Questions, answered

Walnut Therapy is a mental health practice built around a simple idea. Care should arrive early, sit through the hard parts, and remain for the slow return.

We work online, from India, connecting people with qualified therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and a psychiatrist through private video sessions. Our practitioners bring training, care, and time to the room, no matter what you are bringing in.

Alongside one-on-one therapy, we run Walnut Academy, where we train the next generation of mental health practitioners in the same values.

Sessions at Walnut Therapy are 50 minutes long.

This is the standard length used across most therapy practices, and it gives us enough time to settle in, explore what you’re bringing, and close the session with care.

If a session runs slightly over because something important is being explored, your therapist may extend the time based on their availability. The fee for the extra time is adjusted later.

We offer therapy in the way that suits you best.

1. Private video sessions, held in real time.
2. Voice sessions, when video is not the right fit.

For most people, online therapy works beautifully. It is private, flexible, and lets the work happen in a space you already feel comfortable in. That said, if there is a specific reason you feel in-person sessions would suit you better, that is something we can talk through together. Because our therapists and clients are often based in different towns, in-person meetings depend on both being in the same city. When that alignment is there, we do our best to arrange a meeting at one of our partner spaces.

Online therapy is the same as therapy in a room, only the room is wherever you are. A private, real-time session with a qualified therapist, held over a secure video or voice call. The conversation, the care, and the confidentiality are exactly the same.

For many people, this way of meeting a therapist actually makes the work easier. You are in a space you already feel safe in. There is no commute, no waiting room, no adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings before the session begins. You settle in faster, and often, so does the work.

More effective than most people expect.

In-person therapy has its own quiet strengths, and for some people, it will always be the right fit. But it also asks something of you before the work can even begin. A journey across the city. A waiting room. The questions from family about where you are going. The long walk from your home to a stranger’s cabin. For many, that walk is long enough to slowly change their mind.

Online therapy gently removes that barrier. In a moment where almost everything else in life is a tap away, so is the person who can help you understand yourself better. There is no journey to explain, no waiting room to sit through. You simply arrive.

And once you do, the work is the same. The relationship between you and your therapist is what matters most, and that does not depend on being in the same physical space. It depends on presence, trust, and attention. These travel through a screen just as well.

For many people, this is not a compromise. It is the reason they finally begin.

Yes. What you share in your sessions is treated with care, respect, and confidentiality. You can speak openly about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences knowing that your privacy is an important part of the therapeutic space.

Our therapists follow the confidentiality and ethical standards set by their respective professional bodies, including the RCI, where applicable. There are limited exceptions to confidentiality, which your therapist will explain to you at the beginning of therapy.

Confidentiality is more than a professional responsibility. It is part of creating a space where you feel safe enough to be honest, heard, and yourself.

There is no single “right” answer to this question. The pace of therapy is something we shape together, and it can be adjusted to fit your needs, your energy, and what feels manageable for you.

The first one or two sessions are usually a gentle space for us to get to know you, understand what has brought you here, and begin to make sense of what you might need right now. There is no pressure to have everything figured out. We take our time to find a direction that feels safe and right for you.

Many people find it helpful to begin with weekly sessions, as this creates continuity and support while the work is still taking shape. We often suggest starting with around five or six sessions so there is enough space to settle in and begin noticing change.

As we go along, we will regularly check in together about what feels helpful and sustainable. Your therapist will support you in finding a rhythm that feels comfortable, realistic, and meaningful for you, whether that stays weekly or changes over time.

Therapy at Walnut Therapy is built around regular sessions and a steady, supportive process. Sessions take place at agreed times, with the space between them allowing you time to reflect and process what comes up.

If something urgent arises between sessions, you can reach out to your therapist. At the beginning of your work together, your therapist will discuss whether they are available for urgent concerns between sessions and what the appropriate way to reach them would be. This helps ensure that you both have clarity from the beginning.

If you are experiencing an immediate crisis or need urgent, in-person medical care, please contact your nearest hospital or emergency service.

All communication with your therapist should take place through the agreed Walnut Therapy channels, helping maintain a clear and private therapeutic space.

Walnut Academy is for psychology graduates ready to move beyond academic learning, and for practicing therapists who want to add a method to their work.

Many who reach out to us have already done a course or two, and still find themselves quietly wondering: am I ready to sit across from a client? Will I do right by them? These are not signs of weakness. They are the questions of thoughtful practitioners at the start of something real. Walnut Academy is where those questions are met with training, structure, and steady mentorship.

Inside Counselling, our internship, sits slightly apart. It is designed for students taking their first steps into the field.

How you train with us depends on where you are in the work.

If you are building a practice from the ground up, the Therapist Program is the full path. Six months. From your first client session to a steady, grounded practice.

If you already have a foundation and want to deepen a specific method, our one-month programs let you focus on one at a time. CBT. Integrative brief and goal-focused work. Depth work.

Two ways of working, chosen by pace and by depth.

Forward Therapy is quick on its feet. Brief, flexible, and shaped around what the client wants to move towards. It brings together Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused work. Useful when the client feels stuck, or when time is limited and progress needs to feel tangible.

Inward Therapy is slower, and asks more of the room. It draws on psychodynamic thinking, person-centred and humanistic therapy, and Internal Family Systems. This is the work for clients ready to explore the patterns beneath the surface, and understand where those patterns came from.