Holy crap, what a year 2020 has been so far (and we’re only halfway through)!
I’ve been seeing clients through video therapy since mid-March, and I’ve had to accept now that I have no plans to return to the in-person office setting anytime soon.
At the time of my writing this (early July), we are still in various levels of re-opening here in Denver, but we are also watching as other states are seeing their COVID rates sky-rocket. The future is certainly uncertain, in so many ways.
Personally, I think I handled the beginning of the COVID situation (stay-at-home orders, working virtually) pretty darn well. I honestly couldn’t have predicted that things would be where they are now, still, in July, with a fairly grim outlook. I don’t think the long-term-ness of everything started to sink in until it became clear that, not only would spring be different than usual, but also summer and fall. Lots of months. Lots of cancelled plans, big and small. Even more so, lots of worries and loss, big and small, for all of us.
I’ve gotta say, my clients have been so awesome throughout the transition from in-office to video therapy. In the first 6 weeks, there wasn’t much of a choice, as we were all in stay-at-home mode.
Being a mental health professional, I technically was “allowed” to see clients in person, but I didn’t feel that was a safe, nor necessary, thing to do – for myself or my clients. It felt risky, and I was so thankful that my clients agreed.
I had no pressure to be in the office (thank you, lovely counseling clients!). What we’ve found is that, for the most part, video therapy feels almost, if not exactly, the same as in-person sessions.
Since May, we’ve been in this “safer-at-home” situation, where we’re really supposed to continue to stay at home and social distance as much as possible. If your experiences have been anything like mine, feelings of relief and worry and normalcy have been all over the place! Sometimes in Denver, it seems like nothing is wrong. And then I remember and think, “Oh, right. We are still in a pandemic.”
The state health department and the department that regulates all licensed professionals continue to recommend that therapists conduct most, if not all, of their sessions via video therapy.
If we decide to see clients in person, then we are both required to wear masks for the full therapy hour. We are also expected (as we should be) to clean our offices between clients. I don’t know about you, but a) I can’t figure out how to properly sanitize a couch (do my clients want to sit on plastic sheets?), and b) wearing a mask is not only annoying and uncomfortable (and necessary!), but makes it kinda hard to see facial expressions.
I want to be safe and I want to do the right thing.
I want my clients to feel safe and like they’re doing the right thing. It’s important to me that we all feel comfortable and as low anxiety as possible, and it’s also important to me that I continue to provide good, quality therapy services to my current and any new clients! For all of these reasons, I’ve decided to stick with video, or virtual, therapy for now. Many of my current clients have conveyed to me that because their therapy experience feels so similar to being in the office, they feel better and more at ease sticking with video therapy for now. I’m so glad we’re all on the same page.
For more about my decision-making process in the semi-permanent move to video therapy, check out this blog on the pros and cons of online/video counseling!
About Megan Rogers Integrative Psychotherapy and Wellness Coaching
As a Denver telehealth mental health professional and mindfulness enthusiast, I combine practical support and effective coping skills, with a deep look inward to those places most in need of healing. Counseling helps alleviate stress and worry – two feelings that hold us back from so many things in life. The time is now, my friend. Please reach out to inquire about a consultation.
