The advantages and disadvantages of online counselling
With thanks to our member, Dr. Lara Tarocco, for this blog.
The rise of online counselling, as an hungover of the lockdowns during the Pandemic, has transformed the therapeutic landscape, offering new possibilities for accessibility, flexibility, and connection. At the same time, it introduces unique challenges that require thoughtful consideration from both practitioners and clients.
I offer online counselling and believe that understanding the strengths and limitations of this modality helps ensure that therapy remains safe, effective, and attuned to individual needs.
Advantages of Online Counselling
One of the most significant benefits of online counselling is its accessibility. Clients can attend sessions from their homes, workplaces, or any private space, eliminating the need for travel. This is particularly valuable for clients with mobility issues, chronic illness, caregiving responsibilities, or demanding schedules. For therapists, reduced travel time and increased scheduling flexibility can support a more sustainable workload. Also, it makes access to therapy easier for those who can’t drive and live in rural or remote areas.
Meeting from a familiar environment can help clients feel more relaxed and open. For some, the traditional therapy room may feel intimidating or clinical; online sessions can reduce this barrier. This enhanced sense of comfort can be especially beneficial for trauma survivors, neurodivergent clients, or those who experience social anxiety.
Continuity of care is also easier with online counselling when clients or therapists relocate or travel.
I find that, when working with clients who may present unpredictable or aggressive behaviour, online sessions offer an additional layer of physical safety. Clients, too, may feel safer discussing sensitive topics from their own space, where they have greater control over their environment.
As a counsellor who uses creativity and therapeutic drawing (especially with trauma clients), I integrate digital tools in my sessions, such as screensharing and digital drawing tools: in my experience, they can enrich the therapeutic process.
Disadvantages of Online Counselling
A major limitation of online therapy is the reduced access to subtle non‑verbal cues. Micro‑expressions, shifts in posture, breathing patterns, and other embodied signals may be harder to observe through a screen. This can make attunement to clients more effortful, particularly with clients who mask distress or dissociate.
Clients may struggle to find a quiet, private space for sessions. Interruptions from family members, pets, or household noise can disrupt the therapeutic flow. I often observed clients joining sessions from cars or other environments that can limit emotional depth or safety. In such cases it is essential maintaining space boundaries and making sure that clients attend the session in a space that can support privacy and, therefore, confidentiality.
Counselling online can often come with common technical challenges, such as connection instability, audio delays, and device issues that can interrupt sessions and affect the emotional rhythm of therapy. A modicum of technical savvy is necessary on both parties (therapist and client) to conduct online sessions and, in my opinion, this can be a bit of an hindrance for those who are reluctant towards technology; at the same time, this is the perfect opportunity for counsellors to expand their knowledge through dedicated CPD training.
Supporting clients through intense emotional states, such as panic, dissociation, or suicidal ideation, can be more challenging online, as therapists might have limited ability to intervene directly if a client becomes unsafe. For this reason, I in my experience clear safety planning, knowledge of the client’s location, and strong crisis protocols and ready support from a supervisor are essential.
The informality of home environments can blur the frame of the therapeutic space. Clients may attend sessions while multitasking, lying in bed, or surrounded by distractions. Therapists may also find it harder to maintain separation between work and personal life when sessions take place from home. The solution to this problem is, again, making sure that boundaries are firmly in place: counsellors must have a separate area, such as an office, to work from, with a door that they can close when work is finished and it’s time to go back to private life. At the same time, therapist need to make sure that clients give themselves the benefit of privacy of an environment that is quiet and has no distractions. In other words, both clients and therapist are expected to behave remotely the same way as they would if they were in person.
In‑person therapy offers a depth of co‑regulation and embodied presence that can be difficult to replicate online. For some clients, the physical space of the therapy room provides empathy, containment and grounding that a virtual setting cannot fully replace.
In conclusion, online counselling opens doors for clients who might otherwise struggle to engage in traditional therapy and provides therapists with new tools and opportunities. At the same time, it requires careful attention to boundaries, safety, and attunement between client and therapist.
While acknowledging that it is not the right fit for everyone, in my opinion, when approached thoughtfully, online therapy can be just as effective and meaningful as in‑person work, and, on balance of pros and cons, is a tremendous vehicle to extend the reach of counselling and psychotherapy to as many clients as possible.
