In-Person Counseling

TRADITIONAL IN-PERSON THERAPY

The virus makes the future more uncertain. However, no one should feel pressured to take on risks to access psychotherapeutic care. For most people video or audio based telehealth remains a better choice than meeting in-person. Additionally, therapy behind face masks, eye shields, increased social distance, disinfectants and plexiglass shields may not feel worthwhile or resemble normal in-person therapy.

Online therapy is not for everyone. What takes place on screens may be workable but is fundamentally different than when people meet face to face. Research shows that in-person therapy can cause neural changes in the brain that reduces negative symptoms and supports recovery. In brain scans of individuals undergoing CBT therapy, neural changes were found in areas of social processing such as the prefrontal cortex. Following in-person psychotherapy, individuals showed increased cortex connectivity in areas that interpret facial expression. Other studies have found in-person talk therapy to work equally well to antidepressants during treatment of moderate to severe depression. Important to note, studies of online therapy self-report is promising, but there has yet to be parallel examination of the impact of online therapy’s potential to strengthen neural connectivity.

Outdoor sessions are weather dependent and location is unique to each client as to maintain confidentiality. The benefits include real-time conversation, where one can pick up easier on non-verbal cues, emotional undertones, as well as better gauge more dimensional sharing between you and you therapist.