Due to COVID-19, Peaceful Way Psychology has made the decision to move all appointments to telehealth to promote the health, safety and continued well being of our clients and staff. Since you are used to having your therapy sessions in person, we wanted to give some tips on how to get the most out of your teletherapy:
1 – Privacy
Having privacy for your session is vital. If you live with roommates or a significant other, you may have to get creative to establish the level of privacy needed for your remote sessions. We suggest using headphones and having your session somewhere you can close a door to set a physical boundary. You may want to turn on some sort of white noise outside the door where you’re having your session. There are plenty of white noise videos on YouTube, which you can play on another device and place outside your door. Depending on your situation, it might also be helpful to ask your partner or roommates to wear headphones (noise-canceling, even better!) or to take a walk or otherwise distance themselves during your session.
2 – Honesty
If you’re feeling nervous or uncomfortable about a telehealth session, it’s absolutely appropriate for you to express these concerns to your therapist. We know that many people feel anxious about new things and speaking virtually rather than being in the office together is certainly a new experience. The cadence of your dialogue may feel a bit different; it’s okay to talk about how that feels with your therapist. It’s all part of the process of adapting and learning to effectively connect and communicate.
3 – Curiosity
One silver lining to our switch to telehealth is having the opportunity to see clients in their home environment, which may lead the focus of therapy in new ways. Be mindful of what it feels like to be in your home “with” your therapist and notice what’s different about this compared with in-person meetings. Allowing yourself to approach this new format with a beginner’s mind may help you to get something different and unique from your sessions.
We understand that these are challenging times for everyone, and that transitioning to teletherapy may feel different or awkward, but hope that using the tips above will help you to access the support you need as comfortably as possible.
Peaceful Way Psychology is located in Midtown Manhattan. They believe in diversity, and provide individual counseling, couples counseling, and family therapy.
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