I had to smile, too, at Wild Coyote's emoji flashcard suggestion. Though it seems funny, I really think it's not such a bad idea. I suppose another option could be to gesticulate a bit more. People in my parts tend to gesticulate more than those elsewhere, except maybe Italy Anyway, I will say that I'd rather see my tdoc and pdoc in person (wearing a mask) than via video session. And to Rick, both my tdoc and pdoc have been using doxy.me It's not perfect, but it works and is safe. It has some benefits that a zoom session doesn't have.

I think that wearing a mask during a face-to-face session is important until the covid-19 is really under control. Even if a doctor/therapist has a huge office, if a person NOT wearing a mask coughs or sneezes, etc, it can get on furniture in various places. The doc/therapist would need to clean all surrounding surfaces with the proper cleaners, after each patient, to ensure some level of safety. At least if they (and patients) wear a mask, the spread of a virus would be far less. So, I do favor the wearing of masks vs. just distancing, until and only until the virus is controlled. I see how runny noses (from crying or other reasons) would be issues with a mask. Maybe a sealable plastic bag bought along and disposable glove and tissue/handkerchief would work. That could sound horrible or humorous. It's a choice.

I agree that not seeing a full face would cause some disadvantage and discomfort for me, and likely my tdoc/pdoc. However, I don't think it would be worse than the discomfort/disadvantage that comes with video sessions. Just different. I think if I had the choice, I'd go with wearing the mask, in person. This is better, in my view, particularly for people with bipolar disorder. Full body language says a lot. I don't mean just gesticulation, but agitation behavior, picking cuticles, slumping over, etc. Simply watching a person with bipolar disorder walk down a hallway can be quite telling.

I should be ashamed to say that I wouldn't mind the mask wearing around my tdoc as much as I would my pdoc. Pdoc is quite the handsome older man. It would be a shame not to see the full "picture" of him LOL! Plus, I have been going to his current office for almost 14 years. The actual office itself is a comfort zone for me. Really, I'm sort of joking about the looks thing. It's much more than that. I guess if one asked themselves if they'd rather video conf with their spouse or parent, or see their spouse or parent in person, but only wearing masks, a lot of folks would choose the mask setup. My pdoc is almost like a parent to me. Though I like my tdoc, that's more of a business relationship.