Therapy for Emotional Distress

When you're not coping the way you'd like and can't name why, talk it through with an accredited therapist by secure video.

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Accredited therapists Fully confidential Evening & weekend times

Everything is confidentialWhat you say in a session stays in the session.

Secure video, Ireland-wideFrom wherever you feel comfortable, on any device.

No GP referral neededBook online in a couple of minutes.

Evening and weekend timesSessions that fit around work and family.

Emotional distress rarely announces itself neatly. It shows up as broken sleep, a short fuse with the people you love, a knot in your stomach before you open your inbox. You may not have a word for what is wrong, only a sense that you are not coping the way you normally would. That feeling is more common than you would think, and it responds well to being talked about.

Online therapy gives you a confidential hour with a trained therapist, from your own home, anywhere in Ireland. One thing to be clear about before you read on: it is not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, go straight to the urgent help section below.

What is online therapy, and can it help with emotional distress?

Online therapy is ordinary counselling or psychotherapy delivered remotely, usually by secure video call, sometimes by phone or messaging depending on the provider. The therapist is the same kind of professional you would sit with in a room. The conversation is the same conversation. Only the room is different.

People bring all sorts of things to it, and none of them need to be dramatic enough to qualify:

Anxiety, constant worry, or panic that arrives out of nowhere
Low mood, flatness, or losing interest in things you used to like
Grief, including losses that happened years ago
Work stress and burnout
Relationship difficulties, loneliness, or a big life change you did not choose
The plain feeling of not being able to cope at the moment

Starting in Ireland is more straightforward than people expect. You do not need a GP letter for counselling, so you can self-refer. You choose a service, share a little about what is going on, either pick a therapist yourself or ask to be matched, and agree a time. Booking with us takes about two minutes, with evening and weekend slots available.

Worth saying plainly: therapy gives you structured support and practical skills, not a switch that flips. Some people feel lighter after two or three sessions. For others it is slower, and that is normal too.

What happens during an online therapy session?

The first session is mostly about getting a picture of what is happening for you. Your therapist will introduce themselves, explain how confidentiality works, and ask what brought you. You do not need a tidy explanation prepared. Starting with "I'm not really sure where to begin" is a perfectly good start.

A first session usually covers:

How the sessions run, and what is kept private
What is troubling you now
Any background that feels relevant, only as much as you want to share
What you would like to be different

After that, sessions become a working conversation. Some weeks you talk something through. Other weeks you look at a pattern together, try a coping skill, or review what has shifted. Sessions are commonly held by secure video and typically last about 50 minutes, though formats vary between services.

You can ask your therapist how they work, and you can ask for a different therapist if the fit is not right. Nobody will take offence. Fit matters more than almost anything else in this work.

Not sure if this is the right fit?

A first session is just a conversation.

Book a session Find a therapist →

Is online therapy right for me and as effective as face-to-face counselling?

Based on available research, therapy delivered remotely can work well for many common difficulties, particularly anxiety and depression, when it is provided by a properly qualified professional. Digitally delivered therapies are recognised in clinical guidance, including the NICE guideline on depression in adults. It tends to suit you if you want flexible times, live far from services, have mobility or caring constraints, or simply find it easier to speak openly from your own sitting room.

What tends to help	What can get in the way
No commute, so a session fits around work	Screen fatigue if your whole day is already on video
Wider choice of therapist, not just whoever is local	Broadband or audio problems interrupting a session
No waiting room, which lowers the awkwardness for a lot of people	Fewer non-verbal cues than sitting in the same room
Easier to keep going if you move, travel, or work shifts	Finding somewhere genuinely private at home

Another route may fit better if your difficulties are severe or complex, if you have no private space at all, if there are immediate safety concerns, or if you need a psychiatric assessment or medication. Your GP is the right first call in those cases.

Are online therapy sessions confidential and protected under GDPR?

Yes, with the same protections as any health service. Reputable Irish and EU-based providers use encrypted video platforms and handle your data under GDPR, which gives you rights over your own information, explained by the Data Protection Commission. Read the privacy notice before you book. It should be easy to find.

