Virtual therapy has been around for a while, but it really stepped up in 2020 when people had to stay home. It shows no signs of going away, either, as virtual therapy is often more convenient and more affordable than conventional in-person therapy. Adjusting to virtual therapy is usually simple, although you have to double-check a few more things to ensure you can get the most out of your sessions.
Make Sure You Have a Private Spot
Do make sure you have a private spot in which you can talk freely. This can be your car; all those videos you see on social media of people talking to the camera in their cars were filmed there not for looks but because that's a nice, private area with decent sound insulation. You can also see about arranging for therapy sessions when everyone else is out of the house.
One caveat about using your car as your "therapy couch": If you're using Bluetooth connected to your car to communicate over your phone with your therapist, be aware that sometimes the vibrations in the speakers in the car can be loud enough that the conversation is heard outside the car. Maybe turn off Bluetooth and just use your device's regular speakers.
Discuss Body Language and the Lack of Clues
Virtual therapy, even with large computer screens, gives the therapist only a partial view of your body. If you have certain body language, like a certain posture or your arms are crossed, it will be harder for the therapist to see that. This lack of body language clues could make it a bit more difficult for the therapist to divine what's really getting to you. You may want to ask the therapist in the first session how they handle the lack of physical clues.
Double-Check About Court-Mandated Qualification
You would think that in a pandemic, any court-mandated therapy would have to be done virtually. Yet as states reopen, the requirement that some forms of mandated counseling and therapy be in-person again may return. If you are participating in these sessions for legal reasons, always verify with the court and the therapist that the sessions still count if they are virtual.
Virtual therapy is available for many different schools of therapy, so if one therapist doesn't work out for you, try another. It's normal for people to change therapists a few times as they search for the right one.
For more information, reach out to a virtual therapist today.
