How Can Couples Overcome the Common Challenges Faced in Teletherapy?

Since covid-19 breakout, there has been an increase in demand for teletherapy, where clinicians can provide immediate input regarding any patient’s condition. However, certain obstacles are coming in the way of online therapy, which you must know how to overcome.

1. Losing control of the setting

It is crucial in a dynamic and process-oriented therapy setting. Usually, the therapist chooses the office decoration and furniture, arranges the music system in the waiting room, and more. However, when you send a message online, taking care of the environment becomes tricky. You cannot control the environment or how the patient contacts you. 

To overcome this problem, it is advised that a patient prepare a holding environment during the teletherapy appointment. Some basic instructions that can be stated are connecting through a stable connection from a quiet room without any distraction, and privacy should be guaranteed. This has proven to be beneficial for online couples counselling. So, the responsibility is shifting from the therapist to the client to cope with the disadvantage. Suppose you are suffering in your married life and planning to end up soon. It’s suggested to try out online counseling and give yourself another chance in your relationship.

2. Disembodied environment 

During a therapeutic session, one-on-one interaction is significant. The clinician monitors the client by gazing at them, understanding their tone, or observing the various aspects of their body language. However, during online therapy, it becomes hard to monitor the patients or understand the effects that are taking place during therapy sessions. The therapist cannot observe the unconscious influence of the questions on the client’s body. There is also a loss of eye-to-eye contact, and the mechanisms central to psychotherapy, such as affective, relational, and regulation changes, are also lost.

To cope with this, a therapist must organize an online meeting where facial expressions can be identified, or tools can be used to read the patient’s facial expressions during therapy sessions. Based on the requirements, the client must report their body sensations and distance from this screen or get closer to it as the circumstances are. Installing a sensory-motor approach can also help therapists focus on the body and sensations that are taking place during the interactive therapy. 

3. Difficulty in staying connected

It becomes difficult for the therapist to monitor every moment or form deep relationships and contact with the patient. Also, technical faults can prevent the patient from staying online all the time. Screen barriers are the biggest distractions that can dilute the therapist’s presence. To help with this, self-disclosure should be created, and the interaction should be very transparent. Therapists can increase their presence by taking responsibility for their mistakes or empathetic failures.

Summing it up

Most patients might need to be equipped to handle the latest technology. Also, how a patient handles technology indicates how they are able to cope with modern life. Legal and ethical guidelines for teletherapy must be considered for online couples therapy when encountering a patient’s difficulties while keeping them confidential. Go ahead and book your session now!