[madisgram]

i've got some hesitation re this form of therapy. call me old fashioned or stodgy. i want my T to be able to read my body language, etc. i feel it can be revealing in spite of what i may be saying to him/her.
the other thing i find disturbing is having a drink during a session. surely this may alter what the client's saying. my T also did not allow me to smoke back when many people smoked. that made sense to me too cause smoking can release a sense of well being, tho healthwise that's untrue, and allow the client to divert away from the conversation with T.

THE event reminder on Melissa Weinblatt’s iPhone buzzed: 15 minutes till her shrink appointment. She mixed herself a mojito, added a sprig of mint, put on her sunglasses and headed outside to her friend’s pool. Settling into a lounge chair, she tapped the Skype app on her phone. Hundreds of miles away, her face popped up on her therapist’s computer monitor; he smiled back on her phone’s screen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/fa...tml?ref=health
so what say you on this topic?

[gma45]

I am old school also. Body language can say so much more!

[sugahorse1]

My T was very much against even having long-winded conversations on the phone. She'd rather see me in person

[nicoleb2]

I would never see a therapist that way. I'd never be able to open up. Half the reason that I have ever talked to my therapist is because she can read my body language and tell that something is wrong, even if I don't bring it up.
Plus, when I am trying to avoid talking about something, or starting to dissociate, she asks me to make eye contact.

[stopdog]

My t suggested a couple of times I try having a drink (just one) before coming to her office to take the overwhelming edge off the anxiety.

[Dr.Muffin]

i know a few therapists who do skype therapy, but it's not their first choice. they do it because they are the only option for a large area of people who are not able to get to their office.

it kinda freaks me out a bit, though!

[SoupDragon]

Originally Posted by stopdog

My t suggested a couple of times I try having a drink (just one) before coming to her office to take the overwhelming edge off the anxiety.

Wow - I guess we are not talking a cup of tea are we? Did you? Did it help?

I don't think I could ever open up via email, Skype, or even the phone. I have enough trouble with it in person My T's office is very comfortable and warm, with lots of floor to ceiling bookcases, leather sofas, oriental rugs, etc. It feels safe when I am in there. There's also kinda the feeling that there's no escape and I can't run away. When I'm in there with him, I need to face things. For me, t any other way would be a waste of time - it would be too easy for me to hold things back.

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by SoupDragon

Wow - I guess we are not talking a cup of tea are we? Did you? Did it help?

She suggested scotch. And I never did try it. It seemed like madness to go in dulled. I do wonder about the skype video thing and whether it might make me feel less on edge if I was in my own territory and not theirs. It might be easier for me to relax in my own space (keeping dogs quiet might be an issue)

The only experience I have with Skype sessions was when my sister was sick and her psychiatrist called her over Skype for her appointment. Definitely served a vital purpose then, but I can't imagine trying to do a whole session via Skype. Maybe just a quick phone call via Skype (a few minutes) would be fine, but not a whole session.

[WePow]

My T does Skype with one client that I know about. She was ... ummmm... before me? There I am, my ordinary 10 min early, sitting outside his office. Usually his white-noise machine is turned on, but it was off that day for whatever reason. I try to not listen in when he is in session and usually wear headphones so I don't hear others talking to him. But I had lost my buds and had not had the chance to buy a new pair.

There I was as far away from his door as I could get and trying to immerse myself in my ipad game but could not mask the muffled woman's laughter radiating from behind my T's closed door and his "Please Do Not Disturb" doorknob sign.

Of course it had been a rather rough day/week/month/year/life and it was all I could do to fight back the tears on the way over there. And that laughter was getting on my last nerve. Five min after my start time, I heard my T's doorknob turn. Turning away from the door I grabbed my purse, stuffed my iPad back inside, and attempted to make myself invisible to this bubble-o-delight certain to emerge complete with fairy wings and ruby slippers.

"Come on back" the comfortingly familiar voice of my T beckon to me. How could I not look up into those eyes? The only eyes on earth I could look into and not feel pure terror inside when I did. She would see me... that... that Lady of Delight... the one I knew my T would much rather talk to than sad-old-me. But I couldn't not look up, so I did.
There was no one there. T must have seen my slightly bewildered look and let me know he did Skype session for a client.

[Flooded]

I wouldn't use Skype but given a choice I write my life out in an email. Writing is my preferred form of communication.

[unaluna]

I wouldn't have minded it for these last 2 days, yesterday when he cancelled when I was already on my way, and today when I got short-sheeted! I put more energy into getting into my spanx than getting into my psyche! altho yesterday when my tummy was rumbling and the bus was bumping along, I was glad I was wearing spanx. but I coulda just been HOME. I hope the yankees lose, there I said it. oh he will never forgive me now.

[Victom4ever]

probably depend on the camera how much body languange can pick up on, would think alot if decent quality and distance, and eyecontact would appear obvious, yes? I , would try it and others agree pretty much, but only with former t, if this meant we could still have some tx sessions, when cant get to office 5 1/2 hrs away now. Yeah, is intimidating and scarey, maybe more to someone? but would try. Alot better than no Tx and with former t. Cant imagine like someone ya dont know, that scarey and weird and well jus feels not good. If it helps say good thing Worry some bout the security thou, but would need to chk provider, ie skype i guess...never used it so not familiar.
Thanks

[3velniai]

I've done a couple of skype sessions with my T. It wasn't even video chat, just text. Actually, I liked it. I would never agree to only online therapy, but I really like the occasional session or two this way. Also, I email my T on a regular basis, and she usually responds with quite long emails, which is very nice and helpful. I'm not a big talker in general, especially when the topic is me , but I can write anything. And since I usually think in writing too (I kind of never truly learned how to just think, I think about complicated stuff when I write, don't know how to do this any other way), so the emails and appts on skype sometimes are the quickest way for me to come up with answers to T's questions.