Email counseling is the use of email exchanges for the delivery of counselling services and information pertaining to emotional and psychological well-being. While email by no means is a new technology. Email-based counseling is still a relatively new phenomenon, which a growing number of people seem to be turning to.
iCALL offers email based counseling along with its telephone counseling services, and the same rigour with which our telephone counselling services are delivered is applicable to this medium as well. Since email counseling is a fairly new phenomenon, we understand that you may need to familiarize yourself with what it entails before choosing to engage in it.
It requires a lot of courage to take that first step towards sending an email, and any hesitation you may feel along the way is completely understandable. It is not easy to share sensitive personal information with someone you are not familiar with, especially when there is a time delay between your interactions. We understand this challenge and appreciate the effort it must have taken for you to think about writing to us. We understand that the biggest question mark in your mind when before you do so may be whether anyone will actually read or respond to your email.
It is to address these very concerns that our system sends you an immediate automated email response acknowledging your mail along with some basic information about iCALL, as soon as we receive your email.
We endeavor to provide you with a detailed human response to your email within two-three working days. In case heavy email and call flows prevent us from doing so, every email includes a mention of the helpline’s telephone counseling services which may be accessed for quicker support.
As a client, it is understandable that you may have certain worries as to who can access the information shared in your email. All the information you share with us remains completely confidential between you and the counselors at iCALL, unless there is risk of harm to yourself or to others. Your trust in us is very important to the effectiveness of the counseling process and we take this very seriously. It is for this reason and that we make mention of our policy on confidentiality in the emails we send out.
The email response you receive from us will involve some exploration of your concern in an effort to fully understand your experience of it. This stage may take some time, as any movement forward depends on the extent and clarity of the information shared with us. Once the key concerns are identified, we begin to work on each of them, one at a time. The counselors may work towards teaching you skills and technique to help you manage your distress better, or they may send you articles and videos that can help you understand your situation better.
The counselors at the helpline also make suggestions of tasks that are meant to help you along the process of working through your concerns. The tasks may include writing or journaling tasks, practicing relaxation techniques, preparing oneself for difficult conversations, or reaching out to a professional – such as a doctor, social worker, or a face-to-face counselor.
iCALL’s email counseling service is a good first step towards the process of getting help and feeling better. The process of writing in itself can be therapeutic, especially for those who use this modality as a coping mechanism during times of distress. For those of you who prefer to write and are not in need of an instantaneous response, this could be a very suitable option. However, you are not limited to either modality and can choose to switch from email to telephone counseling or vice versa, at any time you wish. All of our services are at your disposal should you need any of them.
is a psychological helpline that aims to provide high quality telephone counselling and internet based support services which will significantly improve mental health and the well being of individuals as well as the community.
