Telephone Counseling Opens New Doors

The world of psychotherapy is being reshaped by internet and telephone technologies that give clients more control over counseling choices. On-line services such as Luminent Counseling can now connect individuals seeking support with a trained counselor, on-demand. Clients choose a counselor who best meets their needs, including cost and scheduling flexibility. The immediacy, convenience and anonymity of telephone counseling make it potentially the BEST option in many situations.

Help When You Need It

Feelings of distress ebb and flow, and so does a person’s resolve to seek counseling. Many people consider counseling but never get the help they need because their resolve to face a difficult situation wanes over time. When resolve wanes, day-to-day coping patterns of restless avoidance or hopeless collapse resume. As part of the change process, a counselor must be skilled enough to work past a client’s day-to-day coping pattern and re-engage core feelings of distress.

Telephone counseling uniquely brings the client and counselor together at the optimal therapeutic moment, that is; when client distress and desire for change are both at the highest level. By entering in a “hot” moment the counselor can offer needed support and actively help the client to reshape problematic thought and behavior patterns that perpetuate the problem. It is a win-win situation for someone in deep distress; they gain both immediate support and professional assistance in exploring resolution options.

Easier to Begin

Beginning a counseling relationship can be a difficult process, especially for the first time client, because there are so many anxiety-producing unknowns. Common first time concerns are things such as: will the counselor be the “right” fit, what if I cry, will he diagnose me as “crazy”, do they have time available, how do I get there, what if I don’t want to go back, how much will it cost?. On-line services help relieve these concerns by providing a wealth of information on each counselor, making it easier to research options and select the right person and approach without a single call or commitment. Working over the telephone also opens doors for even the most hesitant clients by offering complete anonymity, no diagnosis, and counseling in the security and comfort of your own home. For those who lack mobility or live in a rural area with few services, telephone counseling may be the first and only option.

More Portable

Working over the telephone opens the door for a “just in time” approach to resolving personal challenges. Counselor and client can literally team up in “real time” to address a problem. Imagine a client with a flying phobia, at the airport talking their way through a preplanned strategy, with their counselor on the telephone. Or the energizing benefit of a daily 10-minute counseling session for the person struggling with depression. Or the possibility of using 15 minutes of counseling to help reset thinking patterns and calm agitation before entering a critical business presentation or significant life stressor. None of these options cost any more than regular counseling, in fact, they may cost less, what they illustrate is the endless possibilities that are now available as counseling becomes as portable as your cell phone.

Cognitive, Solution Focused Approach

Telephone counseling typically serves individuals exploring counseling for the first time and those seeking immediate input on an active problem. To address both the tentative nature and immediate need of telephone counseling clients, a Cognitive and Solution Focused approach is the most common modality used by telephone counselors. This type of therapy is very collaborative and akin to coaching, and proven to be highly effective with relationship issues and the periodic depression and anxiety that many people experience. Teaming with a telephone counselor can be a very quick and effective way to gain personal insight and get help restructuring thought and behavior patterns that diminish quality of life.

Conclusion

The concept of telephone counseling is not new, Employee Assistance providers and crisis lines have been successfully using telephone counseling for years. What is different with this new generation of on-line telephone counseling is that the customer is now driving the process. Each one of us now has wide-open access to counseling options that we can shape to meet our personal needs. Counselors who chose this virtual framework as their “office” will also become the most adept at addressing immediate client needs in a creative and collaborative manner. These same counselors (psychologists, social workers, and professional counselors) will no doubt become the leaders and spokespeople who guide their profession into the age of technology.

Colleen McCann, MBA, MSW, LGSW