On your side, a few small things make a real difference:

Use your own device and a private internet connection rather than a shared work laptop
Wear headphones, which keeps your therapist's voice out of the room
Pick a space where you will not be overheard, a parked car included
Ask where records are kept, who can see them, how long they are held, and whether sessions are ever recorded (they should not be, without your explicit consent)

Confidentiality has limits, and an honest therapist will explain them at the start. The main one is serious risk of harm to you or someone else. Ask about this in your first session if it is on your mind.

How much does online therapy cost, and what other support is available in Ireland?

Fees vary by provider, by the therapist's training and experience, by session length, and by whether the service is private, subsidised or charitable. Most practices publish a per-session fee, so check it before you book, along with the cancellation policy. Some private health insurance policies contribute towards counselling costs, so it is worth a phone call to your insurer.

Free and lower-cost options exist too. The HSE list of mental health supports and services is the most reliable directory, and details for individual organisations are best confirmed there.

Service	Who it is for
turn2me	Free online counselling and support groups
Grow Mental Health	Peer support groups for mental health recovery
Mental Health Ireland	Information, wellbeing resources, local associations
LGBT Ireland	Support for LGBTQ+ people and their families
ADHD Ireland	Information and peer support around ADHD
Traveller Counselling Service, Exchange House Ireland	Culturally appropriate support for the Traveller community
Men's Development Network, Connect Counselling	Men's support services, and counselling after childhood abuse or trauma
Minding Creative Minds, ONE	Workers in the creative industries, and former Defence Forces personnel

Social prescribing, which links you with community activities and groups through your local health service, is another option if isolation is part of what is wearing you down. If you are unsure which service fits, your GP can point you.

Where can I get urgent help if my distress becomes a crisis?

Online therapy platforms, this one included, do not provide round-the-clock crisis care. Sessions are scheduled, so there will be hours when nobody is there to answer. That is exactly what the services below are for, and using them is not an overreaction.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Samaritans, freephone 116 123, any hour of the day or night.
Text About It, free 24/7 text support, text HELLO to 50808.
Your GP or the out-of-hours GP service, for distress that is escalating but not yet an emergency.

Current service details are listed on the HSE mental health pages, which is the place to confirm numbers and opening hours. And if things feel like they are building rather than breaking, tell someone you trust today rather than waiting for it to get worse.

Frequently asked questions

How can I check that an online therapist is qualified and accredited in Ireland?

Ask which professional body they are accredited with, and check the register yourself. The main ones are the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the Irish Council for Psychotherapy, and the Psychological Society of Ireland for psychologists. Statutory registration for counsellors and psychotherapists is being introduced through CORU, so the position may change. Every therapist here is accredited and insured, and happy to be asked.

What technology and private space do I need for an online session?

Less than you would think. A laptop, tablet or phone, a reasonably stable internet connection, and headphones. You click a secure link that arrives by email, with nothing to install. For privacy, any room with a door works, and plenty of people take their session in the car outside the house.

How quickly can I access online therapy, and how often will sessions take place?

Private online therapy usually starts within days rather than the months you may have heard about for public waiting lists, though this depends on the service and the therapist you choose. Most people then meet weekly or fortnightly. You and your therapist set the rhythm, and you can change it.

How can I take the next step towards online therapy?

You do not have to be certain about any of this to make a start. Have a look at the therapist profiles, check the qualifications, fees, privacy terms and the areas each therapist works in, then book an initial session with whoever seems like a decent fit. If nobody stands out, book with no preference and you will be matched.

Before you make contact, it can help to jot down:

The one thing that is bothering you most right now
Whether video or phone suits you better
Any questions about how the therapist works, fees, or confidentiality

Then book a session whenever you feel ready. Sessions are by secure video, wherever you are in Ireland, with evening and weekend times available. And if you are in crisis right now, please use the urgent contacts above first, then come back to this when things have steadied.