Post Pandemic Therapy: How New Yorkers Can Bounce Back
With more people getting vaccinated and considering a return to the office, it’s normal to feel anxious about returning to your old routines. As we return to “normal” life, we’ll have to relearn simple skills that we haven’t used within the last year—from navigating the commute to work to interacting with coworkers. Even if you’re eager to reconnect with family members and re-engage with the outside world after months of social isolation, you might feel like social anxiety and discomfort are holding you back.
If you’re feeling anxious about resuming your normal routines after COVID-19, you’re not alone. Fortunately, for anyone dealing with anxiety or dreading the return to normalcy, post-pandemic therapy can help you manage the new demands of post-pandemic life with more confidence and less worry.
What is post-pandemic therapy?
As we return to our more normal routines, many people will experience long-term effects from COVID-19-related trauma, from separation anxiety and panic disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, with relaxed HIPAA restrictions under the United States Department of Health and Human Services poised to remain in effect, telehealth providers will continue offering teletherapy and other virtual mental health services to new patients.
Teletherapy is a form of telemedicine through which mental health practitioners offer virtual mental health services to patients using HIPAA-secure technology. Through telehealth platforms, healthcare providers can remotely work together with patients to offer online teletherapy sessions, develop coping techniques, and utilize therapeutic techniques like psychodynamic psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Benefits of Teletherapy
In a post-COVID world, telehealth helps healthcare providers ensure safe, convenient, and more affordable patient access to mental health care.
In addition to increased patient access, telemedicine has a wide range of benefits for clinicians and patients. If you’re currently taking medication, telepsychiatry offers a convenient alternative to check in with the practitioner you work with and refill your prescriptions. Meanwhile, if you don’t want to take the subway to Manhattan to see your practitioner, telepsychology can help eliminate your commute and free up your schedule.
In general, telehealth services work the same as in-person services and provide similar outcomes, according to researchers. Patients schedule a live video or phone appointment with a therapist or psychologist and prepare for their session as needed. If it’s your first appointment, be sure to prepare any relevant medical records, check your telehealth coverage, complete necessary electronic paperwork, and bring a list of questions to ask.
Should you try teletherapy?
Whether you’ve been infected with COVID-19, risked exposure as an essential worker during the COVID-19 outbreak, or worked from home, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted everyday life. With so many of us facing chronic stress, financial concerns, and health-related anxiety over the past year, it’s completely normal to feel anxiety about the impending return to normalcy.
Even after a threat like COVID-19 goes away, our bodies and minds need time to readjust and process what they’ve experienced. It’s normal to reflect and think about the past year, but if you’re still experiencing mental health symptoms after a few months, it’s time to consider professional help.
In fact, despite the increase in people seeking telehealth services during the pandemic, many therapists expect to experience an influx in clients once normal life returns. After the U.S. loosens its restrictions, people will be dealing with a new set of stressors, like planning social gatherings or adjusting to a hybrid in-person and remote job.
If you’re experiencing occasional anxiety or dreading the return to work on a daily basis, seeking professional mental health services is the first step to feeling better. Even if you’re not experiencing intense mental health symptoms, teletherapy can provide a safe space where you can express your thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
Finding a Therapist in a Post-Pandemic World
Whether you’re transitioning from in-person care or starting teletherapy for the first time, it’s essential to find the right fit. According to the American Psychological Association, working with a therapist you feel comfortable with can help you form a deeper therapeutic relationship. In turn, maintaining an open line of communication with your psychologist can lead to better long-term psychological outcomes.
To find the right therapist, reach out to a mental health professional through the Therapy Group of NYC. From returning to the workplace to reconnecting with family members, we know that keeping up with life in New York after the COVID-19 pandemic can take a toll on your mental wellness.
If you’re feeling less than ‘normal,’ our compassionate psychologists can help you directly address these struggles and improve your quality of life. Above all else, no matter how your friends, coworkers, and family members handle the return to normal life in the coming year, remember that you’re allowed to recover at your own pace.
