Telehealth Tips
Get the Most out of Your Experience
PREPARING FOR YOUR TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT
We are so excited to meet you today for your appointment! Here are some things to consider before we get started: setting, privacy, tech stuff, basic needs, and a journal.
Setting: Where do you want your appointment to take place? One of the best aspects of telehealth is you get to decide where we do the work. Do you want to meet at your home, in your office, at the beach? Is there somewhere that would feel good for us to get to connect? Consider how you might set the sensory mood for your work. Do you want to light a candle, open a window, sit in the sun? Taking the time to prepare the setting for your work is therapeutic in and of itself.
Privacy: How much privacy do you want and need for our work today? Do you need to close any doors? Turn on a white noise machine or app? Do you need to turn off notifications on your computer or phone? What would make you feel like you could completely be present with our appointment?
Tech Stuff: Don’t forget your charger and headphones if you use them. Do you have a good wifi connection? If you are using your computer, we recommend closing your others tabs (annoying we know) and using your chrome browser. All of this extra stuff will make your telehealth appointment feel much more seamless.
Basic Needs: Have you eaten? Are you thirsty? Are you warm or cold? Do you need a cup of coffee or tea? Check in with your most basic needs. Caring for yourself begins before our appointment, so consider what you need now.
Journal: Writing about your experience is such a great way to capture your healing journey. You might journal ahead of time to get clear about what you want to cover in your apt or just as a general practice of processing. You can take notes during our session too, it is not rude to write down what you are learning! Everything that comes up is for your learning and healing, so capture it. We also encourage you to take some time to write after your appointment as this is a special window of time when your psyche is offering you extra insight, material and awareness. This might just be for your information or it might be what we start with at our next appointment. However it works for you and even if you have never journaled before, we challenge you to integrate this into your process.
WRAPPING UP YOUR TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT
After your appointment you might feel all sorts of things, all of this is part of the process and here for your healing. We encourage you to transition back into your day with tenderness as you integrate your work into your lived experience. A few ways you can do this are: journaling, meditation, body scan and scheduling your next appointment. Whatever comes up after your appointment is just as significant as what came up during your appointment, so take some time to capture it.
Journal: Here we are again with the journaling! Write, write, write. Don’t judge or consider or plan, just put pen to paper and free associate, or let the words spill out of you. The idea behind this practice is to let the work continue moving in and through you and onto the page. What stood out to you during your appointment? What did you learn? What did you feel? What did you remember? What are you going to try this week? What stands out to you now? Take some time to reflect before you head back into your day.
Meditation: We suggest listening to the meditation above as a great way to transition your work. Or if you already have a meditation practice you know what to do. Take some time to close your eyes, get comfy, and breathe the work you just did in and out. This process of quieting ourselves and reconnecting is a way to further integrate your learning and healing.
Body Scan: Your body has so much information for you. Scan from head to toe and pay attention to where you are carrying tension, or tightness, or heaviness, or excitement, or fatigue … there are endless sensations and memories that come up in the body. Your work is just to pay attention or welcome them in. There is nothing to fix, only to notice.
Schedule: Make sure you schedule your next appointment. You are in motion and we want to help you stay in motion with your work. Knowing when your next appointment is will help you prepare, plan and practice what you are working on. You can login to Simple Practice, reach out to our client concierge for help, or schedule directly with your wellness providers.
You are doing it. Everything is for your healing and total restoration. Take the time to prepare and wrap up your telehealth appointments with care. You are worth the extra time and effort to get everything you need from this journey. Well done!