Telehealth

Virtual therapy meets many needs.

Are you busy? Overscheduled? Are your needs freefalling to the bottom of your infinite to-do list? I get it. When it’s time to make a change – and you don’t have time to spare – ease of use is everything.

I’ve been offering telehealth sessions since the pandemic, and it’s been a great convenience to my clients – in expected and unexpected ways.

There’s the time factor, of course. With no need to commute to or from your session, you will reclaim an hour or two. What are you going to do with those hours? Something fabulous, I hope. Sometimes a nap is fabulous!

With telehealth, there is no need to travel, park, feed the meter, or spend your session wondering if you will return to a big fat ticket on your windshield.

You pick the time and place.

In the privacy of your home, you can feel free to cry, rant, scream, and get it all out there. You may even feel more open in your surroundings. You don’t have to worry about pulling yourself together to walk through a crowded lobby on the way to your car, which may or may not have been towed.

And speaking of time, telehealth has enabled me to see clients at all hours of the day and night. I’ve opened my practice to shift workers, first responders, and parents who can only count on blissful non-interruption when everyone else is asleep. Honestly, I never imagined so many clients would want a 3 am session until I opened my schedule to accommodate them.

Skeptical? I understand. When my therapist went virtual, I had concerns. I’d read the peer-reviewed studies about the benefits and efficacy of telehealth, but still, I had a therapy-day ritual. That ritual took approximately three hours and involved light shopping and a mega-grandissimo coffee.

Sometimes, the ritual costs more than the therapy. In no time, I developed a new tradition for therapy day, and I like my coffee better – I always did.

Telehealth is another modern convenience.

I thought about how weird it felt the first time I sent an email instead of a letter (remember letters? Delivered by ravens, I think). I used to be a paperback purist, and now, I love my Kindle, which comes with a light source and allows me to make the print as big as I want!

Streaming a movie instead of going to the theater is another recent phenomenon. Did you ever think your telephone would take a better picture than any camera you’ve ever owned?

Telehealth is another modern convenience that will soon become the standard rather than the exception. Why? Because it works!

The process is easy to navigate.

If you’ve tried virtual therapy in the past and it didn’t work for you, it may have more to do with the therapist than with the meeting mode. If we can see each other, we can connect.

I use the same tools and interventions as I would use in person. And as ever, my commitment to your privacy is paramount. The platform we will use to see each other is 100% HIPAA compliant. All you need is a device with video capability, a good Internet connection, and a location where you will not be disturbed.

Not to get too deep here – but giving telehealth a try is like the metaphor for midlife – adapt, be open, and remember that different is not necessarily bad. Focus on what’s working and embrace the change.

If you want to know what kind of pants (if any) your therapist wears – spoiler alert: they’re comfy, always – you can book a Running Buddy session with me.