regular virtual meetings, consultations, and ongoing group chats, which I deeply appreciate. One of the online courses also helped me connect with an online community devoted entirely to practicing online therapy – learning from others and sharing resources has helped immensely with improving confidence and decreasing isolation.
  • Save your sight: For me, this meant ensuring that I’m wearing my blue-light blocking prescription glasses, trying to follow the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to stare at something 20 feet away), calibrating the height of my laptop to find the right angle for looking thoughtfully at clients without straining my neck, and adjusting the lighting in my improvised home office to a comfortable level. I also activated the blue light filter on my laptops and other devices.
  • Reflect and appreciate the old, and new, office: As mentioned, I appreciate my colleagues even more now that we have been distanced. I miss other aspects of the old office – using experiential interventions in session such as a picture card sort task, having access to a large shredding unit for session notes, enjoying a comfortable and devoted counselling space without interruptions from a neighbour’s barking dog or an exuberant toddler, and in general delineating a clear boundary between work and home. However, I have also appreciated aspects of my new office, especially the lack of a commute through rush hour traffic, an ability to prep supper while I’m on my lunch break, and an opportunity to push myself and grow professionally. I am saddened at the circumstances that brought telehealth into my practice, but I am grateful for the privilege that I have in my work and the learning that this has brought into my personal and professional life.
Annelise Lyseng is a registered psychologist at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.



*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

5 Steps to Starting an Online Canadian Private Practice

Posted by: Julia Smith on March 13, 2020 11:51 am

Note: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. 

Starting an online Canadian private practice can be a great option for Canadian counsellors who don’t want to spend money on renting an office. It also allows you to counsel clients from the comfort of your home (or when travelling J). There are many considerations when starting an online counselling business or even adding it to your existing Canadian private practice. In addition to the article: 15 Steps to Starting a Canadian Private practice, the next five steps will help you in opening your online Canadian private practice!

  1. Liability Insurance

One of the main questions Canadians have when starting an online counselling business is if you can counsel clients who live outside of Canada. Though BMS CCPA insurance covers e-services worldwide, all claims must be brought forward in Canada. This means that if a client from outside Canada files a complaint in a different country, BMS will not cover you! Since you have no control where international clients file complaints… it may be wise to only offer e-services to people living in Canada. What kinds of measures can practitioners take to ensure that they are properly marketing their services exclusively to Canadians?

  1. HST Rates

If you are making over $30 000 you will have to charge the sales tax that is required in the client’s province. That means that if you live in Toronto and have an online client that lives in Halifax., you will have to charge Nova Scotia’s 15% HST and not  Ontario’s 13% HST rate. If you have clients that are not Canadian citizens and live outside of Canada, you cannot charge sales tax. Click here for more information about sales tax in Canada. Didn’t you just advise in the previous paragraph to only counsel Canadian clients? A bit confusing… Also, what happens in the case of Canadians who are temporarily residing in other countries? Ex-pats? Snowbirds?

  1. Build a website

Having an awesome website with amazing SEO (search engine optimization) is VERY, VERY, VERY important for an online Canadian counselling business. Your website will be one of the main ways people find you. So, you will want to invest in having a beautiful website that also appears in internet searches. 

Check out WordPress.com to start creating your website ☺ And learn more about SEO and why it is so important here.

  1. EMR

It is very important that you understand Canadian’s privacy laws when it comes to online counselling. Video counselling sessions should be encrypted and the content of the video should never be recorded or stored anywhere to make sure that it is secure. Ideally, you want to be using an EMR that includes video counselling as it is easier to schedule clients, send appointment reminders, and log on to the online counselling session all from one platform. I use the Canadian EMR Jane App and love how professional and easy it is to use. Plus, you can use the code FEARLESS to try it for one month completely free!

  1. Psychology Today

Ideally, you will have a Psychology Today profile for your online services in all Canadian/US cities. But that can get very expensive! So instead, in your account, you will see the “Edit Profile” icon. Select that and then from the drop-down menu select “Target Your Listing”. You can then choose two more locations where your profile will be advertised for free!

About Julia
Julia Smith, MEd, RCT, CCC, is a Canadian private practice consultant who specializes in helping Canadian counsellors and therapists start private practice. She also owns a private practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she helps depressed teens build confidence, find happiness, and gain insight.
Click here to get more help with building your Canadian private practice!



*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Moore’s Law

Posted by: Sherry Law on June 8, 2015 1:40 pm
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Moore’s law is an observation of exponential improvement in digital technology both due to the accumulating effect of research and development, and also the falling consumer cost of products. This describes a trend that we have been witnessing for the past few decades, and the explanation to our increasingly digital life style as Canadians. Computers used to be the size of trailer homes and very costly, convincing people that it was impossible that the computer would ever be a mainstream consumer product. The average person today carries with them more computer power in their pocket than was used during the Apollo missions to put humans on the moon. So what does this have to do with counselling and psychotherapy?

