Counselling where you actually live.

Why we ask where you are

Counselling is regulated in the place the client is sitting, not the place the counsellor is sitting. A video call does not change that, however it may feel.

It matters to you for three reasons. If your counsellor is not entitled to practise where you live, you have no professional body to complain to if something goes wrong. Their insurance almost certainly does not cover the session. And in a number of countries — the United States and the Gulf states among them — the session itself is unlawful.

Plenty of online practices ignore this, on the reasoning that nobody checks. We would rather take a little longer and match you with someone who is properly registered where you live.

What that means in practice

• You tell us where you'll be sitting. Not where you're from, and not where you pay tax. Where you physically are during the session.
• We check what's required there and match you with a counsellor who holds it.
• You're told their registration and number before you book, so you can verify it with the register yourself.
• If we can't match you lawfully, we say so and help you find where to look instead. That happens, and we would rather disappoint you at the start than take your money.

The practical things

• Time zones. We confirm your local time in writing before the first session. It catches more people than you would think.
• Language. Sessions are in English unless we have arranged otherwise. Working in a second language while distressed is harder than people expect, and it's a reasonable thing to raise.
• Payment. In your own currency where we can, converted at the time otherwise. You'll know the amount before you confirm anything.
• Insurance. Reimbursement rules differ everywhere. Each country page below sets out what to ask your insurer.
• Crisis support. We are not an emergency service anywhere in the world. Each page lists the local lines, and our crisis page carries the international directories.