A Take on Teletherapy
It doesn’t need to be said that COVID has changed so much of our lives. At BEST, it feels like life is put on pause. And at worst, it’s devastation and tragedy for many. I remember pivoting my practice completely to online telehealth services back in March 2020, and even though I miss the in-person interactions, I honestly feel very LUCKY to be able to continue my work in this way.
So, what’s teletherapy like compared to therapy done in-person?
From where I’m sitting (in the therapist’s chair), teletherapy feels more focused than in-person sessions. When we meet in-person, we chit-chat more and we tend to take a bit more time to settle in before getting to the “meaty” part of conversation. Since teletherapy requires more focus from both parties, it can feel more draining compared to in-person sessions. For example, people usually show each other that they’re paying attention to what’s being said by staring intently at the screen. However this behaviour isn’t necessary in person – instead, we give our eyes a break by gazing around the room, getting up to stretch, or taking a break.
I’ll also point out that I find nonverbal communication or comfort more difficult to convey through teletherapy. For example, I can use sounds and smells to add comfort to an in-person therapeutic environment (e.g. playing soft music or using aromatherapy), or if I had a client who was crying, I could hand over a tissue, and intense emotions can be shared in person. This type of experience gets missed in teletherapy.
HOWEVER, despite its limitations, studies have shown that teletherapy can be as effective as in-person therapy. Most of my clients who’ve had to make the switch adapted very well to online counselling, and many even prefer it because of the convenience it offers. So I challenge the skeptics out there to give teletherapy a CHANCE if you’re on the fence about it. I think that many private practice therapists will choose to stay 100% online even after all of this, and if that’s a trend it’ll be interesting to see how this shifts mental health service provision on a macro level, in future.
As for me… I envision REM Therapy Services going hybrid and offering both in-person and teletherapy services when COVID is behind us. I’m looking forward to it.
