5 Things I’ve Learned From a Year of Teletherapy
5 Things I’ve Learned From a Year of Teletherapy
This week marks a year since I shifted my NYC therapy practice online. Like so many therapists (and people!), I thought this would be a short-term change.
To be honest, I hoped it would be because my limited exposure to teletherapy before the pandemic had left me not enamored with it. (read: I kinda really hated it).
But here I am, a year later - still working from my living room, keeping track of the same tree out the window through each season.
Teletherapy forced me to get creative and show up in new ways. And though I do plan to go back to my office (at some point this year, fingers crossed), I’ve been deeply enjoying my online work with clients and it feels meaningful to mark time with these 5 reflections from a year of online music therapy sessions.
1. Deep connection is still possible, even through a screen.
It’s still two people connecting and showing up. I’ve done meaningful work with people I’ve never met in person & people I’ve been working with for years - it’s all possible.
2. I will never lose the urge to be able to hand tissues to a client when they cry - and had to come up with ways to support them when I can’t do that.
Without meeting in my office, clients have had to carve out spaces for therapy in their homes, which in some way reminds me of the therapeutic process and how the work in my office ultimately/ideally makes it way out into the world.
3. Movement is an important part of therapy (and life).
A lot of us have spent a lot more time being stationary over the past year. Movement during the ongoing pandemic has been a tricky thing - needing to plan, strategize, navigate crowds, etc.
But the reality remains - humans need to feel a sense of movement and flow. And so I’ve been even more intentional about inviting that movement into my sessions - whether it’s a few breaths together, stretching to a piece of music before we dive into the session, or finding a movement or gesture that connects to a feeling.
I’ve remembered to use and tend to my own body too (I’ve always talked with my hands a lot, but definitely can get locked into the look-straight-ahead-at-the-screen mindset).
It’s been powerful to witness how movement - whether it’s breathing, humming together, turning side to side and so much more -- can help people feel grounded, connected, and able to release and express feelings.
4. So much has been brought to the surface by the past year - collectively and individually - that can’t be ignored anymore.
Past traumas, relationship stuff, anxiety, productivity/work ethic stuff, fear of not being good enough, and more. Ongoing hate crimes against BIPOC and Asian-Americans. Collective shifts around how we work, connect, and learn. It’s been a lot. And it’s time (past time, really) to show up and do the work - both collectively and individually.
5. Music can hold and express our feelings in ways we cannot explain.
We’ve all seen this throughout the pandemic - from Yo-Yo Ma’s #songsofcomfort videos (if you haven’t seen these - watch some here!) to living room concerts to people sharing memories of the last concert they saw before shutdown (mine was David Broza at the Towne Crier in Beacon, how about you?)
As a music therapist, I’ve long trusted in the power of music to hold and express all kinds of feelings. Bringing music into the teletherapy experience has been a rich and enlivening one - for both me and for my clients.
About the Author
Maya is a music therapist and psychotherapist in NYC and online throughout New York State. She specializes in helping women with anxiety, childhood/intergenerational trauma and those who are highly sensitive (HSP) feel good enough, learn how to express their feelings without overwhelm, and show up in calm and confident ways in their work and relationships.
If you’re interested in working with Maya, you can learn more here or schedule your free phone consultation here.
You don’t have to stay stuck - it’s time to reclaim your rhythm.
