Methods of psychological online counseling
The psychological consulting service is subject to secrecy. In my consulting work I use methods and elements of different schools, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Positive Psychology, Systemic Approach, Attachment-Based Approaches, and Therapeutic Parenting. It also incorporates neuropsychological knowledge.
Rather than a deficient orientation, the aim of my online counseling is to make people aware of resources and strengths in order to help people to help themselves.
Used technology in psychological online counseling
In my online psychological practice, I advise you via video telephony. The tool of the company Doxy uses provides peer-to-peer encryption, and is HIPAA and GDPR compliant. You
do not need an account for the video consulting tool, and you do not have to make any further downloads, which makes online consulting very easy - even for people who are not as tech savvy. Necessary requirement for the online consultation is the use of the web browsers Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari: These can be downloaded and installed very easily in a few minutes. Most computers, tablets, or smartphones are already equipped with such a browser these days. Further information with the access data for your video consultation can be obtained by e-mail on your request.
Basically, the video consulting comes closest to the personal face-to-face interview, as both - image and sound - are given, and therefore not only verbal, but also non-verbal communication content such as facial expressions, gestures and posture can be seen.
For video counseling I require to use headphones, because I take privacy and data protection very seriously. Furthermore disturbing background noises can be reduced.
Costs and expiration of psychological online consultation
A consultation session usually takes 50 minutes and costs 85 EURO (EUR 95,- in 2024).
Please send me your online inquiry (kept short, and generally written for privacy reasons) via the inquiry form or by e-mail, and I will usually answer you within 2 working days at the latest. You will receive an e-mail from me, with appointment proposal for the first interview, together with a consultant contract (general consulting conditions, access data for video consulting etc.). Please confirm the date and time, return the completed agreement, and pay the agreed consulting fee by Paypal or by bank transfer, no later than 48 hours before the scheduled call. You will then receive your invoice.
Already agreed appointments must be canceled 48 hours before starting at the latest, otherwise the full consulting fee has to be charged. In case of accute illness the 24 hour cancellation policy applies.
On the agreed date and time you can conveniently get access to the video consultation via the link sent. To do this, you need either Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari as your web browser.
The following initial conversation serves to get to know each other and to formulate a counseling goal. For some, the first conversation can already be clarifying enough, so that no further consultation is necessary. Others, on the other hand, want more counseling units to work together to achieve their goals. It is also possible to use short exercises between our units to enable a transfer into everyday life. The frequency of consultation sessions depends on your topic and your desired goal.
Attention: For privacy reasons please do not send any sensitive data via e-mail (e.g. personal experiences or mental complaints): We´ll talk about it in the video sessions. Keep your e-mails short, and in your own interest use an encrypted provider.
Advantages of psychological online counseling compared to local consultation
A big advantage of online consulting is the location independence. It is therefore suitable, for example, for people who live and work in foreign-language countries but would like to receive advice in their mother tongue (for example expatriates and their families, travelers and digital nomads). In addition, it may be helpful for some people to get advice without having to leave their familiar environment - the reasons for this can be manifold: For example, think of mothers or fathers who would like to seek advice, but who have no external childcare. Or older people, who feel lonely and without perspectives, because they have recently retired, or their longtime partner has died. Online consulting offers the advantage of seeking professional help and relief sooner rather than later. Perhaps the nearest practice is not a real alternative because it is still too far away. Under certain circumstances, psychological online counseling can be more flexible than on-site medical practices, since evening appointments or weekend appointments can also be arranged on demand, subject to availability.
Limits of psychological online consultation
Psychological online counseling is not a substitute for clinical-psychological diagnosis and treatment, or for on-site psychotherapeutic treatment. Especially if you are in an acute crisis situation or suffer from pathological disorders that require personal contact. In these cases, please contact a local expert or a crisis intervention center. The Austria-wide crisis emergency number is free under 142, the euro emergency call reachable under 112. Please inform yourself about your local crisis numbers.