Are Therapy Offices Open?

At the beginning of the pandemic, life began shifting in ways that the majority of people could have never anticipated. Now, several months into a global quarantine, debates have arisen around the re-opening of everyday life.

At the same time, the need for mental health services has become an increasingly pressing issue, as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the resulting social isolation and overwhelming uncertainty, have all led to significant spikes in mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress. To battle this increasing need, telehealth options like Zoom, Facetime, texting, and email, or therapy apps have become more and more available to try and connect people to the necessary mental health treatment.

Still, clients and counselors may be itching to return to face-to-face therapy for any number of reasons; clients or counselors might be battling technical difficulties, clients might not have access to the means for teletherapy, or clients might not be able to find a safe/private space for their sessions. The option of seeing clients in person would remedy these situations. So, are therapy offices open?

While the majority of therapy offices remain closed and seeing clients via telehealth, there are several therapy offices that are open and seeing clients in person. It's important to ask about the safety measures the therapy office has in place, as well as what measures you will need to follow when entering the office. Most therapy offices will require you to wear a mask during your session, that is for your safety and that of the therapist and staff.

Wearing a mask for an extended period of time can be uncomfortable for some. This would be a good question to ask yourself, can I wear a mask for at least an hour to an hour and a half when I visit my therapist? Another question to ask yourself would be if you believe the mask will interfere with the quality of your session. If your session is emotionally heavy and you may be crying throughout the session, will you be OK if your mask gets wet? Also, how will you use a tissue for your nose? These may seem like silly questions to consider when seeing a therapist in person, but during these unprecedented times we need to think about things that we normally would not have to consider.

If you are thinking about seeing a therapist in person, reach out and ask about their protocols and then ask yourself how comfortable you will feel with their safety plan and how it would pertain to you.