Teletherapy

Keeping safe requires adjustments.

COVID-19 has changed nearly everything we do, and therapy is no exception.

I will admit that I was a little nervous about moving my practice from in-person to virtual, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

For the foreseeable future, I will provide therapy via telehealth. Hopefully, someday, we will meet in person again.

Regardless, teletherapy will remain part of my practice because it works well.

People still ask me if they will lie on a couch when they come to see me. And these days? Just maybe! But it will be your couch and not mine.

Teletherapy involves virtual interaction.

Teletherapy is meeting virtually via electronic means through your computer, tablet, or phone rather than in person in my office.

Teletherapy isn’t new. The research shows that it is as useful and beneficial for many of the issues for which people seek therapy as in-person.

What are the benefits?

Flexibility – Sessions are available anywhere you have a reliable Internet connection and privacy. You pick the spot – your back yard, on your porch, in your office, or even from your couch.

Privacy – Do you ever worry about running into someone you know in the lobby or having to interact with your therapist because you live in the same place? Teletherapy gives you more choices and more privacy.

Efficiency – You don’t have to carve out extra time for traffic, find parking, or spend extra time in the lobby, thus giving you more time in your day.

Safety – With COVID-19, Teletherapy allows us to work together while keeping you and me (and our families) as safe as possible.

Choice – Teletherapy provides you an opportunity to seek out a therapist from a larger area. For people with specific needs or those living in rural communities, this increases their ability to find the therapist that is best for them.

Comfort – Most of the time, you get to be in your own space with all your familiar things and in the comfort of home.

The process of connecting is easy.

I use a platform called Simple Practice.

This platform is HIPAA compliant – meaning it meets the requirements to protect your privacy to the standards expected for therapeutic services.

We both log in at the appointment time, and we are connected.

Once connected, we proceed as if we are in person until the end of the appointment.

At the end of our appointment, we both exit the platform, and the session ends.

Here are some tips to enhance the session.

The biggest priority is finding a private place to be without distractions.

Decent lighting (facing a window or using a lamp) and headphones are needed to see and hear each other better.

Lighting is helpful so I can see your face. Facing a window or having a light source behind the screen can help. If you are on a computer, opening a blank word document can give some white light. Or you can turn on the overhead light or a lamp.

If using a phone, it is helpful to prop it up for easy viewing. Too much movement can be a little hard on my brain.

And, of course, you need reliable Internet.

What if we can’t connect?

Sometimes technology lets us down.

I will have a back-up option to try if a connection with Simple Practice becomes an issue.

We can also try the phone if that works for what we are doing.

If one of us loses cell and Wi-Fi service, we will need to reconnect as soon as possible.

Don’t let COVID keep you from therapy!

Teletherapy works, and you may find that you prefer it over in-person therapy.

Contact me today, and let’s set up our first session.