Therapy doesn’t have to be either boring or traumatic. Even trauma therapy can be interesting and helpful without the turmoil normally associated with visiting your dentist! I am primarily a teletherapy practitioner and have found teletherapy to be extremely helpful to my clients. In fact, the latest research, post-COVID, indicates that teletherapy can be as helpful, and in some cases, more effective, than in person therapy. Some of the advantages of teletherapy are:
1. Save time driving to and from your therapist’s office.
2. Save time waiting in a waiting room.
3. Save gas and wear and tear on your vehicle driving.
4. Avoid exposing yourself and family to potentially harmful sickness.
5. Participate in therapy from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
6. Experience the same benefits of participation in in person therapy without the hassle.
Sounds too good to be true? Not really, but as with all good things, there are caveats. With all these benefits, you may get the idea that teletherapy is easy or requires no effort on your part. This is a common misconception as therapy is HARD work not matter how it’s facilitated. I’ve listed below a few things that will help clear up some confusion and help you get the most out of your therapy sessions.
1. Please be on time to your therapy appointment. Your therapist will make ever effort to be ready and on time for your appointment. It will begin and end at the appointed time regardless of when you sign on. Your therapist has likely booked just the right amount of time for each appointment and will need to sign off and on to another client’s session at the end of yours.
2. Please dress appropriately. This doesn’t mean formal wear, but please dress like you would normally. Pajamas are not good dress for a therapy session. Please consider how you would like to dress if you were going to work.
3. Please consider your internet connection. THIS IS IMPERATIVE and often the most common problem with telehterapy. A poor connection or poor internet speed will be a distraction to you and interfere with your therapy. A general rule of thumb is 10 mbs of download speed and 1 mbs or upload speed. Occasionally you can get by on 4G but a good connection is good insurance for a good session.
4. Please make sure you can participate uninterrupted. If you are trying to work while we do therapy or tending to children, telephone calls, or other things, you may be wasting your money on therapy. Good therapy will require your full attention. This also means that driving while doing therapy usually is a bad idea.
5. Try to find a place that’s quiet, comfortable, and where you won’t be disturbed. Yep!
6. If your therapist asks you to do homework, this is for your therapy and will benefit you if you do. It will also slow down your therapy and end up costing more money if you don’t.
7. In the beginning, your therapist will likely ask to meet with you once or twice weekly, depending on the severity of the issues you’re facing and on your stability. It is absolutely essential to start therapy with a good start. This will develop momentum and will save time and money in the long run. Likely, your therapist will ask to meet less frequently when you are in a better place, and gradually slow therapy to discharge.
8. It’s never a bad idea to bring paper and pen in case you need to take some notes. Occasionally we will use an intervention with several steps and notes can really help with recall.
9. If you have problems with audio OR need to ensure privacy from being heard by others, consider a headset or ear buds. This can help a lot.
10. Please come ready to work. Your therapist is trained and equipped to help, but you are the determining factor of the outcome of your therapy.
11. Finally, PLEASE bring any concerns to the attention of your therapist. No one’s feelings will be hurt, even if it is critical. Your therapist is there to help and needs your feedback on what is helping, what you need more of and what you prefer to have less of.
For more on the sequence and workings of therapy, please see https://www.hoperenewedemdr.com/the-flow-of-therapy . For more information on teletherapy specifically, please see https://www.hoperenewedemdr.com/teletherapy .
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