We have compiled recommendations that will help you prepare for an online therapy session to make it as efficient as possible. During the preparation, we relied on advice from well-known psychotherapeutic associations (such as the American Psychoanalytic Association APSA), as well as recommendations from Treatfield psychotherapists, who have many years of experience in online psychotherapeutic work.
1. Although during online psychotherapy, the client can be anywhere, this does not mean that a session can be conducted from any type of space. It is optimal to connect from home or, in extreme cases, from an office room where you are alone and can lock the door.
2. Cafes, coworking spaces, office spaces, or parks are not suitable for psychotherapy because they do not feel like either a private or safe space. The location should be chosen in a way you do not have to worry that someone will overhear you. You should feel comfortable to cry or raise your voice if need be.
3. If you are not alone at home during the session, it is better to inform your family members in advance not to disturb you and not to enter the room until you're done. If conversations from adjacent rooms can be heard in the apartment, it is better to offer them to listen to something with headphones.
4. Allow yourself some extra time before and after the session: 15 minutes before and 30 minutes after. Before the meeting, you should have time to collect your thoughts, recall what remained in the field of your attention from the previous session. What was most important that happened this week? What you would like to talk about? The time after the session will be spent digesting thoughts and feelings. If you want, you can take notes. Do not engage in another activity immediately, do not schedule other online meetings close to the session.
5. During the consultation, sit at a desk or in a chair. It is not advisable to lie down or walk around the apartment. Ideally, you should always work from the same room.
6. Turn off the sound on your phone and all notifications (even silent ones) on the device you are speaking from during the session. If you are working from a phone or tablet, prepare a stand so you don't have to hold the device in your hands all the time.
7. Pour yourself a glass of water or tea. It is not advisable to eat during the session. It is also not recommended to drink alcohol on the day of the session, neither before nor after. Sometimes, drinking after the session is an attempt to suppress complex feelings that would be useful to notice and then discuss.
8. Dress for the therapy session as you would for an in-person meeting. This does not mean that you need to dress up in formal clothes, the line can be felt intuitively: home sportswear is suitable, but a bathrobe is not, even if you have an audio-only session without video.
9. Check the connection quality, microphone, and webcam functionality in advance. If you are connecting through the Treatfield platform, enter the online room in advance (access is available immediately after payment for the session), and make sure the camera is working and you can see yourself. If not, click on the lock icon in the browser's address bar and check if the browser has been granted access to the camera and microphone.
For technical questions and questions regarding the choice of a psychotherapist, please contact us by email at [email protected].
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