FAQ

WILL YOU PRESCRIBE MEDICATION?

As an LCSW I am NOT able to prescribe medication. I also cannot speak to medication recommendations as it is outside of my scope of practice. However, depending on a client’s level of functioning and/or their therapy goals, we might discuss certain topics around medication such as:

• How to talk to your doctor about medication, how to ask questions about medication, and/or advocating for your needs as a patient.

• Weighing the pros and cons of deciding to seek out psychiatric support.

• Coping with the stigma around taking medication to treat mental health symptoms.

• The importance of seeking physician support to rule out underlying medical causes for mental health symptoms. (I’ve had a few instances in which clients were diagnosed with a medical condition that exacerbated their mental health symptoms.)

WHAT IS TELETHERAPY LIKE? WHAT DO I NEED FOR IT?

Teletherapy is when a client “meets” with their therapist over the internet. Teletherapy shares many similarities with regular face-to-face therapy. However, some major differences, both good and bad, include the following:

Pros:

• Clients may easily access their therapist no matter their location, as long as they have an internet connection. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with clients in rural areas where mental health resources may be highly limited or far away. I’ve even worked with clients who are bedridden due to illness, and teletherapy allowed them the means to access support without getting out of bed.

• Clients and therapists do not have to deal with driving out to their session, deal with parking, bumping into people they know, etc. In my experience, teletherapy has proved far more private than face-to-face sessions.

• If illness, weather, or other safety factors are a barrier to services, teletherapy services from the comfort of one’s home can ensure continued access to care.

Cons:

• Internet connectivity issues may cause a “lag” or even for the session to drop. Telehealth therapists are advised to have a good strong internet connection to help mitigate this. I myself have a 1 GB wired connection to ensure smoother sessions.

• Therapists have less control over privacy on the client’s end. Traditional therapy offices have designated private spaces with locked doors to eliminate disruptions. Unfortunately, client’s family members, roommates, or pets might not understand the need to respect clients’ privacy needs. If privacy is a concern, we can troubleshoot ideas on how to accomplish this so that you feel emotionally safe to speak in therapy.

• Meeting on the screen is certainly not the same as meeting face-to-face. (I think an abundance of zoom meetings during the pandemic has reinforced this!) This means that therapists are more limited in their assessments as they rely solely on what they see on the screen and what clients have written. If you are seeking a more thorough evaluation, I strongly recommend seeking face-to-face services.

To have a teletherapy session with your therapist, you do require an internet connection and a means to connect to the meeting platform. Some clients just use their cellphone, while others prefer to be at their computer or desktop. It is also strongly recommended that you have a private spot for sessions (such as a room with a locked door) to better protect your privacy.

HOW LONG DOES THERAPY TAKE?

IF I STOPPED DOING THERAPY SOME TIME AGO, CAN I RETURN TO IT?

Yes, and in fact this is encouraged! Sometimes clients return if new issues arise or if old issues have resurfaced. Some have even returned after a long “break” just for their own self-care or to conduct a wellness check-in. If you have found therapy helpful in the past and would like to seek services again, I encourage you to do so. Alternatively, if your past therapeutic experiences have not been so helpful, I encourage you to speak about this with your therapist (whether former or new). This can help your therapist to address what hasn’t been helpful and to tweak your therapy if needed.

WHO DO YOU WORK WITH?