Why You Should Try Teletherapy
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
If you’ve read any of my posts before, you know I am all about spreading the word on mental health and I’m pro therapy lol. But due to the current state of our nation with COVID-19, our interactions have changed in a major way.
One of the main things I had to adjust to was teletherapy. These are video sessions between you and a therapist. I currently can’t meet face to face with my therapist and honestly, I don’t know when I’ll be able to. But if I’m being honest, I was rigid to the change. I’m basically scheduling sessions on an as needed basis right now. But when I needed to schedule back in March (before everything shut down), I was faced with the decision to do a virtual session or meet in the office. It took me days to decide lol. I’m a people person, so I wanted that regular session, in-person, contact but I had to think about my health.
I’ll admit, at first, I was really missing the in-person interaction, but I've gotten use to it.
I had a realization though, teletherapy is a great way for those who are intimidated or nervous by the thought of starting therapy.
If you are interested or want to do therapy but are scared, here’s why teletherapy may be for you:
It’s an easy way to ease into therapy. You don’t have to go inside an office. It may be really good for those who experience severe anxiety. For example, I attend a support group monthly. We had a new member this month who was nervous. But guess what? She got to introduce herself and meet everyone virtually, which she said was a lot easier. It takes the pressure off.
It can help you get out of your head. Since you’re home, you won’t be worried about what your therapist thinks of how you look (as much), you won’t be fixated on things in their office, or worried about if others can hear what you are saying outside the door. It’s just the two of you on video, a lot less distraction from being in an office.
Location doesn’t matter. In my professional and personal life, I’ve found good therapist who are too far out to travel to. Like on a good day, the commute would be over 30 mins. During normal life, that could be difficult if you’re trying to get a session in on your lunch break or after work. With teletherapy, location is not an issue. Now if you plan to continue therapy for a long period of time and want to move to in-person sessions, I would recommend considering location.
It’s convenient. I would recommend being in a quiet room, alone to get the most out of the session, but you can literally do it wherever in your home. You also need a stable internet connection to utilize whatever secure video service your therapist chooses. You can also set the mood for yourself. I like to burn stress relief candles during my teletherapy. This could also be helpful for couples with conflicting schedules or doing family sessions as it may be easier than getting everybody physically to an office at the same time.
The best part is that you still get all the benefits as in-person therapy. My therapists still sends me video or worksheets via email. So you can still get the necessary tools to work through whatever you’re discussing in your sessions.
If you need help finding a therapist check out my blog on finding a therapist: https://www.writefullysobrittany.com/home/2019/9/2/how-to-find-the-right-therapist-for-you
You would do all the same steps listed, but just look to see if the therapist offers virtual sessions. You can always ask in your inquiry.
Are you interested in teletherapy? If you’ve done teletherapy, how do you like it?