5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Online Therapy by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
Identify your spot. Online therapy is convenient, which means you get to choose where you will be during the appointment. Reflect on a spot where you feel the most comfortable and where you will have privacy. Do you have a cozy chair or couch that you would like to sit on during the appointments? If inside the house is not ideal due to lack of privacy, would sitting in your parked car be better?
Know your devices. All the software for online video sessions can be accessed through the computer. Most online therapy software also have an app version for smartphone devices. The ability to have appointments through your smartphone will expand your options of where you can be during appointments, as well as when your appointment will be: you won’t be limited to times when you’d able to access a computer in private.
Embrace the flexibility. A huge benefit to online therapy is that it removes the need to commute to your appointment location, which then removes the need to redo your schedule to fit in time for therapy. An online video session can be squeezed in during your lunch break or during your child’s nap time. Depending on your therapist’s availability, you might also be able to have your appointment during an “off-peak hour,” early in the morning, later in the day, or after dinner.
The mental shift. Because the online video appointment will be in the comfort of your own home or a spot of your choosing, and in between other tasks in your schedule, the shift into therapy will be a matter of headspace. What will help you make this shift? A few minutes of rest before the appointment? Or, as you sit down in your spot or close that car door, would viewing that as the shift into your appointment be a helpful transition? If there are any difficulties making this mental shift, the therapist can also assist. I have set aside a few minutes in the beginning of sessions with clients for a relaxation technique, which helps with this transition.
Openness to the experience. Anything new or slightly different might be nerve-racking or met with skepticism. This is normal and natural. Acknowledging that yes, this is not in-person therapy, is helpful because it might help to then compare it to similar forms of communication methods and reflect on how common this communication method is right now, such as people speaking through FaceTime or how the daily news is provided by newscasters through video methods from their home. Over time, you may find that the only difference between an in-person appointment and video session is that it is through video. The information discussed, the techniques implemented, and the feeling of closeness between a therapist and client, is the same as in-person.
You don’t have to do this alone. If you are interested in receiving therapy with me, let’s schedule a free 15-minute phone consult.
My office is located in Irvine, which is near Newport Beach, Orange, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Tustin, Seal Beach, and beyond. I work with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and Asian American & Pacific Islanders.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. The topics being discussed are meant as a self-help tool for you own use. It is not psychotherapy or counseling. This information is to be used based on your own judgment. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly.