About My Online Counselling and Mentoring Fees
All counsellors, not just online counsellors, need to be transparent about their fees. Counselling is expensive, not just in financial terms but also emotionally. It is best to think of counselling as an investment in your health and well-being and your emotional, intellectual, personal, and professional development.
Interview potential counsellors - it's your money!
You should always have a list of questions to ask any counsellor you consider working with. While some questions should be about how the counsellor can help your particular issue, others are more general.
Before you invest your time, money and emotional well-being in a counsellor, please take the time to ensure the counsellor you intend to see is professionally qualified and registered with a professional
body.
When you have spoken to the counsellor, go away and have a think about what was said. If you feel pressured to sign up straight away – walk away.
Red Flags
- Was the counsellor a good listener: did you feel ‘listened to’ not just heard?
- Was the counsellor easy to talk to?
- Did you feel the counsellor was judging you – apart from the unease of assessing what you are saying?
- Was the counsellor authentic: that they were interested in you and not just doing a job?
- Could the counsellor read your body language and hear your words? While this is difficult on a video call, the counsellor should still be able to read your facial and other gestures.
- Did the counsellor behave appropriately/professionally?
What approach to counselling are you looking for?
There are many different approaches to counselling; some will be more suitable for you than others. (For example, long-term versus short-term, individual or group therapy, analytical or conversational) and see if that fits your expectations.
If you need to know what approach you like, describe your problem and ask the counsellor how their approach would work. For example, will
they sit silently and wait for you to fill the gaps, or do they have a more conversational style? Do they use imagery, or drama, or art?
What do you want from the counsellor?
You may not know exactly what is wrong, but you know something is wrong; many people start from the same place. Many people struggle with explaining what is happening and why, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking forward to thinking about where or how you want to be after counselling.
What are the counsellors qualifications?
Qualifications alone are not an assurance that someone is a good counsellor, but they are a starting point that lets you know that a person can think differently. For example, a PhD not only means that the counsellor is a specialist in their given subject but that they can think differently. When trying to understand a tricky problem, one must see it from a different theoretical or philosophical perspective that might provide the answer to the problem.
Does the counsellor belong to a professional body/network?
BACP, NCS, IPN, UKCP, and BPS are the main acronyms you want to see.
It is essential to realise that, unlike psychologists, the title ‘counsellor’ is not protected, which means anyone can call themselves a counsellor.
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. After 20 years, I have realised that there are many good counsellors choose to work outside of the professional bodies because they may be semi-retired, and a there are more than a few bad ones who are accredited members. If they are outisde of the main bodies, check that they are linked to the Independent Practitioners Network. People can only join the IPN if they are professionally qualified and their peers accept the way they work
You really need to talk to them and assess them for yourselves.
If a counsellor is not a member of any professional body/network, beware. They may have failed to meet industry membership standards. Non-registered counsellors may also be professionals who have been deregistered. Such “counsellors” might try to tell you that standards are not necessary or they have alternative qualifications. Consider whether you want your accountant, dentist, doctor or solicitor to tell you the same thing!
Check your finances!
Counselling can be expensive. You will be making a commitment for several weeks, months, or, with some approaches, years. If you have a specific issue, this may mean that you need a short course in counselling; if you have a complex trauma, the financial cost will be higher.
Ask pointed questions
- How many years have you been in practice?
- How much experience have you had working on my issue?
- What do you consider to be your primary area of expertise? And what special training have you had in those areas?
- What will the fees cost you? Are there any charges for missed sessions? And, if possible, how long might therapy take?
- Does the counsellor offer a free taster session to get to know them and their counselling style?
- What the fees will cost you, any charges for missed sessions and, if possible, how long therapy might take.
Remember.
If you feel uncomfortable when talking to the counsellor during or after the initial session,
except for the natural nervousness we all feel talking to a stranger,
walk away!