Couple Counselling from Home, Office, Car, Outside…

Counselling from Home: for couples wanting rural access to counselling by using the technology you both already own! Call into weekly-counselling sessions using your secure (and free) video conferencing app. Dean Richardson MNCPS (Accred/Reg) is an unusually qualified therapist having decades of both professional Information Technology and Counselling & Psychotherapy experience. supporting familiar and safe surroundings: your home, office, car or even a park bench. No travel but the same effective service. When you want to access couple counselling remotely, Dean is the experienced professional to trust with your relationship needs - Zoom, Skype and other reliable & video conferencing apps from home.

Further Information:

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How Counselling from Home Works

In our homes, nowadays, many of us already have at least one video device: a computer (a PC running Windows, a Mac running MacOS, a Linux machine etc), a tablet (iPad, Android tablet) or a Smartphone (iPhone, Android etc). We can use any of these devices, along with secure, free apps (e.g. Zoom, Skype etc) to talk with our counsellor in a therapy session. Not just from home, neither: your office, on a walk, on a park bench etc.

Couple Counselling is a form of counselling that is specially attuned to couples struggling with relationship difficulties. It requires a particular superset of skills that aren’t available to standard “individual” counsellors.
Video Conferencing is about using technology to meet with people in locations different to yours.
Couple Counselling from Home is about successfully merging video conference technology with effective couple counselling.

Hi! I’m Dean Richardson MNCPS (Accred/Reg) having over 24 years of counselling experience, and now entering my 17th year of my Video Counselling private practice. Having worked professionally in and for Information Technology corporations such as IBM, Microsoft, Borland, Esso (etc) for several decades before becoming a qualified counsellor, I have the unusual – yet assuring – superset of skills that combines IT skills with Therapy skills.

I’ve worked with LGBTQ+ couples in long-distance relationships (where we have called-in from 3 separate countries), couples who were temporarily separated (calling in from different homes), couples where one is at home and the other is travelling on business and, sometimes, with one partner sat alone outside / in the park after an argument with their partner.

Welcome to Counselling from Home using the video technology you already have in your pocket.

🤫 Couples Don't Talk… for very good reasons! [article]

Benefits of Rural Video Couple Therapy

You may have been considering home counselling for a gay couple. Calling into a counselling session from your Home – or another rural/remote location – has a number of well-established advantages. Benefits include: you’ll remain in the comfort, safety and/or accessibility of your home (being in familiar surroundings), ou can call in from the office or car (without travelling to the therapist’s office), the costs-per-session are regularly lower than in-office counselling, there’s no need to travel (along with associated costs), it’s pro-accessibility and you won’t be sat in a waiting room for long periods.

So, let’s run down these benefits in greater detail:-

Main Benefit: you won’t have to leave home. All preparations and sessions will take place on video (Zoom or Skype). Neither you nor your partner will have to leave home. If you prefer, you and your partner may be in separate locations from one-another (eg one in the office & one at home, or long-distance relationships etc); it’s your choice.

You and your partner don’t (always) have to be in the same location. For example: one of you could call in from home and the other from the office. The session works just as well when you’re away from each other as when you’re together. Outdoor calls work well with a good data plan and a strong signal (3G minimum).
A good option for living in remote areas. Not that I’m implying all places around Scotland, Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire (etc) are remote nor rural! But where such places are far away or isolated then couple counselling from home, with a skilled relationship counsellor, can be your ideal solution.
No travel restrictions. Removes the worry of having a lack of reliable transportation to make it to appointments. Similarly, when you do travel, say, for your work you won’t have to be in the same location to talk with your counsellor and partner.
Accessibility for personal restrictions. You can call in from a location that’s already been fitted-out to suit your needs.
Childcare / At-Home Carers. When you can’t leave home because you’re caring for someone. NB: infants are best being in a separated room (eg asleep) as a child being around a couple during counselling can be distracting.
More approachable. You’ll be in a safe and/or familiar space whilst working at some difficult or emotionally stressful matters.
Payable weekly. You will pay each session in advance by bank transfer, credit card / debit card or PayPal. This is great for with budgeting and avoids surprisingly-large invoices at the end of each month.

🖥️ Discover how Video Counselling will work for you...

Distinct from “Home-Based“ Counselling

Some counselling services that travel to clients’ homes call themselves Home-Based Counselling.

This services will not visit you in your location. This is not a peripatetic counselling service.

Dean will not go to your office or house. You won’t have to prepare your house for a visitor/stranger.

Preparing for Home Couple Counselling

Because you’ll be calling in from home, your office or another remote location, you’ll be taking care of some matters that your counsellor would usually do. So, to prepare for Home Couple Counselling here are some brief thoughts about remote video conferencing counselling :-

You’ll need a decent broadband speed such as a minimum of 3Mbps (down) and 2Mbps (up) (read about broadband speeds for video counselling here).
Video counselling works with a Smartphone/Tablet Data Plan (recommended 3G minimum) when you’re an area with a strong signal.
You’ll be using one video device per person (even when you’re calling in from the same location as each other). Read more about one device per partner here.
Make sure you’re environment is quiet and that your privacy won’t be disturbed (put a note on the outside of your room door if that helps).

Before each Counselling Session

Several minutes before a session is due to begin:-

Prepare for your needs: tissues, a glass of water, heating/cooling etc.
Turn on your video device and connect your counselling room or waiting room*.
Position yourself comfortably in front of your video camera, well lit, making sure the camera is at eye-level if possible**
Send your session fee via PayPal, card or bank transfer, if you’ve not already done so*.

You’re now ready!

Your counsellor will begin the session at the agreed time.

* You will have been sent these details during your initial conversations with your counsellor.

** Though you may not be consciously aware of it, if your camera is not at eye level you will either be looking up or down at your counsellor (and your partner on the other video connection) which can sometimes give-off awkward social cues (think: “looking down at someone”).

🛠️ Preparing for your Video Sessions...