Get the Most Out of Distance Therapy
Mental health professionals have slowly been using video and text platforms to provide services to people for the last several years. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement toward social distancing has made telehealth more of a necessity, it seems there has been a surge in mental health professionals offering telehealth services. As we all keep our prescribed 6ft away from each other, we still need to talk—for some, we need to talk more than ever!
Distance therapy (or telehealth) is the use of technology to meet therapeutic needs of clients in a location different from the mental health professional. For some, the change from face to face therapy to telehealth might feel off-putting. For some, it might feel a bit more exciting! Maybe it’s easier to discuss hard things when there is a digital barrier between you. Either way, for now and the coming future, distance therapy is here to stay.
Here are a few tips to make the best of distance therapy:
Find a quiet and private place where you feel safe to discuss vulnerable things Some people go to their cars or even the bathroom to talk.
Get comfortable! Snuggle up in a blanket, get a nice cup of tea. This is your time to explore yourself.
Use headphones if you have them. It helps to keep out all of the possible background noise so that we can focus on you.
Be on time. Telehealth might feel a bit more lax—I mean, when’s the last time you had a therapy appointment in your pajamas? But this is still an appointment, so please be respectful of your therapist’s time.
Place your phone in one place and keep your face within view of the camera. This is something that people often forget when they’re on video chat!
Have a good, stable internet connection. This is the most important tip! Here are key points to assure you have a good call:
Use high speed internet
Poor wifi often makes for video quality issues—if you can, connect your ethernet cord directly to your computer
Try to talk just like you would in person! Yes, distance therapy is different from talking face to face. So of course, there will be differences in how you connect with your therapist. But different does not always equal bad. Be sure to discuss these differences with your therapist.
Therapy is a time for you to focus on YOU! Distance therapy is just one more way for you to do that. Hopefully, these tips will help you to make the best of this opportunity
