Shadow Y Luz

Telehealth was sold to therapists as the future of mental health– seemless, easy and revolutionary. For me, a blind Therapist, it seemed like a game changer. No more relying on transportation or physical barriers- just me, my voice and a digital connection. Finally, therapy can happen anywhere for anyone!

Spoiler alert! Anywhere turned out to be literal. I’ve had clients talk to me from the comfort of their bathroom, grocery store aisles and God help me- the shower. That’s right- nothing screams emotional vulnerability and HIPAA violations like full blown ugly crying over childhood trauma in the middle of the frozen food section of Wal-Mart. True story.

You are probably thinking to yourself who would do that, how does that make sense or maybe that was you. Buckle up because here comes some more truth. Clients think they can get away with anything because I am blind. Cameras break, audio cuts out and somehow their wifi crashes whenever accountability is brought up. They forget that I don’t need eyes to tell they’re lies, like I can’t hear the distractions, or the tell tale  sounds of the keyboard and mouse while I’m talking to them.

Telehealth Horror Stories That Actually Happened

*The drive-thru Therapist: nothing like unpacking deep trauma while the client yells at the barista 

*The vanishing act: Client logs in, mumbles a few hellos, then logs off for 15 minutes only to return with a sanwich.

*The Netflyx whisperer: I call out that I can hear their show but they swear it’s the neighbors  downstairs

*The shower confessional:because after all, I can’t see them anyway

Some Helpful Rules From Someone Who Has Seen/Heard It All

1. Pants are optional, presence is not
2. If you won’t do it in my office, don’t do it on Doxy and yes, that includes cooking
3. Mute button = your friend. Use it when you yell at your kids, not when I ask you hard questions
4. Your “broken camera” doesn’t fool me, neither does your “frozen screen,” I can literally hear you mouth breathing

Telehealth does work. The screen can be a barrier that’s needed to break through your walls. This is assuming, of course, that you are engaged and not doomscrolling. 

As for me, love may be blind and telehealth might turn into telehehell, I’ll continue my work, arm with sarcasm to fuel my patience.