# Online Counselling for ME Patients



## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

More information from the Co-Cure mailing list:


> quote:19 August 2004Pioneering Online Counselling ServicePiloted for People with M.E.UK's largest M.E. charity Action for M.E. is launching the first onlinecounselling service for people with M.E., also known as Chronic FatigueSyndrome. Clients who use the service can choose from counselling viaemail correspondence or real-time private sessions with a counsellorusing an instant online messaging service on a secure server. The newservice can be accessed from the Action for M.E. website atwww.afme.org.uk under 'How We Help'.This highly innovative new service is designed to provide easier accessfor people with severe M.E. who would find traditional face-to-facecounselling sessions too exhausting. Severe M.E. affects an estimatedquarter of the 240,000 people with M.E. in the UK, frequently leavingthem house or bedbound. Another primary target group for the new serviceis men, as evidence indicates they are more likely to access onlinecounselling due to its anonymity. The online counselling will beavailable free of charge for members of Action for M.E. during theinitial one year trial.Preparation for the launch of the service has included extensive BACPaccredited online training for counsellors along with detailed researchinto online therapies. The counsellors involved in the project alreadyhave several years experience of counselling people with M.E.Chris Daniels, Action for M.E. Services Manager, comments:"We are really excited about this highly innovative new service designedto provide easier access to M.E. specific counselling. M.E. is a chronicillness that can severely limit everyday activities leading to isolation- counselling can help by providing crucial emotional support inmanaging the illness. "- ends -Samantha JacksonPress & PR OfficerAction for M.E.www.afme.org.ukwww.a4me.org.uk - for young people with M.E.


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## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

MrsM thanks for posting, wow what a great idea! I shall certainly consider signing up for this! Initially I have always been sceptical of considering counselling for ME because that to me felt like giving into the sceptics out there that claim ME is 'all in the head'. But its important to have an all-round mutidiscipline approach to managing any long term debilitating illness so i'm certainly thinking this is worth a go.It's great that its online too because some of us just don't have the time or energy to attend real-time counselling sessions!Clair


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