Online Therapy
Providing specialized mental health therapy, coaching, and consultation services online across Florida, Indiana, and Vermont…
You’ve probably already thought about it.
You’re curious about how your neurodivergence affects your work, parenting, and relationships. Still, you worry the therapist will want to medicate you or focus on “normative skills training (trying to make you like everyone else).”
But you want to explore who you are in a positive way – one that makes you feel better, not flawed. You’ve heard of neurodivergent-affirming clinicians but can’t find any in your area.
Perhaps you believe the trauma you’ve endured over the years has left a sore spot that makes daily challenges overwhelming. Leaving the house for therapy just adds to that feeling of ‘too much,’ and you don’t have the emotional resources or the time. But you also feel like you’re drowning. If therapy didn’t involve getting dressed, driving, and socializing, you’re sure you could pull it off.
Or it’s been suggested that you find a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) to work with your family, but you can’t find one in your area… if you can, they have no availability… Or
Online therapy, with virtually engaging artistic and play-based technological tools and much research to support its efficacy, is comparable to in-person services and often a preferred means of obtaining mental health therapy and support. It can offer additional benefits if you otherwise can’t find the specialist you need in your area, have a busy schedule, or feel more relaxed in your own home.
Are you wondering if it might be… well… boring?
We are a dynamic practice here at Nurtured Hope, so you won’t just be staring at faces!
Therapy is about listening, but it’s also a back-and-forth, give-and-take of energy, feedback, humor, respect, connection, and validation.
Our relationship with you is important to us. We commit to genuine, focused, and responsive attention with every person.
We make our online sessions engaging, including art, sand trays, building toys, and virtually interactive activities that provide you with many of the same experiences you would have through an in-person office.
We like to have fun and mix things up to allow for various and creative angles of introspection.
Above all, we meet you where you are and expand in the direction that feels best to you.
You might like the idea but still have some questions…
What’s it like for children and teens?
Teleplay Therapy and Digital Play Therapy have arrived! Over the last two years, play therapists have worked feverishly to make the virtual playroom the closest approximation of a physical playroom possible.
Our professionally secure online Zoom platform with screen-sharing and whiteboard allows your child to lead the experience with electronic games, art, virtual sand trays, and even puppets. The therapist may further suggest tangible items for your side of the screen, such as handmade sand trays, miniatures, art materials, legos, and other symbolic toys, allowing a truly interactive, hands-on experience.
What about children who already spend most of their time on screens?
You might be concerned that it will be too hard for them to focus… or they’ll switch windows and start playing video games during session time.
Children and teens are often in their element within a validating child-led virtual space. Through specialized online playrooms with varied activities for a child to choose from and virtual sand tray apps that our therapists share with clients, children can project their life experiences, thoughts, and feelings through symbols, toys, art, and sand tray miniatures.
They can share their world through their lens (worlds often witnessed only by peers) and invite the therapist into it as little or as much as they are ready to. And all worlds, whether sand tray or Minecraft, tell a story.
How do I prepare for an online therapy session?
You want the strongest Internet connection and the most reliable device possible.
You’ll also want a quiet, private space free of interruptions. While it may seem everyone is okay with sharing in front of family members, most clients (regardless of age) are more relaxed when they’re not considering what others may be hearing.
Whether for children, teens, or adults, do your best to scout out a confidential place where you can focus best. We’ve done sessions in cars, closets, home offices, parks, and backyards!
You want to feel comfortable. If that means water, snacks, or fidgets, please feel free to have them with you!
Lastly, play with positioning on your chosen device before we meet. Prop the device so that everyone can be hands-free during the visit, if possible so that you feel free to move and/or use materials.
What if online therapy isn’t a good fit for my child or family?
Our team at Nurtured Hope is dedicated to transparency, and that applies to “fit of service,” too.
If you or your children would benefit from more support on your side of the screen or a separate physical setting (which we recommend for children during divorce transitions), we will discuss that with you.
If you’d like to see what online therapy feels like, feel free to ask for your free 15-minute consultation to be done through Zoom.
Are you ready to give it a try?
If so, call us for a free 15-minute consultation. We will listen to your goals, share some possible approaches for reaching them, hear your thoughts and concerns, and explore the next steps.
If your needs are outside our wheelhouse, we will do our best to connect you to another specialist or recommend helpful approaches.
Our mission is to support you in your quest for the optimal therapeutic relationship, whether with us or someone else!
Let’s talk about how we can help. Call us today for your free consultation: (786) 401-5603.