Psychotherapy in a Post Pandemic World
When the pandemic hit, workers around the world scrambled to adjust to a new world where the outdoors became a dark and scary monster. Those who could, fled to their keyboards and their pyjama pants and hunkered down. Those who couldn’t, faced job losses, economic downturn and physical and mental health instability.
Perhaps more than most industries, psychotherapists have been able to adapt and overcome this sudden shift in the landscape. We were among the first to invest in Zoom for Healthcare right after we figured out how to adjust our Zoom background to look like a fancier office than our real office. From there, we just trudged along, seeing clients in our kitchens and living rooms. We are very fortunate to work in a profession where most of the job is simply talking to another person.
What Have We Learned?
We have learned that you don’t need to be in the same room as someone in order to have a connection. You don’t need to be three feet apart in order to help someone understand and interpret their emotions. Of course, it probably makes it a big easier to be in person, but the benefits of online therapy simply cannot be matched.
Therapists have been able to fit more clients into their schedules and have also found an easier time of working in the off-hours. Suddenly, an evening session on a Thursday isn’t out of the question whereas three years ago that would have sounded absurd.
The pandemic has been hard on all of us, therapists included. I’m just suggesting that we practice what we preach to our clients and show a little gratitude that this pandemic might have been what was necessary to bring our profession to the next technological level.
In Person or Online Therapy?
Although I’m sure many therapists will go back to in person sessions when safe to do so, but I’m also sure that many will not. Technology is only going to improve and so-called ‘Zoom sessions’ could feel as real as face to face in a matter of years. There are a number of exciting developments in the world of virtual and augmented reality, and few professions are as well set-up to benefit from them as psychotherapists. Instead of fearing the unknown and fighting against the upcoming surge of new technologies, we should embrace them. We are entering a time (or are already living in a time) where the technological landscape of a culture could change completely every few years. If therapists are unwilling to adapt, we may be left in the dust.
Online Clinical Supervision in Ontario
One major benefit of this switch to virtual has been the ease at which group clinical supervision can now take place. There are countless clinical supervisors in Ontario who supervise numerous Registered Psychotherapists in a group setting. Three years ago, that would have been unheard of and today, it is common place. There is no longer a need to be in the same physical city as your clinical supervisor. As long as you are both in Ontario, you are covered. This means a supervisor in Toronto can have supervisees from Ottawa, Windsor, North Bay and Sudbury. This makes it easier for clinical supervision in Ontario for both parties. The supervisor can reach out to potential supervisees in a much larger geographic area and supervisees benefit from cheaper prices by opting for group supervision.
The Pandemic and Mental Health
You can’t talk about the pandemic without talking about the effect it has had on mental health as a whole. We’ve seen it in our practices, we’ve seen it in our families and maybe we’ve even seen it on ourselves. It’s important to acknowledge that sometimes, we all need a little help. Therapists might know all the ‘tricks’ but we should also be self-aware enough to realize it’s much easier to observe what may be wrong with another person more so than in ourselves. If you’re having a hard time getting moving in the morning, or maybe aren’t feeling that same spark from your work, talk to someone. If we are going to advocate with a straight face to our clients that they should continue talking to us, we should accept that we also need to talk from time to time as well.
Although clinical supervision is not in itself therapy, it can offer some of the same benefits. A clinical supervisor is someone you can bounce ideas off of; it’s someone who can help you understand the strong emotions evoked by a certain client; it’s someone who can give you a different perspective.
Clinical Supervision Online
Having an Ontario clinical supervisor can be the difference between an ‘ok’ career and an ‘incredible’ career. Go into it with the understanding that none of us are ever done learning. Treat your clinical supervisor as someone to learn from, because that’s why they are there. They have the years of experience that can’t be taught in a textbook. They have the vast amount of past client interactions to draw from in their approach to a specific client. They have a lot of tools and most of them are happy to share them.
Come to your clinical supervision sessions with a purpose and you will leave them feeling much more able to tackle your caseload the next day. Set goals and work with your clinical supervisor in Ontario via Zoom or in person and try to grow as a therapist each week. None of us are perfect and the ones who seem so are probably good at hiding it. We all need help from time to time and normalizing that for ourselves will allow us to better normalize it for our clients.
