Psychological Online Counselling

Important information about online counselling

Who can profit from online counselling?

Psychological online counseling is aimed at people who feel mentally strained or have the desire to change certain behaviors and develop their personality. A psychological online consultation should help you to find explanations for your situation and to better understand your problematic reaction patterns. You will also learn new ways to manage your thoughts and feelings, so you can take the necessary steps towards a solution. Counseling will prevent the development of a mental disorder.

The focus of online counseling is personal development and not the treatment of a diagnosed mental health disorder. But since the access to psychotherapy is limited in many countries, I can also support you finding a suitable therapy on site and support you in the meantime.

How does online counselling work?

The counselling session takes place online via video call (zoom). You can make regular appointments with me, a trained psychotherapist. You need a digital device with a microphone and camera and a stable internet connection. More about the process, the costs and the technical requirements:

Is online psychological counseling effective?

The effectiveness of psychological counseling via video call has been proven in numerous studies in recent years. However, in some countries like Germany, psychotherapy online is not yet allowed and will not be reimbursed by public health insurances. In other countires, e. g. in the Netherlands or the USA it's already accepted alongside psychotherapy offline. Besides this bureaucracy, online counselling comes with a number of advantages:

Common Topics For Counselling

Stress Management

Psychosocial stress increasingly endangers our physical and mental health. The psychological stress in working life is increasing, and private life can also be really challenging. Perhaps pandemic-related factors have led to even more stress and at the same time fewer opportunities to compensate.

I would like to show you various strategies for coping with stress so that you can use them flexibly in your everyday life. I would like to further develop your resources in dealing with workplace stress, promote your ability to recover and reflect with you on possible stress-enhancing beliefs (e. g. perfectionism, pleasing everyone).

ADHD Coaching For Adults

ADHD is the abbreviation for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and thus already names two core problems of many people with ADHD: regulating or maintaining attention and hyperactivity and/or internal restlessness. Some people with ADHD state a third feature: pronounced impulsiveness. Furthermore the emotional regulation can be challenging, resulting in an emotional rollercoaster or getting irritated or excited really easily. In addition, there are different degrees of severity of these symptoms and hyperactivity does not always have to be present (ADD). It is not a "fashion disease" or just a character trait, but neurobiologically caused changes in information processing. Recently the term neurodiversity (in opposition to neurotypical) is used, to describe these symptoms free of judgment as another norm of human being. Those affected with ADHD are often survival artists and have developed creative coping strategies in dealing with the symptoms mentioned above to meet the demands of a neurotypical world. They are usually very original, creative people and can dive into the area that arouses their interest and develop a deep expertise.

Within the ADHD coaching, I will help you to understand yourself better and to get to know the challenges and positive sides of ADHD. We will work out strategies to manage your everyday life to your satisfaction. With my support I would like to prevent the development of mental disorders (e.g. depression, addiction) and create a life with you that suits you.

Managing Your Fears

Fear and anxiety are part of everyone's life, because fear has served as a protective mechanism throughout evolutionary history. In dangerous situations, it sharpens our senses and directs the body's energy towards survival. However, if the fear is directed towards actually harmless objects and everyday situations, or if it is exaggerated for the situation in question, this can lead to a reduction in the quality of life.

During my counseling, your fears will be assessed. If the symptoms are severe, on-site psychotherapy may be indicated. If the symptoms are less severe, I will provide you with knowledge about the origin and maintaining factors of your fear and strategies for reducing your fears. Possible topics are:

Reduce panic attacks
Overcome social anxiety
Manage illness anxiety/hypochondria

Overcoming Depressive Moods

Did you often feel down, sad, or depressed in the last month? In the last few weeks, have you had significantly less drive to do things and felt less pleasure in things that you usually enjoy doing?

Many people experience a period of sadness or demotivation at some point. But if this depressive mood persists for a long time, other symptoms, such as sleeping problems, rumination, changes in appetite, exhaustion, negative view of yourself and the world come along, it could be a case of depression. If you have mild symptoms, I can help you with my online counselling to stabilize and brighten your mood, strengthen your self-esteem and prevent your state from getting worse.

