How to Make Online Therapy Work: Practical Tips for Getting the Most From Your Sessions

If you've decided that online therapy is the right choice for you, or if you're already a few sessions in and want to make sure you're approaching it in the best way you can, this post is for you. Knowing how to make online therapy work is less about following a rigid set of rules and more about creating the right conditions, practically and emotionally, for the work to happen.

These tips are drawn from what we've seen make a genuine difference for clients working online. None of them are complicated, but together they can make your sessions feel more settled, more focused, and more useful. We hope they can help you to navigate your online therapy journey.

Start With the Practicalities

Getting the practical foundations right means you can focus on the session itself rather than worrying about logistics. A few things worth sorting before your first session:

• Check your internet connection. A stable connection makes a significant difference to how smooth a session feels. If your connection is unreliable, using an ethernet cable rather than wifi can help.

• Test your audio and video. Make sure your camera and microphone are working properly before the session begins. Most video platforms allow you to test this in advance.

• Choose a device that suits you. A laptop or desktop tends to work better than a phone for video therapy, as a larger screen makes it easier to see your therapist clearly and feel more present in the conversation.

• Have a backup plan. Agree with your therapist in advance what will happen if the connection drops. Most therapists will have a clear protocol for this, such as switching to a phone call, and knowing the plan in advance means a technical glitch doesn't have to derail the whole session.

For more detail on setting up your physical environment, our guide to creating the right space for online therapy at home covers everything you need to think about in terms of privacy, comfort, and environment.

Give Yourself Time Before and After Sessions

One of the things that can get lost in online therapy is the transitional space that in-person sessions naturally provide. When you attend therapy in a physical location, the journey there and back gives you time to arrive mentally, and to decompress afterwards. Online sessions can begin and end much more abruptly, which can make it harder to settle into the work or to process what came up once it is over.

A few small things can help recreate this transition:

• Try to have at least ten to fifteen minutes before your session begins where you are not rushing or multitasking

• Avoid scheduling sessions immediately before or after demanding work meetings or other high-pressure commitments

• Give yourself time after the session to sit quietly, take a walk, or do something gentle before moving on with your day

• If you find certain sessions bring up a lot, it can help to have a notebook nearby to jot down thoughts afterwards

These are small things, but they can make a meaningful difference to how connected and present you feel during the session itself.

Be Honest About How the Format Is Working for You

If something about the online format is getting in the way, it is worth naming it with your therapist. Perhaps the technology feels distracting. Perhaps you're finding it hard to feel settled in the space you're using. Perhaps something about the screen feels like a barrier on certain topics.

Your therapist is there to help you get the most from the work, and that includes thinking together about whether the format is serving you well. Raising it is not a complaint. It is useful information, and a good therapist will welcome the conversation.

If you haven't yet found an online therapist to work with, getting the right match from the start makes all of this a great deal easier. Our matching questionnaire helps find a therapist whose approach genuinely suits you.

Treat Online Sessions With the Same Commitment as In-Person Ones

One subtle risk with online therapy is that it can feel slightly less "real" or less weighty than attending an appointment in person, simply because the barrier to accessing it is lower. This can make it easier to cancel at short notice, to be distracted during sessions, or to approach them with slightly less intention.

This is worth being aware of, not as a criticism, but as a gentle reminder that the work is just as real as it would be in a therapy room. Treating online sessions with the same level of commitment you would give to an in-person appointment, protecting the time, turning off notifications, and bringing your full attention, tends to make a significant difference to how much you get from them.

Bring Things to Sessions, Even the Small Ones

It is easy to feel that something needs to be "big enough" to bring to a therapy session. In reality, the things that feel small or trivial are often worth mentioning, precisely because they feel small. What seems insignificant can sometimes turn out to be connected to something much more meaningful.

Some things that are worth bringing to sessions:

• Anything that has come up since the last session that felt significant, even if you're not sure why

• Reactions or thoughts you had in response to the previous session

• Things you noticed yourself avoiding or pushing away

• Anything you feel reluctant to say, because reluctance is often a signal worth exploring

Your therapist will help you make sense of whatever you bring. You do not need to have it sorted before you arrive.

Remember That Progress Takes Time

We've talked before about how effective online therapy can be and the benefits that clients often talk about. Online therapy, like all therapy, is a gradual process. There will be sessions that feel productive and connected, and others that feel flat or unclear. Both are a normal part of how therapy tends to unfold, and neither is a sign that it isn't working.

A Final Thought

There is no perfect way to do online therapy. What matters most is showing up honestly, creating the conditions that help you feel settled, and staying curious about the process even when it feels uncertain.

The tips in this post are simply there to support that. Take what is useful and leave the rest. And if you would like to read more about online therapy, you can see our complete guide.

If you're still looking for the right online therapist to begin this work with, our matching questionnaire takes just a few minutes and is designed to connect you with someone whose approach genuinely suits how you work. Find your therapist today.

A note on crisis support: If you're currently in crisis, having thoughts of harming yourself, or feel unable to keep yourself safe, please reach out for immediate support. In the UK, you can contact Samaritans free, 24/7, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258. If you're outside the UK, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line in your area.

About the author: Dr Sam Price is a Counselling Psychologist and co-founder of Fable Psychology. He is focused on helping clients find the right therapist to get the support they need.