In recent years, online counselling has grown in popularity as more people seek convenient and accessible ways to support their mental health. While traditional in-person therapy has long been the standard, online counselling offers several unique benefits that are proving to be not just practical—but, for many, preferable. Here’s a closer look at how online counselling compares to in-person therapy and why it might be the right choice for you.

1. Convenience and Accessibility

Online Counselling:

One of the most significant advantages of online counselling is convenience. Sessions can be attended from the comfort of your home, during a lunch break, or even while travelling, provided you have privacy and a stable internet connection. This flexibility is ideal for those with busy schedules, mobility issues, or living in remote areas without easy access to therapy services.

In-Person Therapy:

Requires travel to a physical location, which can be time-consuming or difficult depending on location, transportation options, or physical health.

✅ Winner: Online counselling makes therapy more accessible and less disruptive to daily life.

2. Comfort and Reduced Anxiety

Online Counselling:

For people who feel anxious in unfamiliar settings or struggle with social anxiety, speaking to a therapist from home can make it easier to open up. Being in a familiar environment often helps clients feel safer and more relaxed.

In-Person Therapy:

The therapeutic setting can provide a strong sense of structure and seriousness, which can be beneficial—but for some, it may also feel intimidating or clinical.

✅ Winner: Online counselling can reduce barriers for those who find traditional settings overwhelming.

3. Broader Choice of Therapists

Online Counselling:

You’re not limited to professionals in your immediate area. This is especially important if you’re seeking someone with a specific background, specialism, or language proficiency. Online therapy opens up access to a much wider pool of qualified professionals.

In-Person Therapy:

Geographical location limits your options, and waitlists can be long, especially for niche therapy types.

✅ Winner: Online counselling gives you more choice and faster access to the right therapist for your needs.

4. Consistency and Continuity of Care

Online Counselling:

Whether you move home, travel frequently, or face unexpected life changes, your therapy can continue uninterrupted. You can stay connected to the same therapist without needing to transfer or start over.

In-Person Therapy:

Relocation or life transitions can make it harder to keep appointments or continue working with the same professional.

✅ Winner: Online counselling offers greater continuity and adaptability over time.

5. Privacy and Reduced Stigma

Online Counselling:

You can attend therapy without worrying about being seen entering a clinic or waiting in a public reception area. For those concerned about stigma or privacy, this discretion can be crucial.

In-Person Therapy:

Though confidentiality is maintained, attending a physical clinic may still feel exposing for some clients.

✅ Winner: Online counselling offers more discretion, helping to reduce stigma and shame.

6. Cost and Time Efficiency

Online Counselling:

You save on travel time, transport costs, and time off work. Some therapists may also offer slightly lower fees due to lower overheads.

In-Person Therapy:

Sessions may include added time and cost burdens, especially in busy urban areas with travel delays or parking issues.

✅ Winner: Online counselling often offers better value for time and money.

Are There Any Downsides to Online Counselling?

While online therapy has many advantages, it’s not ideal for everyone. Some clients value the face-to-face energy and physical presence of in-person sessions. Others may struggle with technology or have limited private space at home. And for severe mental health crises, in-person support or emergency services may still be more appropriate.

Final Thoughts: Which Is Right for You?

The best therapy is the one that fits your life, your needs, and your comfort level. Online counselling provides a flexible, accessible, and effective way to get support—whether you’re managing stress, working through past trauma, or navigating life changes.

At TalkWell Counselling, we specialise in online video and telephone therapy, offering compassionate, professional support tailored to your needs—wherever you are. If you’re ready to take the next step toward better mental health, we’re here to walk that path with you.

Want to know more or book a session?

📞 Call: 07447 879459

📧 Email: kam@talkwellcounselling.co.uk

🌐 Website: www.talkwellcounselling.co.uk

There is no time like the present… or so they say.

No time to think or reflect, just work and sleep, eat and run.

It feels like time has flown since covid arrived.

