Our therapists provide online therapy in Gainesville, FL

I have found helping people via online therapy starts with discovering their comfort zone with computers and virtual services. For people who are new to online therapy, a brief description of its benefits and limitations is often helpful. One of the greatest benefits of online therapy is making counseling accessible to individuals who cannot come to the office — whether due to transportation, tight schedules, mobility needs, lack of local in-person counselors, illness, or to help the person who is fearful of leaving their home develop skills to do so.

I practice many of the same therapies online that I practice in office sessions with people, even EMDR and A.R.T.! I also teach people tools to help them in their daily interactions, tools like:

• Coping strategies such as thought-stopping to manage repetitive thoughts.
• Soothing strategies such as breathing with guided imagery, muscle relaxation, vagus nerve reset exercises, and tapping. Soothing tools are designed to help reduce emotional intensity and promote physiological relaxation by communicating with the parasympathetic system through neurological pathways.
• Distress tolerance strategies to help people endure uncomfortable feelings while working to resolve a problem.
• Emotional regulation strategies to help people reduce the intensity of overwhelming emotions. Emotional regulation strategies include becoming familiar with self-talk, assessing its accuracy, and developing accurate thoughts that help rather than sabotage or hinder success.
• Anxiety reduction strategies designed to break the cycle that maintains anxiety. These strategies include designing opportunities to progressively desensitize people to their feared situations. The progressive approach feels like a manageable approach for most people who experience anxiety attacks, panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
• Strategies for naturally managing depression are very useful for those who want to combine medication with a nonmedication approach as well as for those who are candidates for a nonmedication approach to treating depression. These strategies involve identifying historical, environmental, and behavioral factors that may be contributing to the development and maintenance of a depressed mood.
• Tools for managing trauma symptoms and for processing the traumatic memory. Trauma symptoms can be debilitating. Tools for managing the symptoms include mind-body interventions because trauma is not only psychological, it is embedded in the body's tissues. Mind-body tools are necessary for managing trauma symptoms.

One of the ways I know a person is making meaningful progress in online therapy is when I hear a positive shift in their voice, or I see that their face appears more relaxed and uplifted. These changes can be difficult to observe online sometimes, and then I rely on other signals that a person is feeling better. It may be as subtle as a casual remark that they tried something new, or even felt angry when they were previously emotionally shut down. Progress is revealed in many different ways.

One of the most effective ways to supplement online therapy during personal time is simply to practice and rehearse what was learned in therapy. Learning new ways of thinking, communicating, parenting, etc. is great. However, there is no measurable change until the knowledge is put into practice. Change requires practice.

A successful first online therapy session starts before the appointment begins. Check the device you plan to use and have a backup device, just in case. Also, consider the following:

• Is the software up to date or do you need to download and install an app?
• Will the device support streaming video? Do the camera, microphone, and speakers work?
• Do you have a private place that is relatively free of distractions?
• Have all required forms been signed prior to the scheduled appointment?
• Does your insurance cover online therapy?
• At the time of the appointment, are you physically located in the same state as your therapist? In most circumstances, you cannot be in a different state, even if you are only on vacation or you live in one state and work in an adjoining state.
• If the therapist does not admit you into the online session right away, please remember the person attending the appointment prior to yours may be experiencing a crisis. Give your therapist 10-15 minutes to wrap up and log you on. This should rarely occur, but it does happen.