The leading online counseling practice in Ireland is The Irish Online Counselling & Psychotherapy Service, founded by Donijka Monk and Mary McHugh almost 5 years ago. AND they are the newest members of the The Online Counselling Directory and we couldn’t be more pleased to have them join the family. Today I get to talk with Donijka about her journey to the world of therapy and how she and Mary were drawn into the world of private practice after seeing the massive need for convenient and boundaried online counseling. They now have an 100% online GROUP practice with a total of 7 therapists. They are a truly global practice that uses online therapy (Chat /Phone / and Skype) to bring their professional and high quality service to those in need all over the world. Today we talk about the evolution of counseling and the need to meet the clients where they are – using tele-mental health to reach expats, those in rural areas, and so many others. It was a thrill to get to know Donijka Monk.
www.counsellingonline.ie
Stefan Charidge is a BACP accredited psychotherapist from the UK who saw many of his clients struggling with anxiety and decided to build an app that could teach them the skills necessary to reduce and manage their symptoms. I think it is fascinating how a counselor decides to learn something new (app development and promotion) and take his practice in a completely different direction. So while today’s interview is not entirely about ‘online counseling’ – we do get to talk about how technology is changing the field through the development of apps. His app: Break Fee Anxiety, is an amazing tool and well worth a look. And it’s FREE!
Stefan’s practice:
If you only listen to one episode of this podcast – this is the one!
A complicating factor for doing online counseling in the United States is the fact that each state has different regulations that govern who can practice tele-mental health with their citizens. Also, each professional organization (APA, NASW, AMA, AAMFT, ACA, etc) have their own guidelines. So to look at the guidelines for 5 different professions in 50 different states – you quickly would be looking at 250 different issues. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone did that research for you? Well someone did. Amy Lerman, senior counsel at Epstein Becker and Green is the co-author of “50 State Survey of Telemental / Telebehavioral Health (2016)”. It is a 600 + page, comprehensive report that breaks down each state’s regulations to the 6 different professions who are licensed to do online counseling. It is gold. Any question that you could possible have – they have the answer. It is a must read and I am thrilled to welcome Amy on the podcast to talk about it. Want to see the report your self? Hint: we should all have this in our files!! Head over to the Therapist Toolbox at The Online Counselling Directory ( www.onlinecounselling.com/therapisttoolbox ) or go to Epstein Becker and Green at the link below.
“This survey was created by Epstein Becker Green. For additional information about Epstein Becker Green, you can visit their Telehealth & Telemedicine webpage."