Useful Tips for Mental Health Providers Using Telehealth:
By Pooja Mamidanna AMFT (103485)
Processing with your client about “this new transition of not being able to meet with you at the clinic/private practice any more”. Validating their feeling and praising client for being open to trying telehealth out and continuing to be engaged in their treatment.
Normalizing the anxiety levels that are prevalent due to pandemic crisis. Checking in with your client about creating a mental health maintenance self-care plan.
I have provided teletherapy with clients pre COVID 19 and currently during COVID -19. A lot of my clients currently have been curious to ask me how my family and myself are dealing with our anxieties related to the pandemic? Or what have I been doing at home during shelter in place? I have found for myself personally, self-disclosing to my clients about my daily routine and coping skills I have been employing which have been useful to them.
I have also noticed how giving client HW assignments has been helpful to keep them busy during sessions.
In-between sessions I also do my own research of sharing with my clients some resources that I think might be helpful to maintain their physical and mental health such as (free online classes, work out classes, meditation applications, books to read, podcasts etc.). My clients have appreciated this and this has been helpful to them.
During the last 10-15 minutes of the session as we begin to wrap our session, I always leave room at the end of the session to provide my client the space to process on how this session went for them (what they liked and what could have been different).
Having Group consultations with my colleagues has been helpful as well (discussing and sharing tips with each other about what has been useful and what hasn’t).