Yet crawled ever so slowly at the same time..

Almost like in the movies where scenes speed up and slow down

Life has paced up and down not knowing what to do with itself

Whilst contemplating the world and everything in it

Everything stopped and then started again..

Like the beating of many hearts lost never to be found again.

Yes I know how it feels to live through a pandemic

Living, dying, working, crying, distant, desperate, cold and sad

Covid has changed us all inside and out, we are never going to be the same again…

Dear Me,

I know that the past few years have been a struggle and I understand how heartbroken you feel sometimes from your destructive thoughts that keep flowing… I know you’ve been living for years in a battle between the most important person in the world, which is you. You have prayed to wake up in a different body, sought therapy and harmed yourself with all the body wraps, the painful fat freezing treatments and all those fat burning pills that made you physically sick. I know you’re sick and tired of spending all that money on those fat burning products, body shapers and loose clothes.

I am here today to ease your pain and tell you that I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to feel like disappearing because you’re so fed up with yourself, to cry from your own emotional abuse and to isolate yourself from the world because spending time with one person (YOU) alone seems suffocating and unbearable, which makes you so frustrated and angry.

The agony is too much and I’m here to tell you the solution is so, very simple;

Love yourself and be confident. Now before you flush this letter down the toilet or slash my tyres, hear me out.

I know you heard this a lot… And I know that you and I are both aware that you deserve to cry from laughter daily, to have a huge smile on your soul and to walk tall with confidence.

This will NEVER happen till YOU make a decision NOW to be kind to yourself and to love every cell of your body from the core of your heart. Remember we live in a world where everything is fake or filtered, you’re not, and that’s what makes you naturally stunning and incredibly breath taking. Don’t allow society’s beauty standards to get to you, because you are a strong woman who has her own voice and opinion.

Don’t listen to anybody like you usually do and don’t allow anyone, including yourself, to do anything but LOVE on YOU. I want you to acknowledge and remind yourself daily of how worthy you are. You are NOT defined by some Instagram body goals picture or anything similar. Purge yourself with content and understand that you can never be happy with someone else if you don’t enjoy the time you spend with yourself.

You have to value yourself enough to the point that a few extra pounds don’t shake you. The only opinion that matters is the reflection you see when you look in the mirror, because that’s who you’re spending the rest of your life with. This is one hell of a long journey, but don’t you dare give up!

Trust me, when you reach that victorious, invincible and empowering position, the last stage, that’s when new thoughts, feelings and beliefs will be created and become habitual. Nothing and no one will have the power to take that away from you, and that’s how you become legendary.

Lots of love,

Your Higher Self

 

Hi everybody I launched my youtube channel offering bite sized therapy videos please visit like and subscribe if you enjoy the content😃

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8MPq7ZelTi5uTjE5HiZJMw

Out with the old and in with the new is how the saying goes, but how can this be applied to oneself? A new year means new beginnings and fresh starts, but also a time for reflection on past events. Consider the following points:

• What went well over the past year?
• Any memorable moments?
• What times could we do with forgetting?
• Do we have regrets?
• Have we lost loved ones?
• Ended or begun new relationships?
• Changed careers/lost or started a new job?

There is so much to reflect on outside of ourselves that when it comes to thinking about what we actually want and how we have developed as people over the past year its often overlooked. Other things take precedence and we carry on living, working, existing day to day. How many of us stop to take time and reflect on the present. To appreciate what we do have and share our gratitude. Can we learn from past mistakes and let go of disappointments and regret? Do we dare to liberate ourselves from the inner critic that is ever present within us just waiting for us to lose hope and belittle us some more.

What we need is compassion and to forgive ourselves, not succumb to the pressure of negativity and reach out for support when we need it. One of the most courageous things we will ever do is to face our fears, acknowledge our reality and embrace change if thats what it takes to become the best version of ourselves.

With everything going on in our lives it’s important to make time for reflection. Consider the past years events- take what you need to move forwards and let go of what holds you back. Think carefully about what it is that YOU want in life and don’t short change yourself. With the right mindset anything is possible.

