Distance Work

The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the use of Telehealth – video (or sometimes telephone) meetings – in psychotherapy.  Currently, nearly all my appointments are via a secure Telehealth platform.

 

Although something is lost when therapist and client are not together in the same physical space, and I miss “the old days,” I am not inclined to focus solely on what is missing.  I began conducting spiritual companioning sessions by video a decade or more before the pandemic, seeing people from east to west coast, and many states in between.  The technology has improved greatly and despite a glitch every now and then, I’m pleased with what is now possible.

 

Currently, it is not possible to practice psychotherapy across state lines, and I think this is wise.  Although psychiatric emergencies are rare in my practice, I would not feel comfortable responding to an emergency if a patient lives far from where I practice. 

 

That noted, for those who live outside of Illinois and would like to work particularly with me – usually this has something to do with my being a priest and an analyst – I am open to exploring this IF we mutually discern a spiritual rather than psychotherapeutic form of working together.