Online counselling changed my life - Here’s how virtual therapy can help you too
Why virtual therapy can be a game-changer for clients and therapists alike
By Aviva Boxer, Registered Psychotherapist
When I think back to the pandemic, there are a few silver linings that came from this scary and traumatic time and one of those was the wholehearted embracing of virtual therapy. This is the moment when everything changed and there was no way to truly communicate safely other than going online.
Even though this technology had existed for forever in the context of modern times, it wasn’t a true option until the pandemic hit and it became the only option. And then magically, therapy was more available to people than it had ever been before. Suddenly it didn’t matter if you were living in a small community with few options for support, or if you had mobility issues or childcare issues or lack of flexibility at work, because you could now access mental health care from anywhere in the province.
Aviva in her home office where she sees clients virtually. This is a what it looks like when the therapist and client connect from their most comfortable, grounded spaces.
“The comfort I feel in my home office helps me to be more present with my clients and allows me to have the varied schedule that makes me so happy and works for my life right now.”
To me, virtual therapy is the great equalizer.
It doesn’t matter where you live — if you have an internet connection and a phone or computer, you can see your therapist online. What once would have seemed impossible is now so common and for good reason.
I remember before the pandemic, driving to see my own therapist on my lunch hour from my office job, feeling stressed about getting there on time and worried about coming back to face colleagues afterwards with red eyes and blotchy skin, making it very obvious that I had been crying. Not to mention feeling stressed about the time away from the office and the drive back and forth, because I always felt like I was on the clock even though I worked in an environment that could be pretty flexible, as office jobs go.
Today, I see my own therapist virtually, even though she practices close to my house.
I met her once for a session in person and since then we have seen each other virtually, which allows me to have sessions with her online around seeing my own clients virtually, plus manage all the other life stuff that comes with being a work-from-home therapist and parent, including laundry, making dinner, and seeing my kids when they get home from school.
My office space is in the attic of my home and there are two doors between me and my family, which ensures privacy and a quiet place for me to talk and listen to my clients.
The only one allowed up there other than me during sessions, is my sleepy 10-year-old dog, Whistler. The comfort I feel in my home office helps me to be more present with my clients and allows me to have the varied schedule that makes me so happy and works for my life right now — clients in the morning, a break for lunch and a nap, maybe a quick run to the grocery store, and then clients in the late afternoon or evening.
So often I see my own clients when they are on their lunch breaks as they work from home, in their cars, parked of course, when they are running a little late from dropping off their child at daycare, or their office workday went too long, or they are going to the gym right after we meet, and they are parked and talking with me on their phone.
Most often I see clients who are comfortable in their own homes, in their cozy surroundings, a warm cup of coffee in hand, maybe even tucked under a blanket, making the hard and vulnerable work of therapy that much easier, more natural and more accessible.
Feeling emotionally safe in your space at home can make a huge difference in accessing your feelings more readily and for those with mobility issues, or for those who have more acute social anxiety, virtual therapy can mean the difference between getting mental health support and not getting it at all.
The great thing about virtual therapy is that for most people it is a choice and one they get to have thanks to technology and a world that has reimagined what support can look like for people. It no longer has to only be in an office or a hospital with a commute to and from.
All I know is that meeting people where they are at, in their own spaces, creates a sense of comfort, acceptance and understanding. When I click on to greet my client, I am seeing a glimpse of them in their world and they are seeing into mine. This creates a feeling of instant connection that often grows stronger with time and that connection and the relationship between therapist and client is the foundation for all the hard and messy work of therapy.
So if you have been thinking about giving virtual therapy a try, here is your sign to reach out to us for a free consultation. You may just find that logging on and seeing your therapist — the warm and caring person who was matched with you by our experienced client coordinator — is the best gift you could give yourself and the beginning of some beautiful growth and change that will help you heal and evolve in ways you didn’t know were possible.