In March of 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns, I made the decision to take my practice online. I never planned to pursue this modality long-term, but I am grateful to have discovered how amazing a vehicle it is for carrying out my work. Many people (myself formerly included) fear that teletherapy lacks the meaningful connection that serves as the bedrock for great therapy; however, I’ve been amazed at how well these platforms can serve the therapeutic alliance.
Benefits of Teletherapy:
Flexibility: Teletherapy offers increased flexibility for both the client and the therapist. By removing the need for you to rush home from work to get to my office, we can focus our time and energy on helping you feel better, and avoid eating into your evening plans. I can also accommodate more clients into my practice, with a shorter overall waitlist.
Emotional Ease: Many clients find that they can actually speak more freely and tap into deeper material from within a familiar environment like their bedroom or living room, versus a therapist’s office.
Accessibility: Teletherapy allows me to see clients outside of my immediate area, which is helpful for those who have migrated out of San Francisco or moved to other areas of California.
Possible Drawbacks of Teletherapy (and some mitigation strategies!):
Physical Privacy: Some clients have a difficult time finding complete privacy in their homes, which, understandably, makes it very difficult to truly open up. If you prefer to talk by phone so that you can take a walk during sessions, that’s no problem. We can also discuss strategies for how to kindly ask roommates or partners for privacy, which, spoiler alert: is part of our work around setting healthy boundaries with our loved ones.
Connectivity Issues: There is the possible (annoying) risk of wifi issues interrupting our sessions. I take great care to swiftly troubleshoot so that we can resume right where we left off and not miss a beat.
Virtual Privacy: Finally, there are concerns about privacy associated with online platforms. I take this incredibly seriously and have elected to use a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted platform called Doxy.me, which is specifically designed for telemedicine and therefore maintains the highest standards of confidentiality for my patients.
Have questions?
Get in touch!
By Phone: (415)234-0963
By Email: info@victoriaalberini.com