Over the years I have made use of the internet in a number of ways to extend the reach of my practice, including conducting online psychotherapy using Skype.
Meeting online may be an option when it is not possible for you to physically attend appointments in my clinic, perhaps because you live too far away. Whilst I believe it is generally preferable to find a psychotherapist in your geographical area so you can attend appointments in person, sometimes there are circumstances where this is impossible. I suggest we arrange to meet in person at least once, if we can, but this is not an essential requirement. It may be that we begin your therapy online, without having met in person, and further into the therapy it becomes possible to arrange to occasionally meet in person.
Meeting on Skype also makes it possible to continue a psychotherapy that has been established, if your circumstances require you to move elsewhere. The transition requires careful thought, as the nature of the frame in online psychotherapy is quite different to meeting in person.
Online psychotherapy using Skype also allows us to maintain your therapy if you are away for an extended period: We can continue the rhythm of our meeting, and resume in person when you return.
If you live some way from Auckland, I have found a mix of meeting in person and online can be helpful as it reduces the stress of travelling long distances to attend therapy.
My own experience of consulting with colleagues overseas has been invaluable in gaining insight into the benefits and limitations of working this way.
Reference: Psychoanalysis Online: Mental Health, Teletherapy, and Training
'This book, with its diverse essays by experienced analysts, shows clearly that psychoanalysis can be conducted on the telephone and on skype as well as in a personal encounter in the consulting room. It is an innovation made possible by modern technology. This is not some new gimmick but the opposite. Like all true innovations it has illuminated aspects of psychoanalysis which we had not known before. It also shows that communication between persons is what constitutes psychoanalysis and not impersonal blind instinct theory. This is an extremely important book and touches an arena that is deeper than the technical innovation itself.'
- Neville Symington, psychoanalyst and author of The Psychology of the Person and Narcissism: A New Theory
