In a climate of fear and isolation that affects us all, therapists are now being asked to help clients deal with the practical and emotional challenges caused by the COVID epidemic—at a distance. At a difficult time, virtual psychotherapy can be stressful for the therapist and the client. Often, both are overwhelmed by the technical challenges of working online, dysregulated by the stress they face at home, and feeling the need for more relationship, not less.

Without the connection that clients and therapists value as the heart and soul of psychotherapy, virtual sessions can feel distant and impersonal. Adding to the stress, many of our clients have histories of abuse, failed attachment, neglect, and failed trust that increase their sensitivity to distance and abandonment. Therapists, wanting to support them, can feel helpless and ineffective or even guilty. Just when they need us the most, we are “not there.”

But virtual psychotherapy does not have to be impersonal!

This webinar series will focus on how to overcome the limitations imposed by telemedicine technology, in order to transform remote psychotherapy into a relational experience, which puts everyone at ease.

Specifically, through this webinar series, attendees will learn to:

Ways of understanding the sense of abandonment experienced by clients in online work
How to use virtual psychotherapy to increase the client’s sense of object constancy
Practical tips for making online therapy feel personal and connected
Resources for helping clients tolerate isolation and loneliness
How to use the therapeutic relationship to regulate the client’s nervous system