Therapy in the Age of Zoom
People often ask me whether therapy really works on Zoom. Short answer: YES.
If you’d like a bit more, I’ll tell you what my patients have noted, as well as my take on how it’s changed my practice - and not changed it.
Patient comments come in three flavors. First, the ones who love the Zoom option. It makes their lives easier, saves precious time, and even for those who’ve been in-person before, they say it makes no difference. A couple have even told me that the advent of Zoom sessions was the only silver lining to the pandemic, as this is the only way they can make it work in busy lives.
Second are the ones who are vehemently opposed to Zoom sessions, and can’t believe anyone would see a therapist on a screen! I’ve had people say that the ride to the session gives them precious time to think about what they want to talk about, and the walk back gives them some time to process what we worked on. They like knowing that they can have full privacy when speaking - no one WFH in the other room. They simply like the feel of in-person interaction for therapy, or they have so many virtual meetings at work that they can’t stand to add one more.
Third are the ones that say it works either way. Since the beginning of pandemic, I’ve worked successfully with some people that I never met in person - if you had asked me about this 5 years ago, I’d have looked at you funny! But that’s life - now I have done it, and I know it works just fine. One added note to that - I do always suggest at least one in-office meeting if you’re up for it, but frankly that’s just to add the extra dimension for both of us - it’s not required for good work.
And how has this ride been for me? At first it was a shock (as was everything, early-pandemic), and a life-saver. I am eternally grateful that I could still do what I love, albeit in a different format, and especially back then, when everyone was in so much need of support and grounding. And now, after all this time, I’m still good with it. Yes it does work. Weirdly, I still go to my physical office to see patients either way, so I’m still in my professional surroundings when I’m meeting with clients. In my heart of hearts, would I rather see people I care about in person? You bet. But isn’t that just true in general? Fortunately, it’s all good in the therapy either way, so… see you in the room, or see you in the Zoom ;-)
