The pandemic shifted many of our priorities, and created new possibilities for ourselves and our clients.  With these welcomed changes, we embark on the task of turning our dreams into reality.  But what if our dreams don't align with our clients needs?  On numerous occasions I've heard therapists say, "I wish I could just pick two office days and have all my in-person sessions at that time, but its not that simple with my clients."

After hearing that statement a number of times, and brainstorming with a handful of therapists, we've found a few solutions worth sharing.  These solutions vary for different practices - the scenarios range for those wishing to visit the office on a "Quarterly Basis" to those hoping to offer "Regular Weekly Visits".   While there are many ways to create a hybrid practice, in this article I’ve chosen to focus on simple scheduling solutions that have the least impact on your schedule while providing equal opportunity for all your clients to see you in-person.
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Let’s dive right in!

Quarterly Office Sessions (every 2-3 months)​
The simple solution is to plan on a “Week at the Office” every few months.  In this scenario you don't need to move any of your clients around.  Simply book a Visitor Pass for each day of your work week and invite your clients to meet during their regular session time. 

Monthly Office Sessions (1 or 2 days/month)
One simple solution is to offer "Weekend Office Visits".  While this may sound unusual at first, it has a number of benefits: (i) since the weekend is typically a more relaxed time to catch up with friends and family, it provides clients with a more intimate connection, (ii) some clients are more flexible during the weekend, and (iii) your week load will be lighter since some of your clients will cancel their zoom sessions in exchange for meeting in-person.  With more breaks during the week, you can re-frame this as your monthly “catch up week".  Catch up with paperwork during the week, and with your clients on the weekend.  Simply book a Day Pass in advance and open the possibility to your clients.

Not keen to meet with clients in the weekend?  Another simple solution is to rotate your in-office days each month.   For example, you've decided that you'll go to the office on the first week of each month -- but only for one day.  On the first month, you offer your Monday clients the opportunity to meet with you.  On the next month, you invite your Tuesday clients. The coming month, book a room for the first Wednesday of the month and give your Wednesday clients a chance to see you.  And so forth.  This new rhythm provides equal opportunity for your clients to see you in-person every 3-4 months.

Weekly Office Visits (1-2 days per month)
A simple, equal-opportunity approach, is to create a rotating in-office schedule.  For example, on the first week of the month, offer in-person sessions on Mondays.  On the second week of the month, offer in-person sessions to your Tuesday clients.  On the third week, invite your Wednesday clients, and so forth.  This is the simplest way to offer equal opportunity for in-person sessions without disrupting your current schedule.  


Regular/Daily Office Visits 
For some therapists, and clients, teletherapy isn't a sustainable option. 

For therapists with a full-time practice hoping to resume regular office visits now is the time to secure a dedicated room (we only have a few left) or a daily sublease.  One of the perks of renting a dedicated room at Sima Space is that you can offer your subtenants a free Hybrid Flex Plan.  This will help you secure subtenants with ease. 

For therapists with a small, or part-time practice, we're glad you found us. Our model was built for you.  The Hybrid ​Flex Plan is our most popular plan and allows you to return to in-office sessions with minimal commitment and maximum flexibility.  Book our rooms on an hourly ($25/hr) or daily ($90/hr) basis depending on your needs.  
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Still undecided?  We're happy to chat and brainstorm.  Schedule a tour with us and I'd be happy to explore your options together. 

Covid-19 compelled most people to shut their offices down and make necessary adaptations to their businesses. Similarly, mental health professionals have also been forced to offer telehealth services to their clients as an alternative to in-person therapy. Being a therapist, I found this adaptation challenging yet rewarding. Opting for teletherapy is an ethical decision to address the needs of communities and to alleviate the psychological impact of restrictive interventions. Developing teletherapy skills ensured not only the continuity of care but also improved the quality of my overall therapeutic services. It made me a better therapist.

The three most essential teletherapy skills that heightened my productivity as a therapist include awareness of limitations, flexibility, and creativity. Let’s discuss how.

