10 Tips for Doing Online Counseling Like a Web Pro

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Online Counseling Nashville TN Online Therapy
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Tips for Doing Online
10 Tips for Doing Online Counseling Like a Web
Pro
As more therapists and counselors move to do
online sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic, we
thought wed share a couple of tips to make the
most of your online video counseling
sessions. You want the tools and technology to
fade into the background as much as possible so
you and your client can do the deep work together.
Whether youre using Zoom, Doxy, Simple Practice
or another solution, keep in mind, the biggest
problems with online video meetings come down to
the quality of two things
Your Internet
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Online Therapy
Audio and Video
Here are 10 tips for maximizing the video quality
of your online counseling sessions 1. Ensure
Speedy, Reliable Internet Run a speed test on
your Internet and compare it to your online video
platforms requirements. Then do test calls with
a colleague, or use run a test meeting with
Zoom, Doxy and Simple Practice here. You might
want to bump up your Internet packages speed to
ensure good video and audio streaming,
especially if youve just got the basic
package. 2. Use Headphones Not just out of
privacy concerns, but also because it helps with
potential audio echo issues in online meetings.
Often the headphones that came with your
smartphone will usually do a great job and plug
straight into your laptop. I keep my headphones
near my desk. 3. Consider A Mic If youve got a
relatively new laptop, the microphone from your
laptop will likely do just fine. If you want to
upgrade, the Rode NT-USB Mini USB Microphone
(99) is a great buy and can be used to podcasts
and webinar interviews.
4. Minimize Background Distractions
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Think about whats behind you when youre on
camera. If youre working in a

• makeshift home office, you could use a Changing
  Screen behind you.
• 5. Have Good Lighting
• You want to be sure your face is well lit on
  screen at different times of day. I setup my
  desk directly in front of a window for natural
  light to illuminate my face, but you can also
  use a lamp. Again, test out different options and
  if you do day and evening sessions. A ring light
  like this one is also an affordable way to get
  some light on your face.
• Raise Your Camera To Eye Level
• If youre using your laptop, most times you are
  looking down into the camera. But with online
  video, you want to look directly into the camera
  at eye level so that the person on the other
  side thinks youre looking right at them.
• You can use a simple storage box to prop your
  laptop (and thus camera) up to eye level, or a
  laptop stand for 20 like this.
• Turn Off Notifications And Quit All Apps
• Right before your online session, be sure to set
  Do Not Disturb on your computer so that
  notifications dont pop up during your meeting.
  You also want to quit all your applications
  except for the video platform youre using with
  your clients for a couple of reasons but mainly
  to free up processing on your computer.

Also, put your phone on Airplane Mode so there
isnt any buzzing or ringing. Even on silent
mode, the buzzes on a desk near your mic can be
picked up in the
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session.
8. Use Full Screen Mode When youre in the
session with your client, use Full Screen Mode on
your video platform, so you see your clients
face as big as possible on your screen. This way
you see facial expressions better and also
minimize distractions on your screen (like a
browser tab or files on your desktop). 9. Get
Close To WiFi Or Even Better, Plug In Video uses
a lot of Internet bandwidth and even though WiFi
technology has gotten better there are still
intermittent issues. If you can, use an ethernet
cable from your computer to plug directly into
your router/modem. And at a minimum get as close
as you can to your router. 10. Have A Backup
Plan Technology will invariably fail. Glitches
happen. Always have a backup plan and options
for online video and the glitches. For many that
might mean a backup phone number to call, or a
backup video platform.
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