Counselling by Post
(Therapeutic Letter Writing)
Counselling by exchanging letters
The power of time, reflection, connection and separation
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Have you been considering getting some therapeutic support but struggling to find the time?
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Does the idea of talking to someone directly about your thoughts and feelings feel overwhelming or unsafe?
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Do you struggle with mobility, accessibility issues, limited confidence with technology or other barriers that prevent you from accessing therapy by other means?
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Do you enjoy journaling or keeping a diary, but lack motivation or struggle to keep up with it?
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Do you suffer from loneliness or isolation, have social anxiety or have limited contact with others?
If you answered yes to some of these questions, then counselling by post could be a perfect opportunity for you. Just like other modes of therapy, it can provide the space to reflect, assess, explore and further develop coping strategies, but with the unique added element that you can do it from the comfort of your own home, without needing to talk directly to another person and taking part in a live conversation.
Talking about our challenges and issues can be really scary, and sometimes feel incredibly overwhelming, so setting your own pace with writing a letter, gives you an element of control, safety and containment. You can also take your time to consider and reflect, keep a record of what has been discussed, feel a sense of progress by reading and reflecting over what has gone before.
You are worth the investment, even if you don't realise that right now.
If you are wondering if counselling by letter may be something you would like to explore, I offer a free, no obligation response to your first letter.
This can also be used as an opportunity to gradually build up to, or see if counselling online or in-person may be something that you would like to experience. However, effective therapeutic support can be provided solely by letter, if that is what you would prefer.
If this is something you would be interested in, click on the button below to make a booking and you will be contacted with further information. Optionally email me directly at rachel@towardstranquility.com
Frequently asked Questions about Counselling by post
1. How does it work?
After an initial introduction letter or email in which you provide your address details, I will reply with my response which could give you an idea of what may be useful to work on, any reflections, goal exploration or focus points. If you would like to continue, we would enter a formal contract with a charge per letter (this will include a stamped addressed envelope) that you will receive from me.
2. How frequently can letters be sent and received?
The benefits of counselling by post is that it can be conducted at a slightly slower pace than regular therapy, although I would recommend that while the support is ongoing or at it's start then a letter should be sent at least once a month, however this is negotiable based on individual circumstances. I am not able to reply to letters more frequently than once per week.
3. What will it cost and how is this charged?
A response to a therapeutic letter will cost £30 per letter - the initial free introductory response will be a guide as to how long and how detailed that letter will be. Once a letter is received from you, I will contact you to confirm receipt, then once payment is received, I will write and send a response. As part of the £30 fee, I will include a second class, stamped addressed envelope for your letter, if you would like to continue.
4. How is confidentiality protected?
As part of the contracting process, I will ask for certain personal details that are needed as part of the contact. In letter writing, I would request that if you are referring to any friends or family member, that you only use initials, or their relationship to you i.e. my brother M, or my partner. I would also ask that you sign your letters with your initials, and not include a return address as I will have that separately on file. This ensures that if the letter becomes lost in the mail or delivered to the wrong address, confidentiality remains in tact. I will store your letter securely in line with my policies and procedures, and dispose of them in confidential waste at the conclusion of therapy.
5. How many therapeutic letters will I need to send or receive?
There is no set number. Some people may benefit from just one or two letters, to deal with or make sense of an ongoing problem, some may like this to be more long-term over an extended period of time. This is completely up to you, and we will periodically review during the therapeutic relationship.
6. How do I know what to write or what if my spelling and grammar are poor?
This is the beauty of therapeutic letter writing - just put a pen to paper, and start writing, see what comes. There is no right and no wrong, no marks for good spelling or grammar, no points for neatness. After the first letter response, I may provide prompts for you to think about and reflect in your next letter, you don't even need to answer them, just use the time to put some thoughts out of your head and on to paper.