Whether we’re speaking of business or life coaches, counsellors or therapist, sometimes the best fit when you’re looking for help in an area of your life is not someone who’s just around the corner.

With the technology available today, it’s possible to choose to speak with someone in another city, province, country, or even hemisphere. I’ve been helping families and other loved ones of addicts worldwide for many years.

If you feel you need someone to talk to who can guide you and your family through the chaos of addiction—but you’re also aware that accessing in-person counselling is difficult or you haven’t found the right person to work with—please know it’s only a matter of going beyond traditional borders.

Is Virtual Counselling the Best Option for You?

When most people think about getting counselling, they imagine going to see the therapist in person and having appointments in an office environment. However, there are many reasons why these kinds of in-person therapy sessions don’t work for everyone.

For example, some people need to travel for work and are therefore often not home or available to meet in person. Others may live in small communities where seeking counselling might be problematic, either for privacy issues or because there may be no qualified therapists in the area. Some people have health issues that keep them from being able to attend sessions in person, while others may live a long distance away from the professional they would ideally like to work with.

If you’ve been thinking about reaching out for help but have been putting it off for any of the above reasons, you might want to consider Skype counselling as an alternative.

As an Addictions Therapist in private practice, I have been providing clients all over the world with Skype counselling for a number of years. These clients receive the same benefits as those I see in person. In fact, many people prefer the advantages of virtual support for a variety of reasons.

Benefits of Virtual Counselling

• Virtual Counselling allows you to receive professional assistance from the comfort of your own home or office
• It provides you with an added degree of anonymity
• You can have therapy sessions while travelling
• You can receive counselling sessions regardless of what part of the world you live in
• You can still benefit from therapy even if it is difficult for you to get to a therapist’s office

In addition, when a client travels (either for work or as part of a vacation) or moves, there is no interruption, no need to look for another therapist and sessions can resume as soon as you’ve settled in your new home. Not having to begin the therapeutic process all over again is a huge advantage because progress is not stalled.

Loved Ones Struggle Too

For every addicted person, there is at least one other person suffering right along with them—and usually several more. If you are a loved one of someone struggling with addiction, you probably know that trying to deal with this chaotic situation on your own can feel hopeless. And the chances are that you have seen little in the way of positive results, because you just don’t know what to do to truly help the addict you love. You may have also realized that as the cycle of enabling the addict has continued, the addiction has invariably become progressively worse over time.

Recovery from addiction is not possible in isolation. Everyone who loves the addict is affected, and everyone needs to heal. That’s why my work focuses on healing the entire family system, rather than only working with the person who is addicted. Once loved ones become aware of how their behaviours may unwittingly be contributing to the addiction continuing—a result that nobody, including the addict, wants—strategies can be put into place that actually help instead of enable, and a lasting recovery can then begin, both for the addict and for everyone else who has been affected by this situation.

Wherever you are in the world, if you are struggling with addiction—either your own or with someone you love—please feel free connect with me for Skype support. Transformation and healing are possible, and signing up for virtual therapy sessions may be the easiest way to begin that journey.

To schedule a free 60-minute telephone consultation with me to find out more about my Skype counselling services and my Family Addiction Therapy Program, please follow the link above and complete the form you will find there. Once I receive your completed questionnaire and ascertain that we could be a fit to work together, I will be in touch with you to set up an appropriate time for us to talk.

As that awesome saying goes: If nothing changes, then nothing changes.

Now is the time to take action, rather than waiting until the situation becomes progressively worse. Because the reverse of that saying is also true: If something changes—then something changes.

This article was kindly provided by Candace Plattor, Registered Clinical Counsellor and Addiction Therapist at candaceplattor.com.

About Candace

Candace Plattor, M.A., R.C.C., is an Addictions Therapist in private practice. Candace specialises in working with the family and other loved ones of people who are struggling with addiction, in her unique and signature Family Addiction Therapy Program.

Candace believes that everyone in the family is affected by addiction and everyone needs to heal. For more than 25 years, she has been helping both addicts and their loved ones understand their dysfunctional behaviours and make healthier life choices.

You can visit her website and sign up to receive Chapter 1 of her book, Loving an Addict, Loving Yourself: The Top 10 Survival Tips for Loving Someone with an Addiction, and “Like” her Facebook page.