How to have a great telepsychology session
You can have a great session if you prepare a little bit. When you come to an office session, there are a lot of considerations made to make your visit worthwhile.
Privacy: position yourself in a room where you can have some audible privacy. You want to be able to speak freely without fear that someone will hear you. You may want to cry, yell, or swear. If you have family or colleagues within earshot, you may be inhibited to express yourself.
Comfort: sitting up in a comfortable chair is good but laying down on a bed might be too comfortable. Therapy is a bit of a work out and you want to be able to focus.
Emotions: get set up with a box of tissues and a beverage. Wipe those tears and replenish to stay grounded.
Video: if you are on video, do a check to see if there is any private items like photographs, mirrors or confidential material within sight of the camera.
Audio: if there are distracting sounds nearby, you may benefit from using a headphone or earbuds.
Battery: check to make sure your phone or computer is charged and maybe even plugged in.
'Do Not Disturb': set your phone or computer to do not disturb so that you don't get notifications or phone calls. This is about reducing distractions so you get time to focus on you.
Bandwidth: ask others on your system to get off of their computers and phones so that you have the full power to accommodate your session needs.
Check your email just prior to your session: I may send you something to refer to during the session.
Safety Contact: if you were in the office, I would be right there to guide you if became exceptionally distressed. If we are doing the session remotely, it is good to have someone physically near you, like in the same house, that I can contact to come and take care of you. It sounds dramatic but it is a nice comfortable feeling for each of us to know that you have someone looking out for you.
Promptness: be ready for your online session a few minutes prior to your session time. The time you are saving in travel time might lull you into thinking that you have lots of time to get set up. Give yourself a few minutes to calm and clear yourself of distractions from your day, focus on you.
Debriefing: allow a few minutes after your session to reorient yourself back to your life. Your session may have been hard for you and it is nice to plan a few minutes of quiet after your session to let the insight percolate through your mind, heart and body.
Book a session with me today and enjoy the experience of attending to your self care while practicing social distancing and thereby, caring for others. You deserve to feel better.
