The Impact on Us of Switching to Telehealth continued from page 15
SPECIAL FOCUS
How to keep you rself — and your practice — thriving
The Impact on Us of Switching to Telehealth continued from page 15
increase . In other words , if we as counselors don ’ t explicitly tend to ourselves ( our own internal and external processes ), and make it clear we are doing so , clients will notice and will feel the effects .
Such trends were highlighted by our research participants when describing COVID-related telehealth shifts . More than one of the LCMHCs who participated in our research used words like “ hated ” to describe telehealth practice in the early days of the pandemic . When licenses and finances were on the line , counselors worked to continue to care for clients who themselves were oftentimes struggling with the shift .
One participant called this season “ a twilight zone .” Other participants called it “ a war zone .” Regardless of the description of counseling during the pandemic that one most identifies with , what ’ s clear is that our field changed somewhat overnight , as we and our clients sat ( in front of computer screens ) stunned by the worlds that were shutting down around us .
We all faced social isolation , related loneliness , and complicated bereavement . Some of us also faced social inequity , unemployment , or financial loss , as Cheri L . Marmarosh , PhD , reported in a 2020 issue of Group Dynamics : Theory , Research , and Practice
Of course , outside counseling sessions , life didn ’ t stop for the LCMHCs we talked to . Surgeries , miscarriages , divorce , and other life changes and challenges accompanied the pandemic for those we interviewed . Some took the opportunity to get trained in modalities like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ( EMDR ), Internal Family Systems Therapy ( IFS ), and Accelerated Resolution Therapy ( ART ).
Those who did noted their surprise in the apparent efficacy of being trained to do such work online . They noted that having increased structure to the clinical hour by way of such techniques helped them to know that the work they were doing online was worthwhile .
Three Factors Faced , and Findings Revealed
1 . How helpful is our work to others ?
An ongoing factor in the wellness of clinical mental health counselors is the degree to which we experience the work we do as helpful to others . Our participants were deeply invested in the welfare of their clients , and they lamented the personal impact ( s ) they experienced when the apparent viability of their work was compromised . One interviewee spoke of feeling “ demoralized ” in the immediate season of work after the onset of COVID restrictions . They felt like they were “ beating [ their ] head against the wall ” in trying to effect change in the midst of so much social and political unrest . More than one of our participants had considered leaving the field entirely . Some changed jobs ( e . g ., moved from community mental health to private practice ), and one made plans for early retirement .
An interesting finding from our study thus far relates to counseling while physically ill . Our responsibility to protect those around them from contagion has been amplified in and through the pandemic . I ( Doug ) have memories of yesteryear when I would sit with a fever across from a client , trying to choose interventions that would require the least talking possible because I couldn ’ t speak without coughing . Our participants shared how COVID has highlighted the importance of making more collaborative and more collective decisions about whether to sit in the same room with someone when either party is physically ill . Increased awareness and attentiveness to such situations seems to be coming to both counselor and client alike .
2 . “ Zoom fatigue ”
Staring at another face up close on a computer screen activates one ’ s limbic system ( amygdala ), forcing those who are Zooming to work with increased levels of autonomic arousal . Our findings show a combination of fatigue and distraction for telehealth counselors . Counseling is emotionally taxing work . While about a quarter ( 23 %) of psychologists agree or strongly agree that online therapy is less taxing than in-person therapy , nearly half ( 47 %) disagree or strongly disagree that “ Telehealth is less emotionally taxing on me as a provider than face to face .” The remaining 30 percent neither agree nor disagree , according to an infographic in the “ 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey ” from the American Psychological Association .
Navigating toolbars and links that don ’ t work and platforms that shut down , resisting email accounts that are only a click away , and managing a steady stream of push alerts and other notifications invites a level of overstimulation that is not present in the same way when one is sitting in the same space with another .
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16 The Advocate Magazine 2024 , Issue # 1 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org