Comforts of Home: Online Counseling as a Breath of Fresh Air
In a recent blog post, “The Work of Therapy: Purpose of the Therapist Space,” I spoke to the importance and intention of the therapy space. As an art therapist, the space we work together in must be comfortable, supportive and safe for the journey. In an office, we can connect, attune and explore face-to-face and heal with trauma work. To my surprise (and as a good product of COVID-19), I am delighted to say, this same calm, clarity and change found in the therapy office occurs in the online space in teletherapy. As a breath of fresh air, technology finally aligns the comforts of home with online counseling. I’ll show you how I’ve adapted the online space to art therapy practices, so we do less talking and connecting to healing our own story.
To start online therapy, we discuss how to set a safe and productive space in your home and how we will share in this task together. With internet connectivity in mind, you will suggest the best space in your home or office that gives you privacy and comfort. As your therapist, I will provide a HIPAA-secure platform and secure private link to each session. To enhance your experience, you can use ear buds with noise cancellation option within a well-lit room. What is amazing is your online art therapy space is built over each session in a way that is tailored to you. From a desk or table space and a few basic art supplies like white paper, color pencils and markers, we can do the therapy work together. Over time, you will build a little art studio space with your choice of art materials as well as suggested materials that will let creativity work for you.
Of course, online therapy has extra benefits to consider. No need to sit awkwardly in a waiting room. No concern to cancel if you get light cold symptoms (and no worry to get sick from others). You don’t have to join the rush hour traffic to commute to therapy after work or you can save the mileage if you live in a rural area. The key is flexibility, making the time and place that works best for your schedule. Then, you can bring your preferred comforts into each session like iced tea, coffee, a snack or your pet curled up beside you. Online therapy with me will help you establish healthy patterns, relieve anxiety and stress so you can tailor therapy to reach your goals.
Ready to get in the flow from the comfort of your home? Let’s work together to create your calm place for self-care and healing. Feel free to reach out for a free consult.
You can also learn more about the work I do on the Meet Andrea page.
Looking forward to sharing the space with you,
Andrea Sutrick, ATR-BC, LMHC