Mental health practitioners quickly adapted to pandemic health restrictions. Phone calls and video chats became the norm as we attempted to maintain the connection with our clients and grow our business. Though practicing online came with challenges, many therapists enjoyed the new normal. We skipped commutes, our schedules became more flexible, and we enjoyed the comforts of home. Despite these conveniences, at Therapeutic Alliance Suites, we wholeheartedly believe that in-person sessions are integral to our work and the success of our clients.
Therapeutic Alliance Suites takes a clinical approach to provide office spaces for therapists in NYC. We offer amenities designed to help your patients get the most out of their appointments. This blog post will explain why in-person therapy is more beneficial for your patients.
In-person Therapy Allows for Stronger Therapeutic Work
Consider the experience of online therapy from the client’s perspective. With the click of a button, therapy begins. The therapist can see the client from the shoulders up (if you’re lucky). Distractions are frequent, and there is no separation between the client’s everyday life and therapy. In-person therapy, on the other hand, offers numerous benefits:
Therapists can Fully Read Body Language
When meeting online, therapists see a fraction of their client’s non-verbal communication cues. Limited to what we can see on the screen, we may be missing subtle or overt physical signals that offer insight into our client’s internal life. How did the client enter the room? How did the client sit? What is the client doing with their hands and their feet? Are they relaxed or tense? The answers to these questions are accessible to therapists when we work in person, allowing deeper work.
In-person Therapy Allows Clients to “Transition” to a Therapeutic Mindset
With online therapy, the client “enters” with the click of a button. Many clients may click off a work meeting seconds before joining a therapy session or do therapy before leaving their homes. However, when clients go to in-person therapy, they slowly transition into the experience. Traveling from wherever they are to the therapy space may be a reflective time, allowing clients to consider what they want to explore, emotionally prepare for the session, or transition out of whatever task or activity they were doing prior.
Therapy Offices Provide a Sacred Space for Clients
Many clients found choosing the appropriate space for online therapy sessions challenging. Distracting environmental factors such as family members or roommates made privacy difficult. Therapy offices offer a sacred, separate, private space free from associations with clients’ everyday lives. They know they will leave the space behind when the therapy session ends. In this way, clients get to keep the therapeutic space sacred, allowing mental health practitioners to offer stronger support.
Flexibility is Integral to the Future of Therapy
Though therapists may be aware of the benefits of in-person work, many clients may need accommodation for periodic online therapy. Therapists must remember that the ability to come to in-person therapy is a privilege not all can access. Consider each client’s situation, and when possible, make arrangements for online therapy if the choice is between an online session and no therapy.
Therapeutic Alliance Suites is Designed for Top-of-the-line Therapy
Whether in-person or online, therapists benefit from a separate therapeutic space as much as clients do. Therapeutic Alliance Suites understands that a secure, beautiful, and safe office space greatly impacts how we serve our clients. Top-of-the-line psychotherapy offices help us deliver care in ways that promote our clients’ well-being.