If you are looking for more information about online counselling, you are in the right place.
Services Offered
My online practice offers professional counselling and mental health support for adults and adolescents.
More about me
I am a registered social worker with Master’s Degrees in Clinical Social Work and Psychology. I am certified in NLP, EMDR and Hypnotherapy and have 30 years experience in working with young people and families, including fields of child residential care, crisis intervention and mental health counselling.
My counselling approach is eclectic – I make use of a combination of approaches to match each client’s personality and preferences. Generally, I would describe my style as “relational”, but I incorporate strategies from various approaches such as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Reality Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.
Online Counselling
Is online counselling for you? Online counselling may be suitable for you if:
- You are comfortable engaging online via platforms such as Zoom, Teams or Meet
- You want a service that is flexible to accommodate your work hours
- You are ready for change, motivated to work on a process that can get you there and willing to invest the time and effort it will take
To make use of online counselling, you need high-speed internet to support video conferencing on Zoom (or other platforms) and a suitable device, such as a laptop or smartphone. To ensure high interactive quality and privacy, it is highly recommended that you make use of ear/headphones.
When is online counselling not suitable, or not recommended:
- Online counselling is not desirable for emergencies
- Clients who are at risk for self-harm or suicide would also be better served by in-person counselling
How many sessions will you need?
It is impossible to guess how much time you will need before you start getting the outcomes you want. It is like asking: “How long does it take for a plant to grow?” The thing is – you cannot make a plant grow. You can create the optimal conditions, and then you allow growth to happen. It is the same here – we work on creating the conditions for you to grow and make the changes you want, but the pace is up to you. It is not always important how fast change happens, but that it happens.
When we starting working together, we will set clear goals and outcomes so that you know what to expect from the process and can track your own progress.
Typically, I provide short-term counselling which is anything between 1 – 16 sessions. Most clients make use of an average of 6 – 8 sessions.
On-line sessions are typically 1-hour sessions.
How to proceed?
If you would like to arrange a consultation, simple send an e-mail (werner@changeworks.co.za) to request an appointment and the service provider will contact you to help set up the initial consultation. You will also receive an intake form to complete before the appointment, which captures your basic information and provides you with essential information about the conditions of service.
Medical Aid & Billing
The practice is registered with the Board of Healthcare Funders and most services are covered by most medical aids. However, the practice does not submit medical aid claims on behalf of clients and for those who would like to claim from their medical aid, clients need to submit the claim directly to their medical aid.
To avoid any disappointment with medical aid claims, clients should contact their medical aid directly to ensure that online counselling services by a social worker is covered.
Should medical aid claims be rejected by the medical aid, the practice does not engage with the medical aid on behalf of the client, and clients will remain responsible to settle all outstanding bills directly with the practice.
For more information about fees, please contact the service provider (werner@changeworks.co.za). Fees are generally charged at the average medical aid rate.