Has Anyone Received Info on This?

Sigh. My therapist and I talked about this today. He said that since masks are mandatory for now he wants to stick with telehealth. He said that he wouldn’t want to be in person with masks because of the problem reading facial expressions as well. I am disappointed, but I understand it.

There was a comment on a recent reddit post from a therapist who said a lot of his colleagues were considering doing only video sessions from now on. Personally, I wouldn't even consider seeing someone only on video. Wouldn't work for me. Thankfully, my therapist doesn't really like the video that much either.

Is that like permanent permanent? Like for years? Or just until they find a vaccine?

I worry about that... Though mine also has said he doesn't like video. I think I still may ask tomorrow if he is considering doing that permanently. I was thinking, if they want to limit exposure, that maybe they could only let a few clients a day see them in the office, the rest online. With a couple hours between the in-person clients. Like how a couple hybrid classes worked in grad school, where I'd go to campus every other or every three classes (which was nice because it was a long commute, but I still liked in-person learning).

T and I have discussed it. She will do it when we no longer need to wear masks and was the chairs between clients. She has fabrics chairs so cleaning them is impossible. she also works with quite a few clients that escape war torn countries where they witness their family killed by masked people. Also she will have a hard time reading facial expressions.

My T fears it might be the beginning of the year. For her it also depends on if the schools and daycares open

The post was talking about a permanent switch. I'll link it for you. Several therapists chime in saying they have no plans to do it, so it's not universal that all therapists are thinking like this.

T told me she'''s thinking of switching to virtual appointments for good. : TalkTherapy

My T said some clients have really liked it and if their insurance will cover it they would like to make it permanent. She is more than happy to offer it. She knows I hate it but my insurance has covered video therapy for years (we have used it a few times in the past)

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Originally Posted by NP_Complete The post was talking about a permanent switch. I'll link it for you. Several therapists chime in saying they have no plans to do it, so it's not universal that all therapists are thinking like this. T told me she'''s thinking of switching to virtual appointments for good. : TalkTherapy

If my T doesn't do this I'll be surprised. But the thing is, I wish I knew at this point because I don't want to do video therapy at all, but certainly not indefinitely. She keeps saying, "We don't know what's going to happen yet." Well no, we don't. But I don't want to go more deeply into therapy then have to stop it with her permanently. I feel that I deserve a timeline, within reason.

Neither of my therapists seem likely to go virtual permanently. One of them uses EMDR a fair bit, which she can't do remotely. The other one told me that she finds it very difficult and tiring to connect with clients over video compared to in person. EMDR T has mentioned not going back to her office at least until school starts again (late August). Regular T sent out a notice that the therapists in her practice won't be until mid-June at the earliest, but I bet she will push that back.

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Originally Posted by Mountaindewed My therapist just said video chats might be permanent! They can’t do that can they? She mentioned that with masks you can’t read the clients facial expressions. Basically it’s about the masks. She said doing therapy outside isn’t an option. Man do I feel ****ed over right now.

I am so sorry for you, Md. I feel the same way you feel. Maybe it's childish, but that's how I feel...****ed over.

I plan on asking my T when I talk to her on the 13th.

I am really hoping next week the clinic I go to will start allowing clients one on one. I have still had my sessions over the phone since the middle of March. It's been very hard for me to talk over the phone and hopefully soon it will get back to normal. I thought it would be okay doing it over the phone but i just get to anxious and issues are getting horrible again.

I asked Dr. T today, saying (through tears) that I hoped he wasn't planning on doing remote sessions permanently. He said definitely not, though he doubted he'd go back to in person until fall, possibly July or August depending on how things go. I was relieved he intends to go back to in person, but fall also seems far away...

Well I just got confirmation from Cigna again that they stopped covering telehealth as of 5/31. My T said they told him it was extended but they again told me know based on my particular version of Cigna. Not sure what that will mean for me. I guess I will find out this afternoon at my next appointment. (or no appointment because I will not be going if it is not covered)

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Originally Posted by zoiecat Well I just got confirmation from Cigna again that they stopped covering telehealth as of 5/31. My T said they told him it was extended but they again told me know based on my particular version of Cigna. Not sure what that will mean for me. I guess I will find out this afternoon at my next appointment. (or no appointment because I will not be going if it is not covered)

Did you find out?

