To Skype Or Not To Skype–Skype Counseling Sessions from Preston Place Counseling

By Kelly Antwine and Dr. Harold Duncan

UPDATE: All Preston Place Counselors offer Skype Counseling Sessions, however, there are some limitations. For Dr. Terri Gonzales in particular, her Skype counseling sessions only are offered for adult clients or parents in filial training. She cannot and will not Skype with child clients.

Today we were interviewed by a local TV station about the use of Skype counseling sessions here in Preston Place Counseling. At present, both Dr. Harold Duncan and I use this new medium to conduct sessions with clients who are local and some who are not. In fact, Dr. Duncan has a client who is a missionary in Russia who he talks with via Skype at least once a month. Because she’s half a world away, “it makes it a little hard for her to get here for her sessions,” he says.

Preston Place Counselors Dr. Harold Duncan and Kelly Antwine were interviewed by a Dallas TV station Tuesday about Skype Counseling Sessions.

This is still a relatively new practice in the counseling world, but it seems to be catching on.

By offering clients the option to Skype their sessions with me allows them to continue their counseling while indisposed to traveling, while ill physically, or unable to leave their office during the day because of their schedule. Additionally, being able to Skype with clients allows me as a therapist to offer my services to populations in rural areas that don’t have mental health professionals locally.

I even have Skype clients from larger metro areas with an abundance of mental health professionals, but they have been given my name by one of my local clients who has benefited from the type of counseling approach I use.

Regardless of the reason a client prefers to Skype rather than come into the office for a session in person, the relationship that exists between you and your therapist is one that is intimate and personal. Neither of those two factors is lost during a Skype session.

If you or someone you know is in need of counseling and is uncomfortable to drive to an office for the session, maybe Skype is right for you.

From Dr. Duncan

Counseling by means of Skype first occurred to me as I was attempting to schedule an appointment with a client who had just undergone major back surgery. We had had a couple of telephone consultations, and, while better than no contact at all, it left a lot to be desired. There was no way to monitor the client’s facial expressions or body language, something that all therapists are trained to pay careful attention to.

There are many factors that can limit a person’s mobility. In addition, due to travel and other geographic realities, it is often not possible for client and therapist to be in the same place at the same time.

At first, I was somewhat skeptical of counseling sessions over the internet, but I must confess, I have been very pleasantly surprised. Face to face is still my preference, but when that is not possible, Skype is a very viable option.

Need to schedule an appointment with a therapist and can’t make it in? Contact Dr. Duncan or Kelly Antwine today and schedule an appointment.