A year of online therapy

On 23 March 2020 I think I probably imagined the online sessions might be for a month or so.  And then, gradually, I’d start seeing clients in my room again.  But here I am, a whole year on, still solely seeing clients via Zoom. And actually very surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed it … and how used I’ve become to it.  And also surprised and pleased at how my clients have adapted to online therapy so well.

I would say that over the last year I’ve had only one or two clients who preferred to wait until I was back in my room … even though I told them I had no idea when that might be.  Everyone else has adapted and been willing to try an online session … and usually after the first session they, like me, were surprised at how easy and effortless it was.  And, as the year has gone on, I’ve become more adventurous with the techniques and interventions I’ve used, until I can honestly say there isn’t a single hypnotherapeutic tool that I’ve used in the therapy room that I wouldn’t now feel comfortable using online.  I’d even go so far as to say that, in certain cases, I think online therapy is actually superior to face-to-face therapy.  Especially if you’re both using headphones: a very intimate bubble is created which allows a depth of focus and awareness sometimes difficult to achieve in the therapy room.  My clients have had some amazing results and realisations, and I’m just so grateful that I chose a profession where I’m able to work in this way.  I realise not everyone is as lucky.

As so often happens, what I saw as an obstacle initially has actually turned out to be a positive.  Clients from all over the world can access my services now.  Over the past year my clients’ locations have ranged from Austria to Argentina, from the South of France to Florida.  As long as you’re willing to be flexible, different timezones don’t need to be a problem.  And because I’m working from home I can be very flexible about the time slots I can offer to clients.

I suppose the truth is that I love what I do so much that the way in which I see my clients is actually not that important.  What’s important is the fact that I do see them, whether online or in person.  What’s important is the connection between client and therapist – the therapeutic relationship – and that connection is still very much there, and in some ways heightened by the greater intensity of the online experience.

I am hoping to get back into my therapy room some time in the next few months … but until then I’m quite content to carry on seeing my clients online.

So if there’s something you’ve been wanting to address … perhaps for a long time … perhaps it’s a recent issue that’s cropped up … you don’t need to wait to see a therapist in person.  Just take a deep breath and a small leap of faith.  It’s the process of therapy you need to trust – and that hasn’t changed.  If you have a computer, or a tablet, or even a smartphone, and a decent internet connection, you can have online therapy.  We will only ever go at the pace that’s right for you.  You might be surprised at how effective it can be …