Discover the convenience and benefits of online perinatal counseling, providing accessible support from the comfort of your own home. Have you thought about starting online perinatal counseling, or maybe your OBGYN recommended counseling, but all the logistics get you more overwhelmed than when you started? Maybe you've had some of these frequently asked questions or worry thoughts...
Who is going to watch the baby?
How am I going to take off an hour of work, or more to get there and back?
It'll cut into our evening time... when I get to spend time with my husband...
How am I going to afford childcare AND therapy?
Can I really afford to miss that much work? time at home? time away from baby?
What if I'm too nervous, sad, or exhausted to get myself to an office for an appointment?
What if I can't find a therapist I like near me?
These are all common questions moms begin contemplating when thinking about starting counseling. These are also common questions that create BARRIERS to moms starting counseling. What if you could meet with a therapist, from the comfort of your home or office, right there from your phone or computer, without having to spend money on gas or childcare, while you baby is already at school/daycare, napping next to you, or cuddling calmly in your arms??? Picking from a myriad of therapists all throughout your state, until you find the perfect fit! Now that's what I'M talking about! No more barriers to care...consider ONLINE PERINATAL COUNSELING and eliminate all your concerns, barriers, and overwhelming logistics. I'll help you out even more...Contact AMP Therapy Center, to see if we might be the perfect fit for YOU! No more guessing, no more what if's, no more excuses...You, your baby, and your family deserve it!
How Does Online Perinatal Counseling Work?
Online perinatal mental health counseling is going to work very similarly to any in office counseling. The primary difference, of course, is you meet online! There are many different ways therapists or counseling centers handle logistics in their practice, but typically, you will communicate with your therapist or their office through email or phone calls. Often times you will have access to a client portal, either online or through a mobile application where you can send messages to your counselor, schedule appointments, and access your billing documents. All necessary paperwork will need to be signed and completed electronically, as well as billing and payment for services. Many of these logistics are similar to how in person counseling centers work as well. So not much of a difference there.
Now for the actual sessions, instead of spending gas money, sitting in traffic, or blocking off time for your commute to the therapy office, you will simply log into whatever HIPPA compliant telehealth platform your online perinatal counselor uses, and get started right away. You will likely receive a link to connect to your session right there in your text messages or email, and within one click, you will be sitting in your therapist's waiting room. No traffic, no meeting with the babysitting, running by the ATM to grab cash, no sitting in a waiting room with strangers. Within minutes you are chatting with your therapist. Now THAT'S convenient! Help is literally one click away.
What Are The Benefits Of Online Perinatal Counseling?
Well, if you don't have a good picture of the benefits of online perinatal counseling by now, let me reiterate them for you in simple language.
Easier access to care
The convenience of meeting from a location of your choosing
No spending money on gas
No sitting in traffic
No commute at all
No time off from work
No time away from home/family
No spending money on a babysitter
No organizing childcare
More counselors to choose from than the one down the street
Can feel safe and comfortable in my own home during sessions
Feel the privacy of not seeing anyone else in the waiting room or parking lot
"I love how I can curl up in my favorite chair in my apartment, click one button from my email, and within minutes be talking through my struggles with my online therapist. I totally understand others wanting to meet in person. That's sounds great too. But my schedule and my values just don't accommodate for that. It really is worth it."
What Are The Barriers Of Online Perinatal Counseling?
Now of course, as great as online perinatal counseling sounds, there are still barriers. Nothing is perfect. I want to make sure you are making an informed decision and are away of these things as well:
Risks to technology: interruptions, spotty Wi-Fi connection, unauthorized access, and technical difficulties
Can be seen as less of a commitment and more likely to cancel the counseling session
Less accountability and more likely to not show up for the counseling session
If work, other commitments, or baby's needs get in the way or takes your attention, it can be harder to focus and be present during sessions
"There's became just no excuses for me not showing up to sessions, once I committed to online perinatal counseling. Before, I would cancel all the time because of work meetings, doctor appointments, my kids activities, or even getting sick. There was just always something. Now, I can meet my online counselor from anywhere! And I mean anywhere! I've met with her sitting in the car, in the doctor's office parking lot for 30 minutes after an appointment before I had to run over to my son's t-ball practice, because that's all I could do. But you know what? Something is better than nothing, and I'm SO glad I met with her then, because I had received some tough news at that doctor's appointment that I needed to process. If it had been an in person session, I would have had to cancel."
Next Steps To Start Online Perinatal Counseling:
Make that first inquiry either through submitting a contact form, sending an email, or dialing the phone - you will be asked to provide your name, phone number, email address, and/or reason for your inquiry (ex: seeking online perinatal counseling)
Work with the therapist/therapy center to schedule a free consultation - to ensure you and the therapist are a good fit! (this is essential in building the foundation for therapy - a strong therapeutic relationship)
If you and the therapist are the right fit, you will then schedule an intake session, which tends to be longer than typical therapy sessions and will include an assessment to gather background and historical information that may be impacting your current symptoms
After the intake, you will likely find a day and time that works for you and the therapist to meet on a regular basis, often weekly or every other week, for your individual counseling sessions
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