Please Keep “Seeing” Your Therapist: Teletherapy in the Age of the Coronavirus
By: Hayley B. Sherwood, Ph.D,, Owner & Clinical Psychologist, Oak Hill Psychological Services, PLLC
We surely are living in extraordinary times. News reports alert us constantly to increasingly worrisome coronavirus statistics. We await updates from our school districts for online learning. College students and adult children have returned home. Every day parents face the daunting challenge of juggling the demands of homeschooling, working from home or worrying about layoffs—all while managing households.
While we have lots to be grateful for, including the “gift” of time with family members, we face growing uncertainty (REMEMBER anxiety LOVES uncertainty!). Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s March 29 Executive Order requiring us to stay at home other than for trips for groceries, medications and other essentials until at least June 10 necessitates considering teletherapy as a viable option.
As a therapist for nearly twenty years, I am now adjusting to virtual meetings with many clients. For me, therapy is first and foremost about relationships that until now have involved sitting with my clients in the same room. Connections in this physical space are intimate and powerful. Thus, it took me a week into the quarantine to sign up on an online therapy site—all while pondering the potential value of taking physical closeness out of the therapist/client relationship. Working with clients from the “neck up” just did not seem like effective therapy.
I have just begun my third week of online therapy sessions. Initially, I felt awkward and uncomfortable. For instance, was I looking at the right spot on my laptop screen so that I was making eye contact with my clients? Could anyone else hear us? After working through this discomfort as well as several technical difficulties, I can confidently say that I have a newfound appreciation of online therapy. I have met clients’ pets (and heard some barking at letter carriers), seen their homes, heard them play musical instruments, and been introduced to family members. Until now, I could only imagine these aspects of my clients’ personal lives. This intimacy looks and feels different, but it is still intimacy.
As teletherapy has become part of the new normal, here are some strategies for making the most of teletherapy sessions:
1) Keep your appointments. Prioritizing self-care during this time will help you feel better. This will allow you to take better care of yourself and the people around you.
2) Prepare for your sessions by listing topics you want to discuss. Have this list on hand during your sessions and make your therapist aware of it at the outset.
3) Find a quiet space where you will be uninterrupted during your session. Sitting in your car can be a good option.
4) Have paper and pen with you so you can take notes (e.g., of recommended websites).
5) Try not to think too far into the future. Instead, stay as focused as possible on the 24 hours in front of you.
In time, we will get to the other side of this challenge.
About the Author:
Dr. Sherwood is a Board Member of This Is My Brave, as well as the Owner and Clinical Psychologist of Oak Hill Psychological Services, PLLC, in Herndon, Virginia. She specializes in adolescent, women’s and family issues.
