Are you still working? Is a question I get asked often these days and the answer is always an uncomfortable “yes.” Uncomfortable because many people question why I am not working completely online like my colleagues.

During the COVID 19 crisis my colleagues and I have been using teletherapy to reach our clients – adults and children. Some, we were pleasantly surprised to find, have adapted well to teletherapy and the reasons have varied. Perhaps, the children have adapted well because there is no longer a stringent schedule demanding their time and energy? Perhaps, the adults are open to learning because they have more time to reflect on the lesson(s). Whatever the reason, it’s going well, and I wonder if it will continue once we return to “normal.”

 

For a handful of our patients, teletherapy is not an option and that is why I still go into the office two days a week to help them. What kind of patients? Those that cannot communicate unless they have a face-to-face interaction (autism), those who have no voice (voice clients), and those who cannot access their online schoolwork without direct one-on-one help (severe dyslexic).

 

Before the pandemic, our office was always sanitizing (cleaning tables and toys between clients), hand washing (we have a sink in the office), and cleaning (we are housed in a medical billing) as we already had so many face to face meetings with our clients… so that has not changed and will not change even when the world opens back up again. What has changed is our skill set and how we deliver service.

 

Though we prefer to be face to face we are happy to help our clients wherever they need us.