Email & Writing Therapy

How does email counselling at Ashwood Therapy work?

Will I be able to access email therapy with my smartphone?

Read on for the answers to common queries you might have about counselling by email

Sharing your thoughts securely, when it suits you

Email has been with us for many years now, with travel booking confirmations, online shopping receipts and suggestions on which box set to stream next arriving in our inboxes many times a day.  It’s convenient, usually instant and allows communication across the globe in a way not seen before the advent of the Internet.  Many of us are choosing to engage in therapy by secure email too, as this allows us to compose our thoughts offline on our smartphone, computer or tablet, edit them if necessary and then send them to our therapist no matter where we are in our day.  Having a record of what was said, if you choose to keep one, can also allow you to revisit your counselling sessions and review your counsellor’s responses at your leisure.  There’s no need to get in a car or take public transport in order to access therapeutic support, and with email writing therapy there’s no need for a webcam or microphone either. See Why Online Counselling? for more reasons to consider online counselling over traditional in-person therapy.

A weekly therapeutic reply with in-line responding

You are free to write several emails throughout the week and to send them to Rob as and when you are ready, as long as the total word count does not exceed 800 words.  It is of course also fine just to write one longer email.  You may wish to give Rob some background information about the main issue(s) you are facing, or work through your current feelings and explore the way you would like things to be going forwards.  The act of writing itself is often something that clients find therapeutic, as expressing challenging thoughts or your response to certain difficult situations can often be releasing and illuminating.  Each email you send to Ashwood Therapy will be briefly acknowledged so that you know that it has reached its intended destination.  Rob will schedule an hour to respond to your email(s) once a week with a considered reply, adding his thoughts ‘in-line’ and underneath what you have written in different coloured text so that his comments stand out.  This ‘therapeutic response’ is what is chargeable (see section below), as all other brief, administrative emails are free of charge.

Secure webmail or encrypted email attachment

Ashwood Therapy | Online Counselling offers clients a choice in how they engage in email therapy.  The email messages you exchange with Rob will either be sent through a dedicated email address set up with the secure webmail system ProtonMail, or by encrypted email attachment (which allows you to send messages using your usual email address).  Either method is equally secure, and Rob can provide assistance in helping you to get set up with either system so that you are confident in and comfortable with the technology needed to ensure that our communication remains confidential.  Your messages can be printed off on paper, saved as a digital copy to your computer or smart device or deleted entirely – it’s your choice what you do with the therapeutic exchanges created in your sessions with Ashwood Therapy.

How much does email therapy with Ashwood Therapy cost?

Can I pay my fees securely?

I feel I would like to know more about email therapy.  What’s the next step?

Cost and payment

Email therapy sessions are charged at £56 (GBP) per therapeutic response (which requires a full hour - 60 minutes - of Rob’s time), and a 10% discount is available when a block of six responses is purchased at one time.  Brief email enquiries / acknowledgements are not charged for.  Payment is requested before the therapeutic response is sent and you will receive an invoice for this generated by the secure payment processor Stripe.  This allows you to pay for your therapy using a U.K. or international credit or debit bank card.  The 10% discount available on bookings of six sessions means that six therapeutic email responses are charged at £302 (GBP).

The next step

Ashwood Therapy can be contacted via the website secure contact form.  Rob will be happy to respond to any questions you may have as you decide whether accessing online counselling with Ashwood Therapy is right for you.  If, having made contact with Rob you would like to take things further, he will explain the induction process and how to apply for a full course of email therapy.