What can I expect from virtual therapy? - Video Transcript

Hey guys, I'm Kristen the anxiety therapist and today I'm going to be talking about frequently asked questions and concerns when it comes to virtual therapy sessions or telehealth. Um this is something that has become a lot more common since the start of the pandemic and um some people are a little bit hesitant because they're not quite sure whether there's going to be the same quality or whether they can connect with their therapist.

And so I'm here today just to kind of dispel some of these misconceptions and answer some questions about that. Um to be honest, when the pandemic first started and I was forced to go to virtual sessions, I absolutely hated it and I could not wait to get back in person then as time went on I began to realize that it's a lot more convenient.

Um there's really no difference. And so now I'm thinking of going um full telehealth when my office lease is up. So starting with the first question or concern is the quality of the same and I would say absolutely um it's the same, if not better. So I used to have a 30-40 minute commute to and from my office every day.

And so with that time that I'm getting back, it's actually allowed me to get engaged in more training or do some research for a client if they need resources um, or if they need more, some psychoeducation about something. Um it's allowed me to really sort of sharpen my clinical skills in that way and that is benefiting my clients.

Um the second concern or question is about nonverbal cues. So obviously um there are a lot, there's a lot of body language, facial expressions, whatnot. That um is a form of communication in addition to just talking, but truthfully I think facial expressions and affect which is sort of how our face demonstrates our mood.

Um I would say those are the most important and that is something that you can actually get more of with virtual sessions because I would much rather be meeting with someone virtually when I can see their entire face versus sitting across from somebody with a mask on um not being able to see half of their face and them not being able to see half of my face.

That is an extremely challenging way to work. Um another question or concern is, can you build that trust and rapport and get to know your therapist just as well virtually as you might be able to in person and I would say absolutely, um you know, I had clients, a lot of clients at the start of the pandemic that I was seeing them in person for a while and then we switched to virtual and then I had new clients coming in who was starting with me virtually.

And so this was a concern of mine and over time I've realized that there's absolutely no difference that I have been able to build the same level of trust to get the same sort of read on them. Um whether they are seeing me virtually or in person. Um another concern or question is what if you're not tech savvy, this is a concern for some of the older folks out there, and um to be honest, everything is so streamlined now you don't have to download anything.

Um the video platform that I use is you literally just click on a link and it takes you to our session. Um the only alternative would be if you were using your phone you would have to download an app but it's free, it's super simple. Um and then you know obviously there are some internet issues at times and you just troubleshoot, you know sometimes you reconnect um or you switch over to another video platform or whatever the case may be.

I've never had to discontinue a session due to um technical issues um and then lastly privacy and confidentiality are a huge concern. So the virtual platform I use is HIPAA compliant, meaning that is um it is completely confidential and very secure and protective of all health information and I've had clients where you know if they're at home and maybe other people, other family members are in the house, they'll meet with me from their car or I've met with clients in their office.

So um part of it is just making sure that you're creating privacy and confidentiality in your own space um as well. So finally some tips for how to have a good virtual therapy session is um one to choose a comfortable and quiet location. Uh if you are using your phone to prop it up so that it's steady.

I've had some sessions where I felt like I was kind of on a roller coaster because um my client was you know holding their phone and kind of shifting here and there so um just making sure that that the phone is steady definitely turn on your do not disturb function so that you're not having incoming calls or texts or alerts going off and if you're on your computer be sure that you're closing all of your tabs.

So I've had clients who have had you know their email open or their um their g chat or whatever and so they'll have alerts going off during the session, it's just distracting for both parties so be sure to have other tabs closed. And then finally um I'm a big fan of white noise machines so I keep one outside of my office door so that nobody can hear our sessions and I would encourage my clients to do the same to keep a white noise machine outside of whatever room they're using to conduct sessions.

So um I hope that's helpful if you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment or message me and I'm happy to clear that up for you. So thanks for watching see you guys next week.