Therapy in lockdown

[BraveGoldie]

I'm curious about two things.

1. How have people found their therapy experience affected by going online in lockdown?

1. There aren't clear guidelines about when it becomes acceptable to start meeting in person again for therapy, based on the new road map (this is in comparison to the Tier advice which did mention 'support and therapy groups'.... Any ideas/ opinions?

For me, I have found online therapy not nearly as effective - in fact I think it's led to really bad gaps in empathy and communication which have been damaging for me.

I am very keen to get back to being in person (socially distanced of course). But very little about mental well-being is mentioned in any of the new guidelines. Some people must be hugely struggling and video just doesn't cut it. Should MH be viewed as seriously as other medical needs and therefore should be permitted? Perhaps some have viewed it that way already and continued to meet with therapists, as they would with a doctor?

I am lucky enough not to have severe MH issues, but even so have definitely suffered from being cut off from in-person sessions, and don't know when I can go back to them. (I also can't afford to keep paying the same amount for video sessions that I don't find nearly so effective!)

What are other's experiences and opinions?

Sorry to jump in again, I was working f2f before January and we had strict procedures to be covid safe. Our rooms were rearranged to ensure the 2m distance, upon arrival clients were asked to use hand gel and wear a mask we provide. I wore a mask and practiced regular hand-washing as well as carrying my own sanitizer.
During the sessions the windows were open for air flow. After each session the room was cleaned, everywhere, but we had a form to confirm any used chairs, surfaces, door handles etc and I handled all signing it and out to reduce transmission that way. If clients weren't prepared to follow guidelines we couldn't see them.

I've been having zoom therapy for 6 or 7 weeks and it has been surprisingly great. She was recommended to me and lives far away so I won't be able to see her face to face anyway.

All that said, I do think therapy is better in person. It's just not essential. I do think the video element is needed though.

Counsellors now qualify for the vaccine. DH was reluctant to take his before vulnerable people, but decided to bite the bullet as other Counsellors are taking up the vaccine now. When most who want it have been done, alongside more in the general community, hopefully they'll be able to offer face to face again and that'll be soon.

In my NHS trust we've been offering face to face sessions since approximately June 2020. The requirement is for masks for both people, a window slightly open, hand gel, bringing your own tissues if possible and social distancing.

Interesting. I was referred for counselling via my Employee Assistance Programme just over a year ago, my manager spent a huge amount of time and effort persuading me to agree to it. The first session was due to be the week the first lockdown started, so it turned into 6 weeks over the phone, which really really didn't work for me. I hate talking on the phone even to have a normal conversation with someone I know and I really really struggle with the kind of conversations you have in counselling. Not being able to see the counsellor didn't work for me and it probably didn't help that he couldn't see how I was reacting when I couldn't explain in words. I expected it to be a very very long time until it would be possible to see someone face to face in case I ever consider putting myself through that again (at the moment I am absolutely not able to consider it because it made me feel so much worse last time, but I accept I, objectively, probably need to)

Link for anyone who wants to source a therapist who's still working face to face: www.counselling-directory.org.uk/

You'll see that there's an "In person" tab to click, though some do fudge it a bit and claim Zoom is also F2F, so it's a question of picking them out

I’d had in-person therapy for about 9 months pre covid. Only once a month or so as she’s expensive! But I definitely found zoom therapy much less helpful and have cut down. I don’t want to stop altogether, because she’s frankly bloody fantastic, so I am holding out for when we can be back in her office.

It just doesn’t feel the same. The slight lag and the fact we can’t completely read body language means we often interrupt each other so there isn’t that natural flow.

Also, there’s no clear definition around the session. After sessions in her office I’d go and sit somewhere and write up the session in my journal (really important part of the process for me) and just gradually get back to “real life” before getting the bus home. Now, even if DH takes the DCs out or they’re in school etc, I’m instantly back to mum mode, back to reality with a jolt. I’m thinking next time I might try and go straight out for a walk at least.

I found it much harder to feel safe crying too, so I tend to shy away from getting really deep into stuff.

I definitely prefer in person. Don’t get me wrong my counsellor is really good but I just hate being on the screen, can’t relax at all.
I probably hide stuff, not on purpose but more because I’m not in that safe space of her wee room.

She has been shielding as very high risk so we won’t be in person for a while. And if In person involves either of us having to wear masks then I won’t be able to go as they stress me out too much.

I’m grateful we have had Skype available though as I wouldn’t have got through any of this without her help and support

That's really interesting to hear people's experiences - and thank you to those posting resources and info!

I was doing phone calls, but have now moved to video, which is better. Sitting in a room with someone, you can feel their support and presence - even when neither of you are talking. But on a call a silence just feels like aloneness for me..... it's not a nice feeling.

It must be very hard for therapists as well as patients...

On the plus side, I enjoyed giving him a little video tour of the public rooms of my house once - share a wider sense of myself in that way. 🙂

@nordica

Can I ask those of you who've had face to face sessions during these times, are there any "covid safe" measures in place such as wearing a mask or having the window open?

My therapist is planning to make face to face sessions an option again after Easter but he isn't sure what we would do about masks etc. which didn't sound great to me (yes I have told him and discussed my feelings) - just curious to know what others do? I expect he will be vaccinated by then due to his age but I won't be so it still feels a potential covid risk...

Yes my nhs psych started up with me around 2 months ago. We sit in a room behind a perspex screen that is around 2 foot wide. Alcohol hand gel and masks outside the room is enforced but not when in the room although she did ask my permission for the latter.

She did try to make it work 9very the phone with me but it is intense psychodynamics where needs to see my body language and expressions

I have been having regular therapy for around 15 months now. I had face to face initially, then it went online for the first lockdown and I couldn't really handle it. Really struggled to feel connected whilst in my own home and felt really paranoid about being overheard. I went back to face to face as soon as possible, until lock down three and sadly I've had to ask to pause my sessions as the thought of going back to virtual therapy made me really anxious. I'm really struggling not having it atm.

I use the couch and my therapist sits behind me.

We have spent most of the last year using Zoom, with the exception of a short time of the summer when cases had fallen significantly. During that time, there was a perspex screen between us, disposable coverings on the couch, window open, hand gel, my therapist wore a mask and instead of sitting right behind my head, sat about 1.5 metres away.

I think we may be going back to both being in the same room at some point after Easter

Can I ask those of you who've had face to face sessions during these times, are there any "covid safe" measures in place such as wearing a mask or having the window open?

With mine it was about 8ft of distance, hand gel on entry and the usual "don't attend with symptoms"

No masks, screens or open windows though