Ever since Zoom therapy became widely available, people are asking whether they should do therapy online. Families who have kids with OCD have unique questions that arise around this. There are benefits to online therapy for managing OCD. However, there are also significant benefits to in-person OCD therapy. The solution is often a hybrid of the two. What this looks like depends on a variety of factors. Your therapist can work with you to determine the best approach.
Palo Alto Therapy has OCD therapists who are able to work online, in the office, or using some combination of the two. Contact us today to learn more about this.
In-Person Therapy for OCD
In-person therapy offers several advantages, particularly for younger kids with OCD.
It’s usually a bit easier for a therapist to form a bond with the child in person. They can get down on the floor and play with them. They can draw together and talk. This helps the child learn to trust the therapist, which is a key component of therapy. Online therapy does allow for bonding but it may not be as natural or easy to achieve.
In person, the therapist can sometimes better read the child’s body language. Then the therapist can tailor the therapy to what’s happening in the moment.
A Therapist’s Office Is a Special Room
When a child enters the contained environment of the therapist, everything is new. It’s a different setting from their home, which means that some of the usual things that aggravate their OCD symptoms may not be present. As a result, they may be able to engage more easily with the therapist in this setting.
On the other hand, coming to the therapy office might be difficult for the child. Nevertheless, this in itself can be an aspect of exposure therapy that assist the child in learning to tolerate their symptoms.
Kids Are Tired of Online Life
As we learned recently from our therapist interview all about what is obsessive compulsive syndrome, many kids and teens are just tired of being online. They’ve lived through the pandemic when they had to attend school online. They often have to get online for homework after school. Plus, of course, they’re on their screens for entertainment and social media. They get screen exhaustion. Online therapy can feel like work, whereas in-person therapy is something different.
Our Palo Alto, San Jose, and Menlo Park therapists offer in-person therapy. Book an appointment today.
Online Therapy for OCD
Despite the strengths of in-person therapy, virtual therapy can be an effective option for some families. Online therapy sessions offer the flexibility to integrate therapy into busy schedules, allowing for consistent treatment even during periods of increased academic, social, or family commitments.
In relationship to this, virtual therapy can also be instrumental in engaging parents and family members in sessions. This creates the supportive home environment that reinforces what the child is learning in therapy. This often leads to excellent progress.
The Comfort of Home
For some children, working through their challenges is easier if they’re in their home environment. If leaving to come work with a therapist in an office is too difficult, then they might arrive there extremely stressed. For example, a child with both contamination OCD and social anxiety might panic during the process of even trying to get to a therapy session.
As aforementioned, if the child can work through this, then the office session can be very fruitful. However, if it’s too much for the child, it can do more harm than good. Working with the child online instead might make more sense in this type of situation.
Facial Expressions Are Clearer Online
Therapists listen to what children say. However, they also watch their bodies and facial expressions. While body language is easier to observe in the office, online therapy offers an opportunity to see the child’s face up close. Sometimes this provides the therapist with critical insight into how the child feels while working through an exposure.
Online ERP Therapy
Exposures, which are a key part of OCD therapy, can be done virtually. Interactive online games, storytelling through the screen, and working with the parents to utilize toys and items already in the child’s regular environment are all examples of how this can work.
The Hybrid Model: In-Person and Online
As you can see, there are strengths to both options for OCD therapy. Naturally, then, combining both types of therapy can be ideal for many families. This can look a variety of different ways. Some examples:
- A child who finds it too difficult to come to the office may start with video sessions. As their OCD symptoms improve, they may start coming to the threapist’s office.
- On the other hand, a child may begin with in-office sessions. Then, when they’ve gained comfort with the therapist, they may try some virtual sessions.
- The child may come to the office for their individual sessions. However, sessions with parents (with or without the child) may take place online.
- A child who typically comes in to the office but will be traveling for vacation may receive online support from their therapist while away.
Something that’s unique to OCD therapy is that therapist’s often work in person with the client outside of the office. In order to learn to tolerate OCD symptoms, you have to face them through exposures. Many of those exposures are “out in the real world.” So a therapist might go outside with a child, visit them at home or at school, or go to a local setting such as a library. This flexibility maximizes options based on a family’s immediate and changing needs.
Intensive Therapy for OCD
Palo Alto Therapy is proud to launch Intensive OCD Therapy for families who need more support than weekly therapy sessions offer. This is another example of a hybrid approach. The therapist, as well as exposure coaches, can work in person with the child both in office and in other settings. Parent sessions and family sessions, as well as some individual sessions, can take place online.
Therapists work within tested models, using evidence-based solutions. However, they really do put the client’s unique needs and strengths first. They adapt their strategies to what will best suit the child. That means they can move between online and in-person therapy sessions as needed.