The past month has brought unimaginable changes to our private and professional lives. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced societies to engage in emergency response that made us shift rapidly to the survival mode. The new social distancing rules imposed by the government created a paradoxical effect of bringing people closer through focusing on the mutual threat while remaining physically distant. This situation challenged our perception of what is necessary to maintain day-to-day functioning. Remote working from home became the new norm by applying technological solutions to mitigate the loss of physical proximity.
This has also imposed restrictions on delivering psychological therapy. Traditionally, the psychotherapeutic journey always put communication and emotional intimacy at the core of the experience ensuring that the therapist and the client share the physical and emotional space. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the physical proximity in the therapeutic process became impossible to maintain. Many therapists, clinical psychologists and counsellors began to wonder what that meant for the future of our professions and the care we provide to our clients. Is it, in fact, possible to maintain therapeutic relationships without meeting with them in person? We had no choice but to introduce video calls and telephone calls to remain in contact. Online therapy is not the same as face-to-face therapy but offers the only alternative medium of communication available to us.
Remote therapy allowed a new type of communication to emerge between the therapist and the client which brings various challenges as well as opportunities for both parties. Meeting online introduces a new environment filled with technical glitches, unpredictable situations such as unwanted intrusions by family members or pets, as well as issues around the appropriateness of physical space to conduct the session. At times these issues remain outside of our control adding complexity to maintaining therapeutic space and providing containment. On the other hand, we are provided with an opportunity to think creatively, allow normally undetected elements of the client's reality to enter the treatment. We begin to hear and see aspects of the interactions that normally would be invisible in the therapist's office. It is, therefore, easier to pick up on them and make use of them. Secondly, for some people staying at home and removing physical proximity can facilitate access to a more relaxed state of mind which in turn might allow difficult material to emerge. Finally, there is something particularly human about connecting with the other at a time of global crisis. This provides a unique perspective on our lives and a sense of connectedness that goes beyond the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and makes our human vulnerability mutually tangible.
I strongly feel that remote therapy is a necessity in the current climate. It introduces a new paradigm with all its challenges and opportunities. It is a fragile and imperfect system which requires learning and adaptation for both parties. However, it is likely it might be with us for a while and we have to make it accessible and available to all.
