Personally, I would. Sometimes I get work meetings that pop up at the last minute, and then I have to reschedule appointments because I have to factor in the the time it takes to get to the office and back. It's really hard for me to block off 1.5 hours on my schedule. But my therapy appts are 45 mins long, so I can easily just block off 45 mins. And my psychiatry appts are 15 mins, which is super easy to block off.

I do like in-person interactions, but for my purposes, telepsychiatry and teletherapy work fine. It's also nice to be able to talk to my therapist/pdoc in my pajamas.

[Miss Laura]

No definitely not I need the interaction it's just not the same plus I need them to see that I'm not ok even though I may look ok. If you know what I mean. I'm struggle to openly chat to my therapist on the phone. It's like I have lost all ability to chat

I much prefer in-person sessions with both my tdoc and pdoc, but I do recognize the convenience and occasional advantages of video/telepsychiatry. I'd likely never want telepsychiatry to continue with my pdoc, as long as I can get to his office. Firstly, I adore seeing him in person. Secondly, his office is only about a 6 minute drive from my house, down a very pleasant road. He has offered that if/when I move to Europe in the future, that he could offer the telepsychiatry for a short while as I transition. If/when I move to Europe, it will take 3 months for me to establish a residency. During that 3 months, I would not have health insurance. After 3 months, I would qualify for the universal coverage offered by most European countries.

My tdoc's office is only about a 30 minute drive from my house, but it can get hectic since I must cross a major traffic thoroughfare to get there. Luckily, a road that has been closed for over a year is now open again. That will ease the stress of the drive. I had had phone sessions with her and past therapists before the covid 19 pandemic, when driving was unsafe (because of my bp or weather). Also, if my car were to breakdown. I can't get to her office via public transportation, but I could get to my pdoc by bus, or even foot/bike, though I'd likely be sweaty when I got there. There's a big long hill to climb to get there, and I'm not in good shape.

Originally Posted by Miss Laura

No definitely not I need the interaction it's just not the same plus I need them to see that I'm not ok even though I may look ok. If you know what I mean. I'm struggle to openly chat to my therapist on the phone. It's like I have lost all ability to chat

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Miss Laura! Pdocs and therapists are good at assessing body language, but if all they see is your face, then it's hard for them to judge how you're doing. And sometimes video can be choppy and lag, so it's difficult to see someone's facial expressions sometimes. Also, your tone of voice can get messed up over video/phone. I know I sound different on the phone than I do in person!

I'm sorry to hear you struggle, though. Have you tried video or are you willing to try video? Not sure if your place offers it, but if you haven't tried it already, it may be worth a try.

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

I much prefer in-person sessions with both my tdoc and pdoc, but I do recognize the convenience and occasional advantages of video/telepsychiatry. I'd likely never want telepsychiatry to continue with my pdoc, as long as I can get to his office. Firstly, I adore seeing him in person. Secondly, his office is only about a 6 minute drive from my house, down a very pleasant road. He has offered that if/when I move to Europe in the future, that he could offer the telepsychiatry for a short while as I transition. If/when I move to Europe, it will take 3 months for me to establish a residency. During that 3 months, I would not have health insurance. After 3 months, I would qualify for the universal coverage offered by most European countries.

My tdoc's office is only about a 30 minute drive from my house, but it can get hectic since I must cross a major traffic thoroughfare to get there. Luckily, a road that has been closed for over a year is now open again. That will ease the stress of the drive. But if I felt psychologically incapable of leaving my house, telepsychiatry would be a good occasional option. I had had phone sessions with her and past therapists before the covid 19 pandemic, when driving was unsafe (because of my bp or weather). Also, if my car were to breakdown. I can't get to her office via public transportation, but I could get to my pdoc by bus, or even foot/bike, though I'd likely be sweaty when I got there.

Yeah, a 6 minute drive is not very far. I can see why you prefer to go in person.

What you say about your therapist makes a lot of sense. I think it's great to have teletherapy as a backup option for those reasons!

I hope you're able to figure out telepsychiatry if/when you move. It sounds very stressful, but I am glad to hear that your pdoc is willing to accommodate you.

[Miss Laura]

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Miss Laura! Pdocs and therapists are good at assessing body language, but if all they see is your face, then it's hard for them to judge how you're doing. And sometimes video can be choppy and lag, so it's difficult to see someone's facial expressions sometimes. Also, your tone of voice can get messed up over video/phone. I know I sound different on the phone than I do in person!


I'm sorry to hear you struggle, though. Have you tried video or are you willing to try video? Not sure if your place offers it, but if you haven't tried it already, it may be worth a try.

My therapist doesn't offer video call just phone call. So it's much harder as she is relying on my voice alone. I don't see how she can go back to her office it's a tiny office she has. So I guess it's all phone calls for the foreseeable future

[*Beth*]

Noooooo!!!!!

[wildflowerchild25]

Yes, absolutely. My therapist isn’t very far but we meet late (8pm) and by that time I just do NOT feel like going back out. I always wanted to cancel. I would do teletherapy all the tine in a heartbeat.

[Sunflower123]

Absolutely!