A new fleet of wearable technologies will be saturating the markets in the coming years. These technologies have great implications for how we interact with our world and with each other. Virtual reality (VR) can become one of those technologies which revolutionizes psychotherapy. VR is typically experienced through a head-mounted device and gives the user the experience of presence, a phenomenon whereby the user is convinced they are in a place other than reality, regardless of their conscious acknowledgment that what they are witnessing is not real. Once a person puts on one of these headsets, they are transported into an entirely crafted digital world . The programmable nature of digital technology means that a user can exist anywhere in reality, and in fantasy. A person can experience the thrill and excitement of a 100 foot high roller coaster, and moments later, be visibly shaken, left alone in a claustrophobic series of hallways and crypts. One can soar gracefully through space observing spiral galaxies to an accompanying orchestra, or simply relax within a virtual cinema with friends and family connected through the internet. Due to VR’s powerful impact, it has the potential to provide convincing therapeutic tools to aid in many therapies which rely on visualization, such as therapies to help manage phobias, anxieties, depression, and even mindfulness training for relaxation, among others.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Is There an App for Mental Health?

Posted by: Sherry Law on May 6, 2015 8:00 am
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As Canadians, one system that distinguishes us from other nations is our universal health care provision. Canada invests in its people, taking care of the sick or wounded displaying our values of equity and solidarity. Though our heart may be in the right place, the road to equitable provision of all facets of health care is difficult and complicated, with financial, political, and social barriers leaving many Canadians underserviced. In 2012, Statistics Canada revealed that 1.6million Canadians requiring mental health services found that help was unavailable or insufficient. A majority of this demographic indicated that failure of the health care system was due to budget cuts or lack of accessibility, or personal circumstances such as social stigma and scheduling conflicts.LawPost

As counsellors and therapists, we wish that all Canadians can access sufficient mental health services, but how can we satisfy the great demand of mental health needs when there are so many kinks in the system?

Information technology (IT) has captured every aspect of daily life. Shopping, banking, networking, research, and a multitude of other activities can be done online. Due to its ease of access, portability, and shrinking barrier of entry, people from all walks of life and social economic backgrounds can access these resources. Furthermore, IT has pushed the boundaries in all fields, leading to a global change in business, governance, and communication. Continue reading →




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Healthy Minds AKA Yet Another App

Posted by: Dawn Schell on March 25, 2015 12:00 pm
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I know, I know. Yet another app.   This is no ordinary app though. The Royal[1], “one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health sciences centres”, developed the Healthy Minds app[2]. Aimed at post-secondary students, Healthy Minds is “a problem-solving tool to help deal with emotions and cope with the stresses you encounter both on and off campus.”

healthy mindWhen you download Healthy Minds it opens with a short explanatory video showing you how to make best use of the app. The authors of the app ask that you do three things – think about one problem you want to focus on, write what led to the problem, what thoughts, feelings and behaviours this problem caused and what happened after the problem. Why? As Dr. Simon Hatcher says in the video, “So you can change how you react in the future”.

In the Mood section you are prompted with a “how are you feeling?” and you can choose from nine moods. When you click on the submit button you are then sent to a text box where you can write about “what happened before you felt this way”. You can even add a photo if you wish. Once you submit this text, depending on the emotion you chose, you there are helpful suggestions. For example, if you choose “angry” you will be asked if you want to take a moment to try the Breathe activity.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Showing Up On The Page

Posted by: Dawn Schell on May 30, 2011 10:12 am
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Hello [waving a hand in greeting].  Welcome back!  In my last post I said I would be talking about how to convey “presence” throughout an online counselling session.  So – let’s see [thinking out loud]. I’ll tell you about three important techniques I have learned and show you some examples.  I invite you to make yourself comfortable. Ready?  Let’s get to work [rolling up my sleeves].

When I talk about online counselling a common response is “non-verbals are such a big part of our communication. How do you deal with that? Isn’t it easy to misunderstand each other?”  One counsellor said that she thought online counselling would be “cold and clinical”, with no way to show warmth, empathy or humanness.

I understand the concerns.  Text-only can be challenging. However, there are ways to address the lack of tone of voice and non-verbals in text-based counselling work.[1] Lawrence Murphy and Dan Mitchell of Therapy Online have developed techniques such as Emotional Bracketing, Descriptive Immediacy and Descriptive Imagery (amongst others).

The point in using techniques such as these is to: bring the client into the room with you, create an immediacy of experience, assist them to understand or ‘see’ the non-verbals (i.e. thoughts, feelings, tone of voice), minimize the chance they will misinterpret what is said, and give them an opportunity to ensure they have been ‘heard’ correctly.  Most importantly, these techniques are aimed at deepening the therapeutic connection and engendering change.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Setting the Scene

Posted by: Dawn Schell on May 18, 2011 8:59 am
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In the next few blog posts I will be talking with you about “presence” in online counselling.  When I am counselling online my aim is to give the client the sense [as much as is possible in this virtual setting] that we are in the same room together. I provide information about what my office looks like and how it is set up, comment on the weather or what I can see or hear outside my window. I do this to provide my clients with some way for them to enter more fully into the online counselling experience.

An important part of each session is the session ‘opener’.  It sets the tone for the session and provides a transition from everyday life to counselling.  It is just like those first moments in any in-person counselling session.  Sometimes there’s chit-chat as I greet my client, give them time to get settled in the room, and then, once they are ready, we can begin to work.

Here’s a couple of session starter examples:

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA