Virtual therapy is something I never did until last year.
Covid-19 has really changed the way we’ve done a lot of things. That includes therapy. When the shutdown began, most of us in the field had never even done a virtual session.
But for now, virtual therapy is all we have. There are too many unknowns. It’s important to me to ensure the health and safety of my clients as well as that of my family. So I’ve made the shift.
My practice uses a HIPAA-compliant platform for healthcare professionals called Doxy.me. Prior to using it, I will provide a link to my personal virtual office. While it’s hard to replicate the experience of sitting in a room with someone, there are some wonderful benefits to using an online platform to access psychotherapy. You can use the website from a laptop, tablet, or your smartphone. That could mean having a session in your parked car, office, your closet, or anywhere that you have privacy. Some other advantages are avoiding driving to a physical appointment as well as not running the risk of seeing someone you might know in my waiting room or walking out of my office building.
My office space in Livingston is, sadly, vacant at the moment. It’s been since early March, 2020. It will be there when it’s been declared safe for us to meet. It’s a warm space, but it’s very small with possibly inadequate ventilation, so virtual will be the way to go for sometime. I have also opted not to return because doing therapy in masks doesn’t allow for the type of warmth there is in a physical session.
So, for now, I’ll be seeing you virtually from my home in Boonton while you are comfortably sitting in your home, anywhere in New Jersey. I’ve missed seeing clients in person, but I’ve found the bright side of being home. For the moment.