Written by Amanda Holmberg-Sasek, Owner
During this pandemic, our practice has been 100% online. I have not been back to my office in almost 4 months! During this time I have had to learn really quick what works online and what doesn’t. I think many clients are concerned that therapy “won’t work as well” online. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical as well; however, what I have seen is online counseling WORKS! And not only does it work, but I have seen it work better than in person for some clients. Here are my surprising benefits of seeing your therapist online.
Online Therapy Benefit #1: No rushing to get to the office
Are you used to rushing to therapy right after work? Or maybe trying to quickly get to therapy during your lunch hour? I understand we are all busy, but rushing to therapy and arriving half stressed out and anxious about needing to get back to work does not help you achieve maximum benefits of therapy.
Many people are working from home right now. Many clients choose to start their day off with therapy, or simple take a pause in their workday and meet with their therapist. What’s great about online therapy is you take away all the drive time! Some clients live right near us in Plymouth, MN, but some may have been driving from places all over the metro like Minneapolis, St Paul, Maple Grove, Minnetonka…or maybe from even further like Burnsville, White Bear Lake, St Cloud, Mankato, Brainerd, etc. Now, it doesn’t matter how far you live from us, you can meet with your therapist from the convenience of your own home….and save on the drive time! For some clients that’s saving them multiple hours per week! That sounds like great time to spend on self care!
Online Therapy Benefit #2: You can still do therapy how you’ve been doing it- and doing it from home can even make it better!
Are you worried online couples therapy doesn’t work quite the same as in person? Or worried that your teen won’t get anything out it if they meet with their therapist at home? Quite the contrary!
For couples seeking therapy…
We know it’s hard to think about doing this online. But let tell you –
I T W O R K S!
Yes! Online couples therapy actually works extremely well for most people!
Many couples even find they are getting more out of this than before because the therapist is seeing you in your “natural habitat”. We are seeing your kids, your animals, your messy living room (it’s okay ours is too!) and it helps us see who you really are. This helps us connect with you that much more, and, it helps us come up with more strategic solutions specific to your environment and situation. Let me give you an example. You might be telling your therapist that your co-parenting really isn’t working and that you both easily get flustered when a child is acting out. With online therapy, chances are, that child is going to find their way into our session and we will get to watch exactly how that co-parenting concern is playing itself out. We can then even more easily help you through it and help you find creative ways to do this in a way that feels better to both of you.
Online therapy for teens
Anyone who is the parent of a teen knows that their bedroom is their safe space. This is their number one favorite place to be – perhaps even to your dismay sometimes! We find that doing therapy from their bedroom works great. They feel safe, comfortable, and have all their comforts and things to soothe themselves around them. They love showing us their bedroom and their favorite room décor. We find this makes them open up more easily and readily.
Online trauma therapy
You can still do trauma therapy online! We of course make sure to screen you to ensure online trauma therapy is a good fit for you, but we find that it is a good fit for most people. If you are looking for EMDR therapy we can do this online as well! We are happy to talk you through what this looks like specific to your needs.
Online Therapy Benefit #3: You can still connect with your therapist at a deep level
Sounds weird right? How can I connect with someone online? You can! We find that some clients are actually able to connect better online because the safety of being in the comfort zone of home creates a protective shield to share in a deeper way with their therapist. After doing this for 4 months now we have gotten to see what it’s like for both long time clients who may have already seen us for years and brand new clients that have only met us online. We find that even for the brand new clients they are still connecting and making progress in a similar way to in person therapy.
I know a lot of us are doing zoom calls with friends and family right now. I don’t know about you – but when I engage with my loved ones over video I am connecting with them in a more intentional way than I am in person. It’s definitely a little odd and new – but once I got used to it I found I really liked it.
Ready? Try online therapy in Minnesota for yourself!
Overall, I am definitely surprised and impressed with how well online counseling is going. We are getting great feedback from clients about it. And, we’re seeing clients benefit from it at the same pace and in the same way as in-person therapy, if not better!
We are happy to tell you more about how online therapy works in a free 30-minute consultation appointment.
