How to choose an online therapist in Ireland
Choose an online therapist in Ireland by checking four things: their training and professional accountability, their experience with what brings you to therapy, how safely and clearly they work online, and whether you feel able to speak honestly with them. A polished website can be reassuring, but it is not a substitute for clear answers.
There is no single therapist who will be right for everybody. The aim is not to find the person with the longest list of techniques. It is to find somebody who is appropriately qualified, works within their competence and can build a useful working relationship with you.
1. Check the therapist's exact qualifications and professional status
Ask what their core counselling or psychotherapy qualification is, how long the training lasted and whether it included supervised clinical practice. Also ask whether they belong to a professional body, work under a code of ethics, receive regular clinical supervision and hold professional indemnity insurance.
The wording matters. Membership, pre-accredited membership and accredited membership are not the same status, and a responsible therapist should describe their position accurately.
At the time of publication, CORU has published standards for counsellors and psychotherapists, but the new statutory registers are not yet open. A therapist may also be CORU-registered in a different profession, such as social work. That registration is relevant, but it is not the same as being registered by CORU as a psychotherapist. You are entitled to ask for a registration or membership number and check it with the organisation concerned.
2. Look for relevant experience, not a promise to specialise in everything
A therapist does not need to have lived your life in order to help you. They should, however, understand the limits of their competence and be able to explain how their training and experience relate to what you need.
Useful questions include:
· Have you worked with this kind of difficulty before?
· What approach do you use, and what might that look like in a session?
· Is there anything in what I have described that falls outside your scope of practice?
· How will we know whether the therapy is helping?
A thoughtful answer may include uncertainty. Be cautious with anyone who promises a particular result before they understand your circumstances.
3. Ask how online therapy is managed
Online therapy should be more than an ordinary video call with therapeutic conversation added. Before you begin, the therapist should explain:
· which platform will be used;
· how your information and clinical notes are protected;
· the limits of confidentiality;
· what happens if the connection fails;
· how emergencies or concerns about immediate safety are handled;
· whether there are any situations in which online work would not be appropriate;
· fees, cancellations and contact between sessions.
You will also need a reasonably private place from which to join. Headphones can help, but they cannot make an unsafe or frequently interrupted environment confidential. Tell the therapist if privacy is difficult. It is better to discuss the problem than to pretend the room is more private than it is.
4. Pay attention to the working relationship
Research consistently treats the therapeutic alliance, the sense that therapist and client can work together on shared aims, as important to outcome. A 2024 meta-analysis found no significant difference between video and in-person psychotherapy in alliance ratings from clients or therapists. That does not mean online therapy suits everyone. It means a meaningful therapeutic relationship can be built online when the format, therapist and client are a good enough fit.
After an initial conversation or first session, ask yourself:
· Did I feel listened to rather than processed?
· Could I ask questions or disagree?
· Did the therapist explain things clearly?
· Did I feel respected, including when the therapist saw something differently?
· Can I imagine talking to this person about what is difficult, embarrassing or contradictory?
You do not need to feel completely comfortable straight away. Therapy can involve discomfort. But feeling challenged is different from feeling dismissed, shamed or pressured.
5. Clarify the practical details before committing
Ask about the length and frequency of sessions, fees, cancellation policy, availability and how endings or breaks are handled. If you use health insurance, check directly with the insurer whether the therapist and service are covered.
If you are attending online from Ireland, tell the therapist where you will normally be located during sessions. The therapist should be able to confirm that their professional arrangements and insurance cover the work they are offering.
A short checklist
Before choosing, you should be able to answer:
· What is this therapist qualified to do?
· Who holds them professionally accountable?
· How do they protect confidentiality online?
· Do they have suitable experience for what I need?
· Are the fees and boundaries clear?
· Do I feel able to be honest with them?
The final question is personal, but it should not replace the others. Warmth without competence is not enough. Credentials without a workable human relationship are not enough either.
If you would like to see one example of how online psychotherapy can be organised, Shoreline's online therapy services in Ireland page explains the types of therapy offered, who the services are for and how online sessions take place.
MA Counselling & Psychotherapy (Family Therapy), First Class Honours; BA (Hons) Social Work; CORU-registered social worker. Ana provides online psychotherapy across Ireland in English and Spanish.
Professional sources
· CORU: Standards and criteria for counsellors and psychotherapists
· IACP: Find an accredited therapist
· IACP Code of Ethics and Practice