Focusing on your mental health has been a challenge for many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. A decrease in social interaction, lost jobs and income, family illness and death, and concern over your physical health – all these stressors and more have threatened our happiness and goals. Yet even as therapy becomes more important for many people, the pandemic has changed the way it is provided.
With COVID-19, meeting in-person with a therapist can be a physical health risk and, depending on regulations, may not be allowed. To keep patients safe during COVID-19, remote therapy over a video chatting platform makes it possible to continue or begin therapy in a secure, healthy, and comfortable way.
Remote Therapist Visits for Covid Psychotherapy
Much has moved online during the pandemic. We now conduct business, meet for happy hour, and celebrate holidays through Zoom, Skype, and Facebook Messenger, keeping in touch with friends and family all over the world from our own homes. The same advances in video chatting that have made these meetings possible also enable patients to connect with a therapist remotely.
Telehealth services are a safe way to connect with your therapist because they are:
- Socially Distanced – Remote visits allow you to meet with a therapist without worrying about masks, distance, and location. Instead, you can focus on your mental health without these concerns.
- Maintain Quarantine – If you must stay inside for quarantine, you can still meet with a therapist through a remote health visit.
- Address Mental Health Concerns – While remote visits are a necessity for your physical health, consistently visiting your therapist during these times can be essential for your mental health. Telehealth provides the psychotherapy that is so important.
- Secure – Your mental health information remains personal and private, even as we move online. Video conferences are encrypted so that records continue to be kept between you and your therapist.
If you have previously experienced in-person psychotherapy, telehealth visits over video chatting software are nearly the same. You and your therapist will still communicate your goals and needs, build understanding of yourself, and develop techniques to cope with different challenges in your life.
Like the in-person visit, online video can foster the same trusting relationship with your therapist, all without the added stress of keeping yourself safe and physically healthy during your visits. Instead, you are able to focus on yourself and your needs for your mental health.
