What I took away from the video Online Therapy was an odd combination of “of course that makes sense” and “I have never thought of it that way before.” I am sure there are younger people in our class who are very comfortable with the concept of therapy in the digital age. However I am past 40, and at first, the idea seemed like something I would not consider. I must confess though I have taken part in therapy sessions for my son utilizing online methods without even realizing that is what I was doing. Before each of his counseling sessions for over a year, I would email his therapist with the details of the week and how things were going. It allowed more time for his counselor to talk to him in the session without having to question us
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I am aware of how you type in emails or texts affect everyday communication with friends or coworkers however I have never thought of it in the context of therapy. “Watching” how often a client sends emails or texts and paying particular attention to the size, font, and color used in communication does seem like a logical extension to watching for the nonverbal communication of a client you are interacting with in a face to face meeting.
Finally, the details involved with contracting for online therapy sessions was interesting. The constant availability of communication, the variety of methods that can be chosen, and having to make contingencies for technology failure were all aspects of contracting in which I have never participated. With online contracting concerns a therapist would need to have strong time and task management skills and must also be able to keep the client within the agreed upon boundaries.
Dr. Atkinson strongly suggests that a therapist who is interested in offering online therapy to practice and find training to transfer skills into the online world. The most powerful statement she makes is that therapists need to become accustomed being “in front of the technology, but looking through it at the client and the client's
I am aware of how you type in emails or texts affect everyday communication with friends or coworkers however I have never thought of it in the context of therapy. “Watching” how often a client sends emails or texts and paying particular attention to the size, font, and color used in communication does seem like a logical extension to watching for the nonverbal communication of a client you are interacting with in a face to face meeting.
Finally, the details involved with contracting for online therapy sessions was interesting. The constant availability of communication, the variety of methods that can be chosen, and having to make contingencies for technology failure were all aspects of contracting in which I have never participated. With online contracting concerns a therapist would need to have strong time and task management skills and must also be able to keep the client within the agreed upon boundaries.
Dr. Atkinson strongly suggests that a therapist who is interested in offering online therapy to practice and find training to transfer skills into the online world. The most powerful statement she makes is that therapists need to become accustomed being “in front of the technology, but looking through it at the client and the client's