I called Cigna again after my T said we keep getting conflicting info. I finally got someone at Cigna that knew what they were talking about. They confirmed that Mental Health does have permanent telehealth appointments. I also asked my T how long he expected to be doing telehealth sessions. He said he likes his office but he has to consider if he is going to continue paying rent for something he is not using. He said he feels as long as telehealth is available he should do it. He said he doesn't know if he will ever go back to in person but he hinted that if he does it may not be until January or after they get a vaccine and better testing options. That really sucks for me because I hate doing EMDR over video. If he doesn't go back to in person I may have to find someone else.

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Originally Posted by zoiecat I called Cigna again after my T said we keep getting conflicting info. I finally got someone at Cigna that knew what they were talking about. They confirmed that Mental Health does have permanent telehealth appointments. I also asked my T how long he expected to be doing telehealth sessions. He said he likes his office but he has to consider if he is going to continue paying rent for something he is not using. He said he feels as long as telehealth is available he should do it. He said he doesn't know if he will ever go back to in person but he hinted that if he does it may not be until January or after they get a vaccine and better testing options. That really sucks for me because I hate doing EMDR over video. If he doesn't go back to in person I may have to find someone else.

Good that your insurance is paying. But I hear you on the telehealth sessions. It's disheartening to hear that he might stay with telehealth.

Sorry you are dealing with this.

I was surprised you were told Cigna would not cover teletherapy anymore. I have Cigna and one of the things that at and I like is they have covered video sessions for a few years. They didn't cover phone sessions but the covered videos.

I found out today that teletherapy will continue until there's a vaccine or...I don't know...something causes the virus to depart from the earth. My therapist said that if she had to do teletherapy indefinitely she would retire. So I'm relieved, at least, that she does want to return to IRL sessions. That said, I doubt I'll see her in office before at least the beginning of 2021.

My therapist told me today that the office still doesn’t have a definite date but they are trying to figure out how to open. First they have to sanitize the place and figure out how to deal with people in the waiting room. Then doctors have to go back first. Then people who really can’t do video sessions need to go back first. An example my therapist gave me was a domestic abuse situation. My therapist said she would probably do one day at the office. She said some insurances would cover video sessions until the end of the month and some were covering until the end of the year. She said she’s possibly going to open by the end of the summer.

She she said she doesn’t have anyone who’s in emergency need of in person sessions. So she said she’d schedule me first since I have been having such an incredibly hard time with the online ones and they have been affecting me so badly.

I just cannot understand why everything is open (except events where huge crowds would gather), but medical offices are still closed. The whole thing seems backwards to me.

Medical offices here are open (my H had an orthopedist appointment in person last week, though his follow-up next week is via telehealth), but my T is choosing to hold off on seeing clients in person. He said it's what a therapist list-serv and I think another professional organization he's in are advising right now.

A regular medical doctor's office is also better set up for regular sanitizing. Like, having the disposable paper on exam tables, for example, and things that are easily wiped down. Many T offices have, say, fabric couches and chairs, which would be difficult to sanitize (my T has mentioned the need to sanitize as a concern, though most of his furniture is leather).

Plus right now masks are required to be worn indoors in my state. Not a big deal for an orthopedist appointment, but I'd think it would be more of an issue for therapy, where you want to see facial expressions. And I tend to cry in therapy, so how would that work with a mask? I wouldn't be able to blow my nose. So I understand his decision.

Most places in my state are open. Except therapy. My plastic surgeon is even open. But yeah, I was told that the masks and being able to see emotions is one of the main issues they aren’t opening.

My therapist and my pdoc are in a building that is a medical, dental, and behavioral health clinic. The clinic is closed and will only do video medicine. California was the first state to shut down and we've been extremely cautious. Our stats have stayed pretty low, all along. But now everything has reopened except venues for large crowds - and medical offices (except hospitals)! I cannot understand where the logic is.