Online Counselling Brisbane: Does It Work as Well as In Person?

Counselling Journey

By Christina Feyes · ~8 min read · Does online counselling really work for Brisbane?

Does online counselling really work as well as in person?

This is the question almost everyone asks first, and it is a fair one. The worry is that something intangible goes missing through a screen. The eye contact, the shared silence, the sense that someone is really with you.

The evidence is reassuring. A 2021 meta-analysis published in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy (Fernandez and colleagues) pooled 281 outcomes across 4,336 clients and found video-delivered therapy produced results largely equivalent to in-person work, with differences that were negligible. Related reviews report the same thing about therapeutic alliance, the sense of trust and rapport between you and your counsellor. It holds up on a screen more than people expect.

That does not mean online is magic, or that it is right for everyone. It means the effectiveness of counselling rests far more on the relationship and the work you do together than on whether you are in the same postcode.

What does an online counselling session actually look like?

At Soul Counselling, an online session runs 90 to 105 minutes, longer than the standard hour, so there is room to settle in and go somewhere real rather than rushing. You join by secure video or, if you prefer, by phone. No app to master, no complicated setup.

Before we begin proper work, the first step is a free 15-minute assessment. It is a short, no-pressure conversation to see whether we are a good fit and whether online suits what you are carrying. No card, no obligation.

In the session itself, you sit somewhere private and comfortable. A closed bedroom, a home office, even a parked car on a quiet street has worked for people who cannot find quiet at home. You talk, I listen, and we go at your pace. Many people find they open up faster from their own space, without the drive there and the drive home wrapped around it.

Is online counselling private and secure?

Privacy is a legitimate concern, and it is one of the few things that can genuinely make online harder than a clinic room. In a clinic, the walls do the work for you. At home, you have to create the private space yourself.

On the technical side, sessions use a secure video connection and what you share stays confidential, the same as it would in any counselling room. The bigger practical question is your end of the line:

• Somewhere you will not be overheard by family, housemates or colleagues.
• Headphones, which keep both sides of the conversation to yourself.
• A door that closes, or a time of day when the house is empty.
• A phone session instead of video if you would rather not be on camera at all.

If a truly private space is impossible where you live, that is worth naming early. We can problem-solve it together, or talk about whether online is the right format for you right now.

What technology do I need?

Less than you might think. A smartphone, tablet or laptop with a camera, and an internet connection steady enough to hold a video call, is enough for video sessions. If your connection is patchy, or you are on the move, a plain phone call works just as well for the talking part.

You do not need to be confident with technology. If the video drops out, we switch to phone and keep going. The conversation is the point, not the software.

Who is online counselling a good fit for?

Online tends to suit people whose lives make a weekly clinic visit hard to sustain. In Brisbane that describes a lot of people.

• CBD and inner-city workers in New Farm, Paddington or West End who do not want to lose half an afternoon to a commute and the hunt for a park.
• Public-service and corporate staff who can take a private hour between meetings but cannot easily leave the building for two.
• Parents and carers juggling school runs across Carindale, Chermside or the Redlands, for whom “just get there” is the whole problem.
• People in the outer suburbs and satellite cities, Logan, Ipswich, Springfield, who face a long drive before they have said a word.
• Anyone who simply thinks more clearly, and cries more freely, in their own home than in a waiting room.

And yes, there is the Brisbane weather. When a summer storm rolls in over the afternoon or the humidity is sitting heavy, being able to keep your appointment from the lounge room rather than cancelling it is not a small thing. Consistency is where a lot of counselling quietly does its work.

Who should probably not choose online?

I would rather be honest than sell you something that does not fit. Online is not the right first call for everyone.

• If you are in crisis or having thoughts of ending your life, you need immediate support, not a booking. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency. Please reach out now.
• If you genuinely have no private space and no way to make one, being overheard will get in the way of honest talk.
• If your internet and phone are both unreliable, constant dropouts break the thread of a session.
• If you know in yourself that you only feel safe enough to open up in a physical room, with another person present, that is worth respecting rather than overriding.

None of this is failure. Knowing what you need is part of the work.

Phone or video: which is better?

Both work, and the research does not crown a clear winner. Video gives you facial expression and a stronger sense of presence, which some people want. Phone removes the self-consciousness of seeing your own face on screen, and some people find they say the harder things more easily when they are simply talking, eyes closed, walking slowly around the kitchen.

You are allowed to switch between them week to week. A grief-heavy session might feel better on the phone. A session where you want to feel seen might be better on video. We follow what helps you.

How does online counselling serve Brisbane specifically?

Soul Counselling is based in Southport on the Gold Coast, and works online with people right across Brisbane and the rest of Australia by video and phone. Being Gold Coast based does not put Brisbane out of reach. It is the opposite. Because sessions are online, there is no drive down the M1 and no clinic waiting room. Someone in New Farm and someone in Ipswich get the same counsellor, the same 90 to 105 minutes, on the same terms.

If you would like to see how this is set up for the city, the Brisbane counselling page lays out the online support available to Brisbane residents. For the shape of the work itself, individual counselling explains how one-to-one sessions run. And if you want to know who you would be talking to before anything else, you can read about Christina, including her background in psychology, social work and human services and why she works as a counsellor rather than a diagnostician.

How do I start?

You start small. The first step is a free 15-minute assessment, a short conversation to see whether we are a fit and whether online is right for you. You do not commit to anything. You do not need to have your story neatly ordered. You just turn up and we talk.

Telehealth is not a fringe experiment anymore. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, around 21 per cent of Medicare-subsidised mental health services in the September quarter of 2025 were delivered by telehealth, up from roughly 1 per cent before March 2020. A great many Australians now do this quietly and comfortably from home. There is nothing unusual about choosing it.