Optimizing Virtual Therapy
Since the start of the 2020 pandemic, we’ve been conducting all of our sessions virtually at Mile High Psychotherapy PLLC.
Telehealth offers several benefits beyond germ-free appointments and zero commute:
Meeting while in the comfort and safety of your own home provides an optimal container for emotional release and for the vulnerable connection of couples/relational work.
Meeting virtually eliminates the need for driving after an appointment which may bring up difficult emotions. Driving while emotionally flooded is as dangerous as driving under the influence of substances.
When you are learning to apply techniques for emotional regulation, co-regulation, anxiety reduction, or embodied awareness, doing so in your own home can allow those techniques to be integrated more easefully than when you learn them in an unfamiliar office space.
In order to maximize the benefits of a virtual context it is important to create a clear therapeutic container for yourself by following these guidelines:
Treat your therapy time as sacred. Make sure not to schedule other commitments immediately before or after your appointment so that you are not rushing into or out of your session.
Take the time to ground yourself or to connect intentionally with your partner(s) prior to your appointment. This may mean a brief mindfulness practice, breathing exercise, or finding another way to connect inward or to each other somatically.
Check in with where you and/or your partner(s) are at emotionally and what you hope to cover in your session before it begins. You may want to write notes about what you would like to discuss. Also ensure that you are able to take notes during session about any realizations or psychoeducation you may receive.
Make sure to eliminate distractions. Don’t plan to eat lunch while we talk or have children, pets, or housemates around who may interrupt. Turn off your electronic notifications, particularly on the screen you will be using for our session. Therapy is emotional work and requires your undivided attention.
Even though you are in the comfort of your own space, please don’t utilize substances such as alcohol or marijuana before or during our call. Clear cognition is optimal for the emotional work that therapy entails.
Use a computer on a stable surface and not a mobile phone whenever possible. That way we can make eye contact as we would in an office setting and your hands can be free to relax, gesticulate, or connect to your partner(s).
Use a stable internet connection, including being directly connected to a cable if possible. Make sure your audio (both speakers and microphone) provide a conduit for clear communication. Technological interruptions can disrupt the flow of a session and impede our work together.
Sometimes a car is the only place you may be able to meet privately. This is okay as long as your internet is stable, your light source is consistent, you are safely parked, and there are no distractions.
If you are attending couples/relational therapy, make sure that you and your partner(s) are in the same location whenever possible. This limits technological issues and allows you to interact physiologically with one another while processing vulnerable and emotional subject matter. Please notify your therapist before any necessary distance sessions occur.
Keeping these key elements in mind allows virtual therapy to be as profound and powerful as meeting in person. If you have questions about how to maximize your therapeutic process, let me know as we begin our work together.