Meeting with your therapist virtually is a different experience than an in-office meeting. Here are the top tips to make the most out of your telehealth visits.
Before your appointment:
Make sure you are connected to a WiFi that requires a password versus a free WiFi hotspot. Having an internet connection that requires a password ensures privacy and security.
Turn on your camera and look to see what will appear behind you in your background. Make sure nothing you would prefer to stay private can be seen by the camera.
It is important to maintain appropriate boundaries. Dress for therapy via telehealth as you would for an in person appointment.
Find an area of your home where you can have uninterrupted privacy for the full session time. Sometimes it’s a bedroom with a blanket put under the door sometimes it’s inside a car. Choose wherever you feel you will be able to engage honestly and safely for session.
During your appointment:
Do your best to be distraction free. Try enabling the do not disturb setting on your phone or signing out of email and text on your computer. Remember that therapy is time you have dedicated to the betterment of yourself.
Having some water, tea or coffee can be a nice way treat for yourself during the session. It’s also okay to have a small snack like crackers or trail mix. Just remember you don’t want anything to distract you from session.
After your appointment:
Take notes on the session. Write down anything that felt important or anything you did not get time to address. Taking a couple of minutes for this after your session can help set you up for your next session and avoid the anxiety of thinking “I don’t know what to talk about”.
After a session, a walk can be a great way to transition back to daily life if it is safe and you are able. When we are going to appointments in person, there are transitional times such as walking out of the office and driving home. It can be helpful to intentionally carve out those transition times.
