There is a commonly held belief that unless therapy takes place with the therapist in the room it cannot be effective.
I have worked remotely with clients for over six years. Teletherapy can be enormously effective. There are pros and cons to both. Having a client in the room with me provides its own kind listening space – and for some, that space becomes safe and sacred. But sometimes clients aren’t able to come in. The reasons for this are manifold. Health factors may play a part, or just the daily pressures of life means that a commute to my office may prove prohibitive.
What are some of the advantages of Teletherapy?
My experience in providing teletherapy has shown that a particular kind of comfort evolves when one is providing therapy through a screen. The client is often in his/her/their home space. I might notice a painting on a wall and that then becomes a useful and opening moment. Or a dog might crawl up onto the lap of another client and we might spend part of the session talking about pets and dogs and childhood. These are things that might not come up in the room with me if one wasn’t talking remotely.
There is much to be said for both forms of therapy, and one is not necessarily better than the other. I have some clients who much prefer to be in the room with me and they don’t like the idea of being separated by a screen. I respect that entirely too.
Deep listening is deep listening. This can occur in the room with me, remotely via screen, or on a subway car for that matter.
If you think you might be a good candidate for teletherapy, please reach out and let’s further the conversation.