In addition to checking your internet, you also want to become familiar with the tool that your therapist uses before the first consultation, which should also be compatible with HIPAA, advises Ejelonu. Solve any technical problems in advance, such as confirming an account, creating a password, checking that the camera is working and that the computer or phone is fully charged.
Make a list
“Have something you’d like to start talking about, or at least a starting point,” says Tiarra Morris, a licensed mental health clinic advisor and licensed clinical addiction specialist in North Carolina. My sessions with Morris, with whom I connected through the Open Path Psychotherapy Collective, begin the pre-pandemic, personally. A month after Covid started, we decided to make the transition to virtual sessions, which were smoother than I expected. Telehealth was already a service provided by Morris before the pandemic pushed many of us into virtual therapy, so she is familiar with how to make it work. Since the pandemic, Morris has received a steady stream of referrals and has won new customers entirely virtual.
Making a list can seem like a difficult task during a pandemic. But it doesn’t have to be a complete or detailed list. In fact, it can be as simple as the stressors that come with life during a crisis. Ejelonu doesn’t prepare much for a therapy session, she says, unless there’s a conversation she knows she wants to reflect on. “So I’m going to write to make sure I remember to mention it.”
I also find myself taking notes, usually on a post-it note that I put on the wall or on the table, some topics that I want to discuss with my therapist and that may arise between sessions – a disturbing situation at work, for example. The note helps to refresh my memory, especially since stress and anxiety can cause memory lapses. I make the list myself and share the topics I would like to discuss as soon as the session begins.
Be present and comfortable
One of the benefits of telehealth is that you can be anywhere and connect with your advisor. But Morris warns against trying to do a counseling session while driving, doing various tasks or doing any other activity that distracts him from the session. To help customers introduce themselves, Morris recommends “a safe and familiar environment. For example, if you have a favorite place to sit at home that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable, try it out in your virtual therapy session. “
As a customer, you also want to make sure that your space is free from distractions. Finding a place without distractions during a time when many Americans are working from home (and many students are going to school remotely) can be difficult. Davis encourages “people to put their devices in Do Not Disturb mode, because receiving a text message or a phone call can serve as a therapeutic distraction.”
If virtual therapy is not accessible to you, there are other resources that may be right for you.
Instagram accounts give a boost
After I finished my habit of rolling the apocalypse on social media, I started to find a whole new world of edifying content, especially free, of emotional well-being. This is useful when I want to listen to sound therapy, practice some yoga movements or learn deep breathing techniques. The emotional and mental well-being pages on social media not only offer tips and advice that can help you focus, but also allow you to practice in a virtual community – if you want. Virtual therapy may not be affordable or desirable at this time, but you are looking for other forms of support. Here are some sites that can help you prioritize your mental and emotional health and well-being.
A “wellness and coffee concept” with monthly subscriptions for virtual yoga, energy work, meditation, breathing work and other healing modalities. While Heal Haus offers individual sessions, it also offers a Virtual Workplace Wellness program to help organizations focus attention in the workplace. After creating an account, it is easy to sign up for classes. IGTV videos are a great introduction to what you can expect from Heal Haus classes.
I am recently experiencing the transformative powers of rest. But since 2016, Nap Ministry has informed us that naps and rest are sacred and liberating. According to the Sleep Foundation, adults aged 26 to 64 need seven to nine hours of sleep. Nap Ministry invites us to integrate deep rest into our lives – and offers ideas for rest, such as taking longer baths, daydreaming, dancing slowly, taking a solid bath or doing some yoga poses.