Therapy by email: therapy that fits around you
If you're a working parent, you'll know the feeling: you want to prioritise your mental health, but finding an hour in the week for therapy can feel like solving an impossible puzzle. Between work meetings, school runs, and the unpredictability of childhood illnesses, even the best intentions can fall apart.
Therapy by email offers a different approach - one that works around the reality of your life, rather than adding another commitment you might struggle to keep.
Why therapy by email makes sense for busy parents
The beauty of therapy by email is its flexibility. You don't need to arrange childcare, find a quiet room during working hours, or worry about what happens if your child wakes up with a temperature on the morning of your appointment. Instead, you write when it suits you - perhaps during your commute, in a lunch break, or in those precious quiet moments after bedtime.
There's something liberating about being able to gather your thoughts without watching the clock. You can take your time, find the right words, and express yourself fully without interruption. And if you do get interrupted (because let's face it, that's life with children), you can simply pick up where you left off.
Therapy by email for neurodivergent adults
Therapy by email can be particularly valuable for neurodivergent adults. If you're autistic, have ADHD, or process information differently, written communication often removes the pressure of managing multiple things at once - no need to navigate eye contact, body language, or the stress of responding in real time. You get to think, process, and articulate your thoughts at your own pace, in your own way.
Many neurodivergent people find that writing allows them to express themselves more clearly and authentically than speaking does. You have space to organise your thoughts, revisit what you've written, and communicate exactly what you mean without the sensory overwhelm or processing demands of face-to-face conversation.
Creating space for therapeutic work 🌱
To get the most from therapy, it helps to have some breathing room - not to be squashing a session between back-to-back work meetings or rushing from one deadline to another. Traditional appointments can sometimes mean you're still carrying the stress of your day into the session, with little time to settle or reflect afterwards.
With therapy by email, you can choose when to engage with our work together. You might write curled up on the sofa on a Sunday evening, or take a walk and use voice-to-text to capture your thoughts as they come. You can let go of the day's demands first, create the headspace you need, and then turn your attention to yourself. And when you receive my response, you can read it when you're ready - perhaps allowing time afterwards to sit with what's come up, rather than immediately rushing back into your day.
If therapy by email sounds like it might work for you, the next step is a free consultation call. We can chat by phone or video - whichever feels more comfortable. This gives us both a chance to meet, for you to ask any questions, and to talk about whether this way of working feels right.
Even if phone or video calls feel challenging, this one conversation helps us get everything set up properly so the rest of our work together can happen by email.
How it works
We'll begin with an initial consultation session by video call or phone. This gives us a chance to meet, for you to ask any questions, and for us both to get a sense of whether we're a good fit to work together.
Once we've agreed to work together, we'll establish a weekly rhythm that suits you. We'll agree on a specific day and time each week when you'll send me your email - this creates a steady structure to hold our work together. I suggest aiming for around 1000-1500 words as a general guide, though this is flexible. If you find yourself writing more because your thoughts are flowing, that's absolutely fine - you can either send everything or keep some for yourself and choose the paragraphs that feel most important to share. Some weeks you might write less, and that's equally okay.
I use ProtonMail for our exchanges, and I ask that you set up a free ProtonMail account. This ensures our conversations are secure and encrypted, giving you peace of mind that what you share stays private.
Once I receive your email, I dedicate a full therapy session (50-60 minutes) to reading and responding thoughtfully. You'll usually hear back from me within 48 hours. I want you to know that I read and hold everything you share with care - even when my response focuses on particular themes or threads rather than commenting on every detail. If your emails are longer, I might concentrate on the key themes to avoid overwhelming you with an equally lengthy reply, but that doesn't mean the rest hasn't been seen, heard, and matters. Everything you write helps me understand you more fully.
The connection is real
I know some people worry that therapy by email might feel impersonal or distant. But many of my clients find that having time to articulate their thoughts actually helps them feel more understood. There's depth in written words - you can express things that might be harder to say out loud, and you have the chance to return to my responses when you need to.
The relationship we build is just as genuine as any other therapeutic relationship. It's built on trust, understanding, and genuine care - none of which require us to be in the same room.
Could this work for you?
If you've been putting off seeking support because you can't see how traditional therapy would fit into your life, therapy by email might be worth considering. It's not about choosing second-best - it's about finding an approach that actually works for where you are right now.
You deserve support that fits your life, not one that adds more stress to it.
At a glance: How therapy by email works
Initial consultation: Video call or phone to meet and see if we're a good fit
Frequency: Weekly emails on an agreed day
Word count: Around 1000-1500 words as a guide (flexible - you can write more or less as needed)
Platform: ProtonMail (free account required for secure, encrypted communication)
Response time: Within 48 hours
Session time: I dedicate 50-60 minutes to reading and responding to each email
Format: You can write in any way that suits you - including using voice-to-text if you prefer