Aug

24

Online therapy in isolation: what to do if you can’t be alone

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Any online psychotherapy instruction begins with the phrase “Find a quiet, secluded place.” What if there are no such places in the apartment? We will tell you what to do in order not to postpone therapy and not accumulate stress.

Stress against the background of the pandemic and self-isolation is growing, and there is no opportunity to visit a psychologist in person. However, many people postpone therapy due to the inability to retire at home. We understand: therapy is a complex and very personal process, into which we do not even allow loved ones. But this is not a reason to build up stress. The fact is that our psyche is able to process short-term stress. But in the long term, it leads to complications – up to depression and physical illness.

Therefore, we have compiled a few guidelines on how to build online therapy in self-isolation with other people.

If there is no free room

If you live with someone in a studio or studio apartment, it is difficult to retire. Here’s what you can do to build the most comfortable online session with a psychologist:

  • Try to find places where you can still be alone. For example, a kitchen, balcony or bathroom. If the stairwell is calm enough and there is no strong acoustics, consider this option.
  • Ask the people you live with to leave the house during your counseling session. Since it is now not recommended to go to crowded places, they can walk around the house or to the nearest store (observing the necessary safety rules).
  • If the household has headphones that block external sound, you can ask to use these headphones. If there are no such headphones, you can ask them to listen to music or watch a movie in ordinary headphones without taking them off during your consultation.
  • If you are in self-isolation with children, try to find them an interesting activity during the consultation: a game or a creative task. If you have a partner who can look after the children and keep them occupied, ask him about it. Explain that therapy is very important to you, and that the quality of therapy depends on focus and immersion in the process. In other words, you cannot be distracted.

If you want to hide the fact of psychotherapy

It so happens that our loved ones are skeptical and even negative about psychotherapy. In this case, the desire to hide the fact of contacting a psychologist, and not go into explanations, is normal.

  • You can say that you are just having a “consultation with a doctor,” “a very important personal conversation,” or “phoning at work,” and apply the advice from the previous block.
  • Try a mixed format therapy: the psychologist will speak, and you will listen to him with headphones and respond in writing.
  • For a while, invite the psychologist to completely switch to the format of a correspondence consultation.

AND REMEMBER: ANY DIFFICULTIES ARE TIME, UNDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS.

To continue to lead a happy and healthy life after self-isolation, you need to provide yourself with support now.

Category: Online psychotherapy, Psychotherapy

About the Author ()

I’ve hurt myself while trying to help myself more than you can imagine, that’s why I want to scientifically analyze every popular self-help technique and ‘method’ there is.