Distance Counselling in Ontario: What It Is and How It Works

In this article

Distance counselling is a form of therapy that connects you with a mental health professional remotely using secure video conferencing, eliminating the need to travel to a physical clinic. For people living in remote or rural areas of Ontario, it provides essential access to professional support that may not exist in their immediate community. At Bayridge Counselling Centres, we offer distance counselling across the province, ensuring geography doesn’t stand in the way of receiving professional care.

In the past, if someone in a remote or rural area needed professional counselling services, yet did not have a clinic like ours in their community, they had to commute several hours or more to get the help they needed. This could be frustrating for some people because of the lack of support in their local area, not to mention the associated travel costs. As technology has advanced over the past several decades, this has opened up different forms of counselling solutions for people living in remote and rural areas. Among the latest advances is a new form of therapy called distance counselling.

What Is Distance Counselling?

Distance counselling uses computer technologies and a secure video conferencing platform. Rather than having to travel for hours to get help, your counsellor schedules a time where you connect over the Internet and speak face-to-face through the application.

What Are the Minimum Equipment Requirements for Distance Counselling?

For the most part, you may already have everything you require for distance counselling. Ideally, you will need the following:

• A computer with a built-in or attached web cam.
• The required communications software, which you will need to download, install, and configure on your computer.
• A computer with speakers and a microphone for listening and speaking to your counsellor.
• In lieu of speakers and a microphone, a telephone can be used for verbal communications, to supplement the video chat session.

Another option is to use your smartphone or tablet device, so long as it has a strong enough wireless data connection through your mobile/cellular provider and/or the ability to connect to your high speed Internet connection at home.

What Types of Counselling Services Are Offered for Distance Counselling?

Most of the services offered here at Bayridge Counselling Centre are available for distance counselling. There are a few exceptions to this, like if you want to experience our Virtual Reality counselling/therapy, or in cases where you are experiencing feelings of self-harm or suicide, or aggressive thoughts of causing harm towards others.

In these cases, we highly recommend seeking help locally through your primary care physician or local hospital’s emergency room, as our distance counselling would not be appropriate. However, we would be able to provide help if you are able to travel to one of our locations for actual face-to-face, in-person counselling sessions.

Is Distance Counselling Right for Me?

To help determine whether distance counselling would be a viable form of therapy, it is best to contact us directly and speak to one of our Intake Specialists. Your Intake Specialist will assist you in matching you to the right counsellor that best reflects your needs and evaluate whether distance counselling could be beneficial. Just as in face-to-face therapy, building a strong therapeutic dialogue is essential to the process. Our distance counselling services are provided by our team of regulated health professionals, including Registered Psychotherapists (RP), Registered Social Workers (RSW), and Psychologists (C.Psych).

Initially, before beginning distance counselling, it can also be helpful to schedule an initial consultation appointment at one of our locations and come in to meet your counsellor. Distance counselling can be effective at any stage of change, whether you are just beginning to consider therapy or are actively working toward specific goals. To learn more about distance counselling or our other services, please feel free to call Bayridge Counselling Centre at 905-319-1488 today.