Online Therapy For That One Thing?

[Lucycat]

I really do not see the point of opting for a therapy - any therapy - with the intention of avoidance.

In my face to face therapy there have been some things - very tough things- discussed. Equally there has been a lot of 'other stuff' that I had not even acknowledged were part of my difficulties, but T has brought into the discussion. There have been things that I never thought I could or would share - and in a couple of cases I have texted or emailed in advance to say there is something I want to 'get out' but am too embarrassed/ashamed to discuss. He has gently helped me discuss these and the relief of unburdening is amazing. I no longer carry these dirty little secrets. I have had the opportunity to explore with a nonjudgmental professional the whys and wherefores of these incidents/these behaviours and I feel that I have resolved so much by sharing. It took me a very long time to get to this point, of trusting T enough to go to these dangerous places, have a good look around with him by my side, and then firmly close the doors behind us.

 

[Dana1010]

When I first tried therapy in my early twenties I was at the beginning of the "chapter" that I've vowed not to talk about. I basically blurted out the situation to this woman in our first session. She seemed to decide right away that she didn't like me. She was judgmental and even snide. We didn't click and after three sessions I dropped out. Looking back I think I should have looked for another therapist; if I had stayed in therapy, maybe my life wouldn't have spiraled into darkness and self destruction the way that it did.

I think it's possible that that experience is what's causing me to keep that chapter in the closet now.

 

[Eva A.]

"I've started to think about doing online therapy just for that one chapter and then doing the rest with my face to face T. Have you done something similar? Does anyone have experience with online therapy or a hybrid model?"

I see my therapist via Skype (or phone if for any reason Skype is not possible) and do session evaluations (tick boxes, picked the forms from the internet myself, although it was his idea to do this) via email. Those evaluation forms I also use to write down my reactions to the previous session and stuff I am too scared to talk about. We do not work with those things during the week, he just acknowledges shortly that he has received what I sent him. I also do sand tray work at home and send him the pictures. In the next session I always have the choice whether to process any of this or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don´t, sometimes I come back to something I wrote or a sand tray world a couple of weeks later ... over time I find there is a larger picture developing with all this ... and this way I can also write things that I need to get off my mind to him, knowing he will read it ... as I have grown up in an environment where I have always been alone to cope with my feelings, problems, experiences, I find this very, very helpful as I don´t feel alone with my stuff and all those overwhelming feelings anymore ... We are planning to add face to face meetings to this from next Saturday ... it´s gonna beinteresting how that will go ... this is the first time I am working with a therapist like this, everything else I have done over the years has always been face to face but I find this hybrid model just so much more helpful...