Online Audio Video

counseling / counselling

    Most therapists believe that videoconferencing is the ideal mode to interact with online, because the counselor gets more non-verbal information by seeing you.

    It is best to be aware that having a cheaper webcam & a dial up connection will sometimes not result in a very satisfactory experience. However, if you are satisfied with the picture quality & video/audio sync your webcam gives you in interacting with friends online, then it will also be fine for online counseling.

    Quality online video transmits a very high amount of digital data, which unfortunately can be slowed down by any one of a handful factors : (1) the type of webcam you use (video card, USB 1.1, USB 2.0 or Firewire), (2) whether you have dial-up or high speed internet, (3) the speed of your computer, or (4) the amount of RAM your computer uses. Any one of these things may undo the advantage of having the other three.

    As inferred above, all webcams are not created equal. Getting one with a USB 1.1 connection would allow for a faster transfer rate of video data than all but perhaps the newest of high tech video cards. It would be much better to get a webcam with USB 2.0 or Firewire which are 40 times faster than regular USB 1.1 connections. You will get differing opinions as to which of USB 2.0 or Firewire is the better for video.

    Generally, the better & faster (USB 2.0 & Firewire) the webcam, the smoother, clearer, & bigger the picture will tend to be on your computer screen, & the more in sync your audio & video will be (because audio is slowed down much less than video, as it transmits much less digital data).

    For online video with us you will need to download Festoon (free) & have a webcam, in addition to having a headset/microphone & downloading Skype. The webcam Festoon recommends is the Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 USB (we have put some links to it further down this page). Other webcams will also work but may not be of the same quality. Unfortunately Festoon only works on Windows 2000 & Windows XP at present. Linux, Mac & other platforms will be released in the future.

    For online audio with us you will need to download Skype (free) & have a headset/microphone. The sound quality of Skype is said to be better than what we're used to on the phone (I know this is difficult to believe so check out the above "better" link). Skype is owned & operated by ebay as is PayPal.

    In order to have quality audio, you will need to purchase a headset/microphone that plugs into your computer rather than relying on your computer's external speakers. The quality of the audio will of course also be affected by the quality of the headset that you purchase.  Those that plug into the USB slot on your computer probably offer better quality as USB connections will not slow down the audio transmission from the internet to your computer (as some sound cards might). We have put links to the 2 headsets/microphones (Plantronics 90 & 60) that Skype recommends, further down this page.

    Please note that Skype & Festoon are different downloads. 

    Skype lists it's minimum system requirements for audio as a 400 MHz computer processor with a dial-up internet connection. However, they recommend a 1GHz computer processor & a broadband (cable, DSL) internet connection for video, their advanced features & to experience the best sound quality possible.

    The beauty about using Skype/Festoon is not just that it's free & top quality. Live Type Chat Instant Messaging, File transfers, audio & video are all also automatically encrypted in your computer by Skype before they're sent onto the internet & then automatically decrypted in the receiving person's computer by Skype after being transferred from the internet. In this way all communication is secure, private & confidential & cannot be intercepted. We know of no other service, besides Skype/Festoon, that encrypts audio & video. It's also a system in which Windows, Linux, Mac & other platforms can communicate with one another (except in video at present).

    Please make sure you have successfully tested your Skype/Festoon downloads & audio/video equipment before making an online appointment (not necessary for Phone or email counseling).

    When you download Skype, be sure to click "Save" rather than "Open", write down the full file name it will be stored under in your computer, & where it's being stored in your computer. Once downloaded click the "Start" button in the lower left corner of your computer screen, then click the word "Search" in your pop-up list (in Windows it has a magnifying glass beside it), then type in the file full file name you copied down for the Skype download, then double click the Skype file name in the list your computer eventually takes you to as a result of your "Search". Then walk through the steps popping up on your computer screen of uploading Skype onto your computer, registering a "Contact Name" for yourself with Skype, & clicking yes to put the Skype icon on your computer screen.

    If it didn't work, you must not have done one or more of these steps, or more likely not written down the full file name it's stored under in your computer, so just download it again from the Skype website & do or write down what you missed the first time. Not a problem if it takes two or three times to get it right.

    You'll need to go through the same steps with the Festoon (video) download. Make sure you download Skype before Festoon though, as the Festoon download automatically hooks into Skype on your computer.

    It would probably be wise to print off onto a printer the Skype instructions for a number of tasks you'll be doing with Skype. The 2 indexes are at "How to Use Skype" & "Visual & Text Guides". Print out  the "Download" link instructions listed in the above "How to Use Skype" link before you walk through the download process we've typed out above, as it's best to combine what we've typed above with Skype's printout of the "Download" instructions.

    We've provided an additional page of instructions for setting up & testing out the audio of your headset/microphone, both in your computer itself & also online with Skype. It's some personal comments regarding what we found was helpful in working through the various steps of applying Skype's above "How to Use Skype" & "Visual & Text Guides".

    To book an appointment, click onto "Booking Appointments", choose either Steve or Heidi & click onto either the "email counseling" or "online & phone counseling" link. You will then be able to purchase 15, 30 or 50 minutes of email counseling, or browse the available dates in a particular month & then purchase whichever day & appointment time suits you best.

    Thank you for considering using us to help you.

Description of Amazon links & their Shipping rates is further down this page

          = US$            = CDN$            = CDN$

.com US$ webcam in above left pictured box ad is in US$ & US shipping rates

                 Plantronics Audio 90 Multimedia Stereo PC Headset

                 Plantronics Audio 60 Stereo PC Headset

.co.uk GBP Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 Webcam

                     Plantronics Skype-ready Audio 90 Hi-fi PC Headset

                     Plantronics Skype-ready Audio 60 Stereo PC Headset