Just remember to take care of yourself along the way because when you take time to replenish your own spirit you have that much more to give others in need. Be the best person to yourself first and foremost and then to others.

Peace and good will to all.

This is a topic that many people shy away from and feel uncomfortable talking about for various reasons. For some it’s a painful reminder of something someone they love may have committed. For others it’s a topic that leaves little space for discussion as often there are more questions than answers for those left behind. The truth of the matter is that we just don’t understand it and don’t know what to say when trying to console people affected by this.

That does not mean that we should avoid, ignore or desist from trying to learn, understand and educate ourselves about this serious matter. Taking one’s own life is not an easy thing to do, in fact the survival instinct built into each one of us often makes it the most difficult thing to act on. In order to better understand this it is important to dispel some common myths, such as “The people who talk about it don’t do it. “ Research has shown that in a high proportion of cases, people did things in the weeks prior to their death to show others how distressed or in despair they felt. So if you know anybody expressing such feelings or talking about feeling suicidal they may need immediate attention, help and support. What often starts out as a cry for help can develop into more serious mental health issues so its essential people are offered appropriate support as they need it. We are all unique individuals and as such each of us have different ways of coping in life. For some life can be become so overwhelmingly difficult that their ability to cope and resilience is overshadowed by their pain and suffering.

Another myth is “If a someone is going to kill themselves, nothing can stop them.” What the person wants is for the pain and suffering to end, part of them wants to live but the other part wants the pain to go away. With the right love, support, care and help from others at the time it’s most needed many do not act on their impulses. If you know somebody expressing feelings of a suicidal nature- Be present, listen and really hear what they are saying. Don’t rush in with advice or feel you have to ‘say the right thing’ there is no set way to respond, as long as you show in your voice, body and tone attentiveness, warmth, care and understanding that will be conveyed to the person and they will feel your support without words. They will have chosen you to confide in because they trust you and feel safe with you. No matter how negative the person feels the fact they are choosing to talk about it is a positive thing and it releases some of the pain. We need to be willing to offer help sooner rather than later. If however the person is acutely suicidal then do not leave them alone unsupervised, stay with them and seek professional help.

To help identify when a person may feel suicidal see the warning signs list below courtesy of https://www.metanoia.org/suicide/whattodo.htm

WARNING SIGNS

Conditions associated with increased risk of suicide

• Death or terminal illness of relative or friend.
• Divorce, separation, broken relationship, stress on family.
• Loss of health (real or imaginary).
• Loss of job, home, money, status, self-esteem, personal security.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• In the young depression may be masked by hyperactivity or acting out behaviour. In the elderly it may be incorrectly attributed to the natural effects of aging. Depression that seems to quickly disappear for no apparent reason is cause for concern. The early stages of recovery from depression can be a high risk period. Recent studies have associated anxiety disorders with increased risk for attempted suicide.

Emotional and behavioural changes associated with suicide

• Overwhelming Pain: pain that threatens to exceed the person’s pain coping capacities. Suicidal feelings are often the result of longstanding problems that have been exacerbated by recent precipitating events. The precipitating factors may be new pain or the loss of pain coping resources.
• Hopelessness: the feeling that the pain will continue or get worse; things will never get better.
• Powerlessness: the feeling that one’s resources for reducing pain are exhausted.
• Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt, self-hatred, no one cares. Fears of losing control, harming self or others.
• Personality becomes sad, withdrawn, tired, apathetic, anxious, irritable, or prone to angry outbursts.
• Declining performance in school, work, or other activities. (Occasionally the reverse: someone who volunteers for extra duties because they need to fill up their time.)
• Social isolation; or association with a group that has different moral standards than those of the family.
• Declining interest in sex, friends, or activities previously enjoyed.
• Neglect of personal welfare, deteriorating physical appearance.
• Alterations in either direction in sleeping or eating habits.
• (Particularly in the elderly) Self-starvation, dietary mismanagement, disobeying medical instructions.
• Difficult times: holidays, anniversaries, and the first week after discharge from a hospital; just before and after diagnosis of a major illness; just before and during disciplinary proceedings. Undocumented status adds to the stress of a crisis.

