Providing Psychological Care Remotely

First Session of Remote Support

Lesson 5: Setting boundaries
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Establishing what boundaries you, as a helper, would like to keep is covered under Module 2, Preparation. As in a face-to- face session, you will need to communicate these boundaries to the person accessing support in the first session. 

It is particularly important to discuss and create boundaries when conducting support remotely because the lack of physical boundaries (eg. session room, clinic, travel time) may mean these are less obvious. 

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When setting boundaries, it is good to discuss the following:

  • Your working hours - make a clear agreement about how (eg. call, messaging) and when you can and cannot be contacted
  • How long the person accessing care can expect to wait to hear back from you (eg. within 24 hours only on working days; within 7 days)
  • A contact number in case the person wants support outside those hours
  • Be explicit that you are using a “work” rather than “personal” account to contact them
  • What to do if the agreed modality of contact fails (eg. mobile phone), for example try again in 24 hours, call a designated family member
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