I receive a lot of questions about email counseling and how exactly therapy occurs via this medium works. I created a quick video to answer your questions here:

Email counseling has become the most popular medium for therapy that I offer with 75% of my clients utilizing email counseling by itself or in combination with video and phone sessions.

Are email message secure and safe? As a licensed clinician, it is essential that I do everything that I can to protect your confidential information in email sessions as well as your personal health information. In order to accomplish this, I utilize an encrypted web based portal which has been tested and endorsed by several reputable telemental health research organizations due to its security and encryption benefits. These email messages are password protected within the portal on both client and counselor end.

Via these email messages, I am able to conduct a needs assessment, establish goals, and share ideas, strategies and homework with you. Email counseling is self-paced. You can take as little or as long as you need to process through information, complete homework assignments, and share feedback. Each of these email exchanges serves as a mini counseling session. They tend to be very conversational and educational. My clients often comment about how much they enjoy taking their time to process through my questions and then think through their responses. There is no rush or face-to-face pressure. Instead, you can take as long as you need. Clients also enjoy the fact that the emails are tangible and present for them to review in the future. The information that we exchange is yours to keep!

Email counseling is also convenient. You are able to write to me whenever it is convenient for your schedule. Perhaps you have time in the early morning, over your lunch break, or late at night. I guarantee to respond to your messages within 24 hours Monday through Friday.

How long does email counseling take? Through my research and data collection over the last 2.5 years, most email clients participate in services for 64 days before they have worked through their present challenges and feel ready to tackle things independently. However, this can vary widely depending upon client preference and needs. Some clients wrap up things efficiently in one week while others maintain a monthly email plan for years in order to have regular feedback and support.

I offer weekly and monthly packages to meet your needs. Both packages allow for unlimited email messages. This means that you can send as many emails as you want during that week or month, and I guarantee to respond to each message within 24 hours Monday – Friday. Many individuals like to start with one week of email service as it allows them to try out the email program to see if it is a good fit for them without any long term commitment or cost. Then, they often transition over to a monthly package as we dig deeper into the topics that brought them to counseling.

Are you interested in learning more about email counseling? Have additional questions? Feel free to reach out to me here, and I will respond with additional information, answer any questions, etc. I would love to get to know you better!

Talk soon, Wendy