Suicidal Behaviour

• Previous suicide attempts, mini-attempts.
• Explicit statements of suicidal ideation or feelings.
• Development of suicidal plan, acquiring the means, rehearsal behaviour, setting a time for the attempt.
• Self-inflicted injuries, such as cuts, burns, or head banging.
• Reckless behaviour. (Besides suicide, other leading causes of death among young people are accidents, drug overdose, and AIDS.) Unexplained accidents among children and the elderly.
• Making out a will or giving away favourite possessions.
• Inappropriately saying goodbye.
• Verbal behaviour that is ambiguous or indirect: I’m going away on a real long trip., You won’t have to worry about me anymore., I want to go to sleep and never wake up., I’m so depressed, I just can’t go on., Does God punish suicides?, Voices are telling me to do bad things., requests for euthanasia information, inappropriate joking, stories or essays on morbid themes.

What You Can Do To Help

1. Be yourself. The right words are unimportant. If you are concerned, your voice and manner will show it.
2. Let the person unload despair, ventilate anger. If given an opportunity to do this, he or she will feel better by the end.
3. Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm, accepting. The person has done the right thing by getting in touch with another person.
4. If the person is saying I’m so depressed, I can’t go on, ask ‘The Question’ :Are you having thoughts of suicide? You are not putting ideas in their head, you are doing a good thing for them. You are showing that you are concerned, that you take them seriously, that it is OK for him to share his pain with you.
5. If the answer is yes, you can begin asking a series of further questions: Have you thought about how you would do it (PLAN); Have you got what you need (MEANS); Have you thought about when you would do it (TIME SET). 95% of all suicidal people will answer no at some point in this series or indicate that the time is set for some date in the future. This will be a relief for both of you.
6. Simply talking about their problems for a length of time will give suicidal people relief from loneliness and pent up feelings, awareness that another person cares, and a feeling of being understood. They also get tired — their body chemistry changes. These things take the edge off their agitated state and help them get through a bad night.
7. Avoid arguments, problem solving, advice giving, quick referrals, belittling and making the caller feel that has to justify his suicidal feelings. It is not how bad the problem is, but how badly its hurting the person who has it.
8. If the person is ingesting drugs, get the details (what, how much, alcohol, other medications, last meal, general health) and call for emergency services for medical advice and help.

The most important pain-coping resource is the help of a trained mental health professional. A person who feels suicidal should get help, and get it sooner rather than later. Also seek medical advice from a GP. If you are struggling with this issue you can use the list below to access support. 

Helplines and support groups (listed on http://www.nhs.uk)

• Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
• Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
• PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
• Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information.
• Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
• Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)is an excellent resource for young men who are feeling unhappy. As well as their website, CALM also has a helpline (0800 58 58 58).

Talking to someone you trust

If you don’t want to speak to someone on a helpline, you could talk to:

• a member of your family, a friend or someone you trust, such as a teacher
• your GP, a mental healthcare professional or another healthcare professional
• a minister, priest or other type of faith leader

Seeing your GP

It would also help to see your GP. They can advise you about appropriate treatment if they think you have a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety.

Your GP may be able to help you with access to talking therapies. Talking therapies, such as counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), are often used to help people who have suicidal thoughts and usually involve talking about your feelings with a professional.

Helping your child

If you are concerned your child may be feeling suicidal or is self-harming, the following advice may help:

• notice when they seem upset, withdrawn or irritable
• encourage them to talk about their worries, listen to them and help them find their own solutions
• keep all medicines locked away, including painkillers such as paracetamol
• suggest your child talks to their GP or a counsellor about how they feel.

Use the contact form below if you need any help or support around this.