Awareness of limitations
Offering teletherapy made me realize that the awareness of limitations is the key to success. Once we become aware of the limitations, we begin attempting to propose and test the solutions. I faced communication barriers in teletherapy despite having the privilege to use interactive videos. It was common to miss auditory and visual subtleties and nuances in video chat sessions. I needed to depend on clients’ willingness to show or hide their behaviors. But I learned to adjust my approach according to the needs and facilities. Once I had to provide teletherapy to a client suffering from depression. His voice pauses, pitch, or any other cues were almost undetectable due to low levels of loudness. I decided to use headphones so I could catch as many cues as possible. Additionally, I realized that teletherapy is not a suitable modality for severe clients, including suicidal ones. Awareness of limitations is assisting me to manage ethical issues in teletherapy more professionally. 

Flexibility
Providing teletherapy requires continued advancement. In my venture of continued advancement, I have learned to be more flexible. Previously, uncertainties used to scare me a lot. Teletherapy made me question my abilities and expertise many times until I opted for maximizing knowledge through research and reading. I read new ethical guidelines and temporary relaxations in HIPPA requirements and made necessary adaptations to my practice accordingly. I tried to replicate the experience as much as possible for clients who had attended in-person therapy previously. Thera-platform software made it possible for me to replicate in-person therapy.
I learned to modify and customize the traditional in-person forms of therapy to make them suitable for teletherapy. The dedication and consistency in gaining knowledge helped me meet the clients’ needs in changing circumstances. I have learned to live by and overcome the novel challenges.

Creativity
Creativity is the key to solving problems, especially of an ambiguous nature. Therapists deal with a great variety of people having a wide variety of problems. Variety brings ambiguity and uncertainty, while innovative thinking alleviates the pressure ambiguity brings along. Creativity is the most important teletherapy skill considering the ever-changing circumstances of the world. Rethinking therapy sessions, interventions, and goals for every client was possible only through innovative forms of thinking. I successfully employed online alternatives for all procedures involved in therapeutic practice. Enhanced creativity is still helping me tackle innovative challenges.
Without any doubt, teletherapy has changed the usual norms of practice, but it has also helped me become a better therapist. I feel more prepared to deal with uncertainty, and it no longer scares me. I have improved confidence in my ability to modify according to changing circumstances. 

Hina Babar, Psychology Intern 

Amid these unprecedented times, one of the new-normals we have to figure out is how to resume seeing clients face to face. Whether you already have experience of building a practice outside of your home, or currently considering the idea, it is important to consider elements such as health and safety, location, and type of venue.
 
More so than most other professional relationships, the therapist-client relationship ideally requires person-to-person connection. The therapeutic bond is healing in itself, and especially if at crisis point, the holding presence of a therapist in a safe environment could be essential for a client’s emotional state.
 
Of course, a safe environment now means dealing with Covid. More therapists are considering holding sessions outside of the home in order to minimize risk. Office spaces such as Sima Space have ensured that full sanitization and protocols are in place - a reassuring option for both therapist and client to consider (see Sima Space’s response to Covid protocols here).
 
In-office sessions provide the following benefits:
~ Working as a healing practitioner can be an isolating experience, so access to a supportive therapeutic community makes the journey more enjoyable.
~ Healing rooms are often used for other related activities such as supervision, family support sessions, or simply a quiet space to rest and work in.
~ Networking opportunities provide referral opportunities - the benefit of being in a shared practice environment enhances the chance to build your client base or (for those with a full practice) build a more robust referral system for new clients that you simply can not take on.  
~ Working away from home enables you to better compartmentalize work time versus home time. You may feel more professional and held when working in an office environment, or it may be refreshing to simply get out of the house! 
 
Check out Sima Space here to see how flexible and easy it is to manage working away from home. Providing bespoke rental packages (i.e. if you are unsure of how many in-person sessions you will be doing, you can opt for a co-working space), you also have five locations and thirty therapeutically-designed rooms from which to choose from.
 
Stay informed, stay safe, and stay working!
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Ellen Evans, Transpersonal Psychotherapist