5 Tips to help you get the most out of teletherapy
Like many therapists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, my sessions went virtual. Fast forward to now, October of 2022 and still most of my sessions are conducted via telehealth. While teletherapy will not be for everyone or best suited for treating all conditions, it offers many benefits.
It’s convenient.
It increases access to care for people who might have been limited by transportation, scheduling availability, or geographic region.
Instead of being limited to the therapists near you, you can work with a therapist anywhere in your state, thus increasing the chances of finding a good fit with your therapist and/or a particular style of therapy.
It saves you time. You don’t have to commute to and from the therapists office. There is no waiting around in the waiting room. You can schedule appointments during your work breaks and this can cut down on how much time you need to take off from work for appointments. This could mean more time off can go to things like vacations or rest.
It may also improve privacy. All teletherapy is required to be conducted via HIPAA compliant and secure platforms to protect your privacy. Also, there isn’t the same risk of running into someone you know at the therapists office so the awkwardness of this or the pressure to talk about why you are there is eliminated.
To help you get the most of teletherapy, try these tips:
Before your session, take some time to reflect on your week and what issues you want to talk about in therapy. I usually recommend keeping a therapy journal to track pre-session goals (and post session thoughts, insights, strategies and homework).
Consider what kind of environment makes you feel most calm. What could you do to make your environment more calming during your session? In the office, I dim lights, have tea available, pillows/blankets or comfort items, fidget toys/objects nearby, etc.
Try to minimize distraction and extra noise. If you share a living space with others, consider using headphones or a white noise machine to help with sound and increase privacy.
Check your internet connection before hand. If connectivity issues are present, consider ways to boost signal (e.g., connecting directly to your modem/router or using a USB wifi adapter). Additionally many teletherapy platforms recommend closing all other browser tabs.
Lastly, if the teletherapy platform you’re using shows you yourself on screen too, mute your image! It’s unnatural to do therapy in front of a mirror. It adds an element of self-consciousness that can affect your ability to be vulnerable in session or fully present.
Have questions or comments? Feel free to email them to me at shethergray@gmail.com. Until next time, be well, and take care of yourself and others (if you can)!