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Suggested Guidelines for Phone/Video Therapy

  • drhellner
  • Jul 7, 2020
  • 4 min read

Below are guidelines adapted by Dr. Todd Essig from: Russell, G. I. & Essig, T. (2019). “Bodies and screen relations: moving treatment from wishful thinking to informed decision-making.” In Govrin, A., & Mills, J. (eds.) Innovations in Psychoanalysis: Originality, Development, Progress. Routledge, London). I have added some tips as well.


A remote session is not the same things as what happens when we meet in person. Also, it is not the same as a typical phone conversation or SKYPE or FaceTime call. Listed below are some guidelines for how to get the most benefit as possible from these remote sessions when it makes sense not to travel to the office.


1. The most important thing is to have privacy. I do my best to provide that when we meet in my office. But now it’s up to you. Please do everything possible to make sure you are in a private space where it is unlikely you will be heard or interrupted. You may need to ask others in your space to respect your privacy by doing things like turning on entertainment in another room or listening to something on headphones.


Tips from Dr. Hellner:

  • Wearing headphones yourself will help with privacy.

  • If privacy is hard to come by, consider going outside, creating a comfortable space in the bathroom, or sitting in a car.

2. Try to make yourself comfortable, but not too comfortable. If you can, settle into a nice, comfortable chair. Avoid laying in bed or on your TV-watching couch as well as sitting on the floor or walking around. Try to arrange yourself in as session-like a position as you can.


3. Put a box of tissues next to where you will be. If you want, pour yourself a glass of water. But avoid having a snack or meal even though you may be reasonably close to your kitchen. Leave that for either before or after the session.


4. Please be sure to dress as you would if we were meeting in the office. Even though I may not be able to see all of what you are wearing, or any of it if the session is audio-only, the reality is that you know what you are wearing.


5. Turn off all devices other than the one you are using to make the call. If using a smartphone or computer, do your best to quit from all programs other than the one we are using and turn off all notifications if you can. It is best to leave your hands free by using headphones. If we are using audio-only then be sure to put your phone screen side down. If using a computer for audio-only, please either turn off your monitor or completely darken your screen.


Tips from Dr. Hellner:

  • Set your device on "Do Not Disturb" to inhibit calls from interfering with our remote session. Be sure to silence your phone "Always" not just when your phone is locked. Remember to turn off "do not disturb" after the session, if desired.

  • It is helpful to have a holder to place your phone or tablet in, if you are not using a laptop or computer. This will enable you to free your hands.

6. Try to leave yourself an additional 15-minutes both before and after the session to wander around your place and clear your head. It is not a good idea to leave another remote meeting or end a call and then immediately call-in to start the session. You need some time to get ready for the work we are about to do. Similarly, after the session is over take some time before diving into the next activity. This will give time for the session to resonate before jumping back into whatever you have next.


7. Location is important. Please do your best to always meet from the same place during this period of time, although that is not always possible. Also, when we meet in-person we share the same location. But now we do not. If you find yourself curious about where I am, please feel free to ask. I will do the same so I can imagine where you are.


Additional tips from Dr. Hellner:

  • To minimize fatigue, lower the brightness of the display on your device and/or use "night mode" to minimize the amount of blue light.

  • How comfortable it is to look at your device (e.g. are you looking down at the screen)? Experiment by placing a book(s) underneath to lift your device closer to eye level or putting something behind it to prop it more upright. The right height and angle can contribute to a more natural and comfortable feel.

  • Turn off your own image on your screen so as not to be distracted by your own video and to more closely simulate an in-person conversation (we don't usually look at ourselves when we are speaking with another person!) If you can not turn it off, then you can use a "post-it" (or something like it) to cover your own image while we have our session.

  • It can be helpful to re-boot your modem once a day and when you have connectivity issues.

  • Please give me feedback on my virtual "eye contact”, the quality of my sound, video, and connection, my sound volume, etc. and if there are any technological disruptions during our teletherapy session.


 
 
 

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