Relationship Teletherapy

AARP consults marriage counselors, including myself, on the growing need for teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to make an online therapy experience most effective.

Read the full article here or a quick excerpt below:

Exposing intimate marital troubles to a therapist you meet online can be daunting, but advantages include the elimination of travel time and having sessions from the comfort of your own home. For those in more rural areas or places where choices of therapists are limited, it’s much easier to access marriage therapy online and transportation isn’t a barrier.

Here are some best practices:

1. Join on one screen: Even though technology allows couples to chat from separate locations, “to get the most out of therapy you and your partner need physiological connection and attunement,” says Indigo Stray Conger, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Denver and a regular contributor to online resource Choosing Therapy. “You need to be able to have both eye contact and physical touch available with your partner throughout your session.”

2. Reduce technology issues: Use a laptop instead of a phone for a more secure and stable Wi-Fi connection, and do a dry run of the video platform your counselor will be using.

3. Go somewhere private: Get creative if need be. One therapist reports having sessions with a couple who logged in from their closed-door walk-in closet.

4. Get rid of distractions: Turn off your notifications, ensure the kids are being watched or otherwise occupied, and tell the office you won’t be available for that hour.