Video or in person

[Missycat]

My T moved abroad just after our working together ended. She offered sessions via skype or telephone should i need her help again. I did get in touch ( due to having to deal with the police and criminal justice system - i went to the police about the abuse i had suffered ) . We have been working together via skype ever since , it works well because we built such a strong therapeutic relationship- which was the most important - so for me it works . However would i jump at the chance if we could return to being in the same room - absolutely i would - but only if we could ensure there was no risk .

 

[FauxLiz]

@Missycat the teletherapy isn't a problem for me, he temporarily relocated last fall while his wife went back to school for a while and we did telehealth sessions but at that time my son was away at college so I didn't worry about privacy. Now, at a time when I need the privacy, I need to know that I can talk freely about what is going on without fear of what my son may hear.

 

[somerandomguy]

After a couple months of teletherapy, I would go back to T's office in a heartbeat if I could do so with no risk to my family (or her family). Video therapy sessions are working ok, but it is a major drag using my bedroom and hoping my kids or my wife don't hear me talk about my sex problems through our paper-thin walls.

 

[TruthSeeker]

My state is going into month three of quarantine and I have been doing telehealth with my therapist since this began but I am struggling lately and some of my maladaptive coping mechanism have been resurfacing. I don't feel as though I can talk as freely with teletherapy and my therapist has offered to meet face to face and therapy is considered an essential medical service so I could legitimately go without violating the quarantine order I just don't know if I should. What are others here doing about therapy? and if you had the chance would you do the face to face session?

I'll make this simple. My therapist did teletherapy to vets and their families before this pandemic....but I saw her in her small in-person practice. She gave me the option to do teletherapy, or continue in person. She was clear....people with dissociative disorders often need a more in-person physical approach to therapy to stay grounded, and that teletherapy can be ungrounding for some who struggle with or need to practice staying grounded. Plus, I saw therapy as an intrusion into my home. What if it got rough and then I'm left at home to cope and noone to cope with. I need the therapy room......to dump in and leave stuff there. I realized that there was no way my therapist was coming into my home via computer or otherwise......that wasn't going to happen.....I would have stopped therapy. She appreciated my honesty, and said "No problem, teletherapy isn't for everyone.....see you next week at x time/day. It was a simple fix. Do what feels right for you.

 

[Ronin]

We are back to face to face, as she has calls scheduling issues and I'm back to the level of skittish I can say just Hello over phones, but everything personal locks and pushes itself down.

That and she's heckuva talented in many other things than good listener / smart questions / non invasive with either.

 

[FauxLiz]

So I went and we did a face to face session and the relief I felt was palatable. We talked, I was able to be totally honest about what I am doing, why I am doing it and actually traced it back to what triggered this, it isn't the lockdown, it isn't work stress I realized that two weeks ago when the requirement came down to wear face masks in public and we ended delving into one of my traumas that we had not previously discussed and it sent me into a tailspin for which I did not feel I had adequate support because of the quarantine procedures. I didn't reach out for help and instead fell back into old bad habits which now I have to go back to square one to beat back and retrain myself that I have value for more than sex.

 

[Movingforward10]

That sounds like a really important session.

I recently felt like I went back to square one too. My T said it might feel like sqaure one but it doesn't take away all the work we did: that is still there even though I couldn't access it. So maybe re-frame it similarly in your mind, might help?

 

[blackemerald1]

, I need to know that I can talk freely about what is going on without fear of what my son may hear.

Just wondering if you son is an adult - could he not go for a walk for 45 minutes or is that not allowed?

 

[FauxLiz]

Just wondering if you son is an adult - could he not go for a walk for 45 minutes or is that not allowed?

He is finishing up his college semester and has a class during my session time so no he can’t go for a walk right now in a couple weeks he will be able to but for now it was just bad luck and small spaces.

 

[whiteraven]

What if it got rough and then I'm left at home to cope and noone to cope with.

Yeah, this is an issue for me. I'm not sure it's going to be much different when I go back though; I have a hard time leaving stuff there.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Yeah, this is an issue for me. I'm not sure it's going to be much different when I go back though; I have a hard time leaving stuff there.

I mentally create a box in the office and just leave it there. I change the topic before leaving. The therapist helps redirect the convo to something very different.....and tries to reduce the emotional baggage heading out the door with me....kinda limiting it. I have gotten adept at leaving a lot of it there in the office. That makes an incredible difference in my week.....

 

[whiteraven]

That makes an incredible difference in my week.....

I imagine that being able to do that does...