In-Person vs Online Counselling: Which Option is Better for Me?

December 10, 2025

by Olga Barrows, MA, CCC

With technology being a part of our daily lives, we are so used to interacting online. Technology has shaped how we interact with everyone - and that includes your therapist. Connecting with your counsellor online is now as easy as calling a friend or ordering groceries. Click, dial - and done! With this accessible way of connecting, are we trading the value of a face-to-face connection for comfort and convenience? Does anything really get “lost in translation” when we go online for a therapy session? Or are these options equally good?

With so many choices available out there today, you can’t really go wrong with any therapeutic format. Just like technology has become a part of our lives, therapy has been losing its stigma for years now and has become more of a norm rather than an outlier. It is 2025, and booking your therapy sessions between kids' pick up and pilates or fitting in a quick call after work has become a routine for many of us. But do we know if talking to a therapist online is as effective as talking in person? Does it make ANY difference at all for the therapeutic process? Do clients feel different depending on how and where they talk to their counsellors? Do counsellors have a preference on how and where they see their clients?

Let’s quickly unpack the idea of online sessions vs in-person sessions. Both have their own unique pros and cons. The choice is ultimately all yours to make.

Let’s see if we can make this decision easier for you.

Benefits of Online Sessions

Ease of Access

You can call your therapist from your kitchen, your bedroom or even from your morning daily walk. It has never been easier to talk and connect when you need to. The pandemic has made us engage in online connections more than ever before. With Covid times behind us, a lot of us have gotten quite used to the ease of access and immediacy: no commute, no parking, just dial and start. That affects how we work from home, how we talk to our doctors, our accountants - and also our therapists.

Low Barrier - or No Barrier At All

Access to therapy has erased all and any geographical restrictions - with services being available province-wide or even nation-wide, there are no more limits in accessing and serving remote communities. Mental health care is accessible anywhere you are. Which is truly a big win for popularizing and normalizing taking care of our mental health.

User-Friendly Technology

A lot of therapists use Jane or Zoom, which require no additional apps to be installed and are truly no hassle at all. Online therapy is easy, instant and highly accessible from anywhere. There are no limits in connecting with a therapist remotely - whether online, via a text exchange or via a phone call.

Normalization of Process

Therapy online has become a normal part of our lives that are already largely online as is. “One sec, I am just texting my therapist to reschedule a session” - has become a routine phrase that you hear in a coffee shop or in a line-up at the store. Therapy in all its forms has become a natural and healthy part of living. Or at least it is on the way to becoming it, and it is doing a great job getting there fast. A big shoutout for this integration goes to the technology and digitization of all our interactions. Accessible therapy means lowering barriers to receiving and providing care. Which is an absolute win, whichever way we look at it.

However, along with its many undeniable wins and perks, online counselling still has its downsides, which might affect how therapy is done - or who can receive care in this format. Below are a few cons of this format.

Limitations of Online Sessions

Tech Issues

While easy and advanced, our tech is not perfect. There are audio and video signal disruptions, connection being lost, wifi not working properly, pixilation, image distortion, and all other “fun” things we all have experienced when talking online. In therapy, where every word and every facial expression carries a lot of impact and meaning, losing those aspects to tech glitches means that something might get “lost in translation”. Or, better said, “lost in technology”.

Confidentiality

When you come into your therapist’s office, you are guaranteed that everything that is said and mentioned here stays here. Nothing leaves these walls. With talking online, one can never guarantee the same level of confidentiality and protection as with in person sessions. This is something that counsellors and clients discuss and agree on when deciding to meet online. Ultimately, when we meet online, we outsource our confidentiality to the internet, which can not guarantee it the same way a human does.

Symptoms and Experiences

Online therapy is not recommended for clients who are looking for help for more complex or acute conditions. These include: acute psychosis, schizophrenia symptoms, substance use disorder, addiction, acute suicidal thoughts and self-harm, acute psychological crisis, and more. Online space does not allow for immediate interventions and immediate support if symptoms or reactions escalate. It is a responsibility of a counsellor to ensure that they are able to offer interventions appropriate to the needs of the client. Sometimes the needs of the client may include access to immediate support. Similarly, when working with trauma and clients experiencing acute PTSD, it is common to ask the clients to come in for in person sessions when possible. Gentle monitoring and awareness of changes during a session is essential to keeping vulnerable clients safe the best we can.

Benefits of In Person Sessions

Comfort and Connection

As humans, we are wired to connect and we find a lot of comfort in a safe face to face connection with another human being. Being in a presence of a counsellor is a comforting experience in itself. That comfort transfers to online space as well, but the online space does not truly beat the cozy physical setting of an in person space. There you can settle into a cozy soft armchair, with a cup of warm aromatic tea in your hand (yes, I also offer tea to my clients), and experience counselling as not only an emotional safe space but also as a space of physical safety, grounding and belonging.

Ability to See Affect and Changes

In person sessions help counsellors see client’s affect (emotional responses) a little (or actually quite a lot) better than online. For instance, one of my clients kicks with their leg whenever the conversation becomes more challenging or when things come up from their past. I would not be able to spot this very helpful cue if we were talking online (how often do you get to see people’s legs in an online conversation?!).

Limitations of In Person Sessions

As mentioned above, in person sessions are usually accessible to people who live in somewhat of a proximity to those very sessions. That is why to stay current and relative and reach more clients, we need to make sure that clients have options when it comes to the format. Otherwise, without getting onboard with tech, we would be limiting our services only to clients willing and able to come in.

Talking about being able to come in, physical accessibility of sessions is not only restricted to geography. I work with clients who experience agoraphobia or face mobility challenges - offering in person sessions to people who can’t leave their house is not an option. This is where accessibility of in-person sessions does not really match that of online connections.In other words, online format expands our ability to reach clients - and expands client’s choices when it comes to doing therapy.

Find the Right Counselling Support in Coquitlam, Your Way

Both in person and online counselling can be effective, and each option comes with its own benefits. In person sessions offer a dedicated, private space with fewer limitations, allowing for deeper connection, comfort, and built-in safeguards around confidentiality. Online counselling, on the other hand, makes support more accessible and flexible, especially when scheduling or distance is a concern. While virtual sessions work well for many people, they may not always fully replace the experience of being in the same room as your therapist.

At Feel Good Counselling, we believe therapy should fit your life, not the other way around. That’s why we offer in person, online, and phone counselling for clients in Coquitlam, across BC, and in Alberta. You can choose the format that feels safest, most comfortable, and most effective for you.

When you’re ready, reach out to book a session that works best for your needs. Support is available, whether you prefer to meet face to face or connect online. I’m here to help you take the next step.

(c) Olga Barrows, MA, CCC