Making the Most of Teletherapy: Tips for Adjusting to Virtual Sessions
By Kelsey Hess, LMHCA
Coach/Therapist, Hallowell Todaro ADHD
To all of you who have taken the leap to virtual therapy sessions, I commend you for your flexibility and willingness to try something new! I think this goes without saying, but virtual therapy is different from in-person therapy.
Luckily, there are a variety of practical steps you can take to make the most of your virtual sessions. Here is a non-exhaustive list specifically curated to support the ADHD brain:
1. Give yourself transition time
Giving yourself transition time helps you mentally prepare for your session, and reduces the amount of time in session you spend transitioning. Unlike in-person sessions where transition time is built in as travel time, your transition time to a virtual session can be as fast as it takes you to open a new tab on your computer, so you need to build it in yourself. Here are some practical ways you can create your own transition time for your virtual session:
Creating a ritual for yourself before your session such as: taking a walk around the block, closing all of your work/school related tabs, or going to the kitchen to get yourself some water.
Giving yourself 10 minutes before the session to journal or mind map about what you want to focus your session on.
Set your calendar reminder for 10-15 minutes before your session starts, so you have extra time to do what you need to transition out of your last activity to your session.
2. Limit Distraction and give yourself tools to increase focus
During in-person sessions, your therapist is in the room with you and their physical presence commands your attention to a greater degree than their virtual presence. If you are noticing that it is harder to pay attention in virtual sessions, you are not alone; it is more challenging.
The Hallowell Todaro centers have lots of fidgets to help keep you focused during in-person sessions, but here are some ways you can increase your ability to focus in virtual sessions:
Create a focus box and bring it to every therapy session, or better, simply keep it stored where you do your virtual sessions. Think about what helps you focus. What kind of fidgets do you like? Do you like to take notes, or color? Fill the box with the fidgets that best work for you.
Create physical distance between you and your distractions. Ask yourself before session, is there anything I can remove from this room/space to help myself focus in session?
3. Create your ideal therapy environment
Just like when you’re sitting down to work or go to school at home, your environment can either help or hinder your success.
Check in with your comfort level. You want to be physically comfortable, but not so comfortable that you might fall asleep. Maybe you sit at your desk and snuggle up in a cozy blanket or wear your favorite slippers. There are benefits to being at home, and things available to you to increase comfort that don’t exist in the therapy office. Take advantage of this.
Privacy is key. Your therapy hour is your time to focus on you. If you are worried that others might hear you or might barge into your session, you may feel less comfortable sharing. Some ways to increase privacy include:
Communicate to others in your home. Ask others in your house to give you privacy, or reduce loud sounds during your session.
Play white noise. There are various free phone apps that play white noise, and Alexa can play it for you if you just ask. You can also buy a white noise machine. This will help to drown out your voice so that it will make it challenging for others in your home to make out what you are saying.
Wear headphones. This not only can increase privacy, because only you can hear what your therapist is saying, but it also decreases the likelihood of echoing.
Come up with a privacy breach code with your therapist in the event that someone walks into your space or you feel your privacy is at risk. Some ideas include typing in the chat on Zoom or saying a code word to indicate that you would like to talk about neutral topics.
4. Consider your Technology
Failures in technology can make for a frustrating therapy experience. There are likely going to be moments where the internet connection is spotty or technology doesn’t quite cooperate how you would like. However, there are things you can do to decrease the likelihood of technology getting in the way of your session.
Internet connection tips. (Be mindful that these are tips from someone who does not pretend to be a technology expert)
Reduce the number of people in your home on the internet.
Close out as many tabs, and programs on your computer as possible.
Move closer to your wifi router, and if possible connect your laptop or device to your router using an ethernet cable.
Make a backup plan. This can be a great one to do with your therapist. Identify what you would like to do in the event that you’re disconnected from your telehealth session. This may look like identifying:
Identify a backup device. If you’re using your laptop, maybe switch to your tablet.
Identify a backup mode of communication. If your primary mode is video maybe your backup is a phone session.
5. Increase your self-compassion
Change is hard, and I am certain that adjusting to virtual sessions isn’t the only change you are dealing with right now.
Reduce overwhelm by choosing one or two of these tips to start with.
Bring this list to a therapy session. Your therapist is here to support you as you navigate this transition. You are not alone in this.
Note for parents whose children are doing virtual sessions: All of these tips apply to your children's sessions as well. However, they will likely need your support in implementing them.
Bring a big ‘ol dose of self-compassion, and compassion for your child while navigating this change!
We provide HIPPA-compliant online therapy for children and adults with ADHD and/or a range of other cognitive or emotional conditions.