My Approach

My approach is individual and solution-orientated. It supports you in coping with current emotional stress or in tackling and implementing desired changes. I see my work as “helping people to help themselves”.

Through reflection, impulse questions, knowledge transfer, clarification of values, strengthening of resources and through the practice of various psychological skills (e.g. mood diary, managing thoughts, problem solving, mindfulness) you should be strengthened in overcoming your obstacles and taking relevant steps to a more meaningful life.

After my training to become a psychological psychotherapist (specialization in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and further training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), I'm not offering psychotherapy anymore, but I still use tools and exercises from therapy that are well suited for counselling.

Advantages of Online Counselling

Help right when needed

no waiting time, first contact within 48 hours

Location independent

Counselling from the comfort of your home or while traveling

Easy accessible

no journey, no bureaucratic effort

Professional

nothing esoteric - I will show you methods and exercises of the scientifically based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Effective in the longterm

Counselling with the aim to give you the abilty to cope with stress effectively beyond our cooperation

Individual and strength-based

Advice tailored to you with a focus on strengthening your resources

Online Counselling Limits

Please note, that I am based and registered as a therapist in Germany. The psychological online counseling offered here does not constitute psychotherapy in the sense of the German psychotherapist regulations. While in other countries psychotherapy online is already well established, in Germany the regulations are only starting to change. For now psychotherapy online can only take place after an initial face-to-face diagnosis. Furthermore psychological online counselling cannot offer adequate support in all cases. An acute mental crisis or a severe mental disorder require longterm contact in person. In these cases contact the registered psychotherapists or emergency services in your area.

If you have a clearly defined issue or if the symptoms are mild, online counseling can provide adequate support. If you are unsure whether you need counseling or psychotherapy, please contact me and we can check what is appropriate in your specific situation.

Getting started

First contact via Email

Just send me a message via Email or the contact form. I usually answer within 48 hours (Monday-Friday) and we arrange a free intake session (25 minutes).

Free Intake Session

In the discovery call we'll clarify your concerns, answer any questions and you can get a first impression of my approach. If the "chemistry" is right and my offer suits your needs, we can arrange an appointment for the first online session.

Counselling agreement

Things like confidentiality and payment methods are clarified in the counselling agreement. You'll send me the signed agreement by Email.

Payment:

You pay for the session by bank transfer (details in the counselling agreement) or by PayPal. The timely receipt of payment (24 hours) before the actual session is a prerequisite for the planned session to take place.

First Online Counselling Session

I will then email you the link for our session via zoom. The session takes place in the form of a video consultation, but of course a session without video is also possible.

Fees

Single Session

50 Minutes of Online Counselling

120€/Sitzung

Package

5 sessions of 50 minutes each

555€

If required, double sessions are also possible. A weekly session frequency is recommended initially, this can be adjusted over time (a session every two to three weeks).

The costs of psychological online counselling will not be reimbursed by the public health insurances and have to be payed privately.

Requirements for Online Counselling

Technical requirements for a video session are a digital device with a camera (e.g. laptop, tablet or smartphone) and a stable internet connection. Our video call will be secure and anonymous (end-to-end encryption). You can join via your browser and don't need to download a software nor register for zoom.

Personal requirements: Counseling requires a certain openness to new approaches and the motivation to want to work on oneself. You should also bring some time with you to try out exercises in everyday life outside of the sessions. During the sessions you need a safe space where noone can disturb you.

Do you recognize yourself in the descriptions and would you like my support? Write me an Email now and we will arrange a free discovery call to get to know each other.

Do you find yourself only partly described? Also no problem! We can assess your concerns in a free discovery talk and clarify whether my offer suits you.

Psychological Counseling and ADHD Coaching

Laura Nickel

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beratung@laura-nickel.com