I want you to know I see you. I see your struggles. I see your tears. I even see those negative thoughts swirling around your head. I see you struggle daily in your teletherapy sessions as you try to navigate the new “normal.”
I want you to know I see you because I am struggling too. You’re not alone. As you attempt to pull off session after session through teletherapy, you feel like you are all alone. You’ve joined countless Facebook groups for teletherapy for advice, only to feel like you don’t compare. It feels like every post in those groups makes you seem like you are failing…miserably.
I see your struggles because mine are the same. Whether it’s the technical aspect of the platform you are using, sitting in front of a blank screen waiting on someone to sign in, or the sheer frustration of trying to plan sessions. I see you. Once again, you feel like you are failing…miserably. I see the tears. I see you screaming at your computer. I see you place your head in your hands in utter frustration. I see you sitting in front of that screen longer than you should, trying to create something great for tomorrow’s sessions or find that awesome activity that HOPEFULLY will capture the clients’ attention. I see you because that’s what I am doing too.
I see your negative thoughts because I have them too. I listened to Rachel Hollis’ virtual RISE LIVE a couple of weeks ago. She said something that resonated with me DEEPLY. She interviewed several people that were struggling with the effects of COVID-19. During on the interviews, she said “This is not your fault.” The more she spoke about how none of us could have ever prepared ourselves or our businesses for the devastating effects of being in quarantine, it hit me. Rach is right! ( I can call her Rach, right?!) I could not have prepared myself, my family or my businesses for this. Neither could you. We are in survival mode.
While I know I can rock “in home” sessions like nobody’s business, I am struggling with teletherapy. I have had those negative thoughts crawl into my head, just like you have. I confessed those thoughts in last week’s blog post. I don’t feel like a rock star SLP right now. But that doesn’t mean I am a terrible therapist. It doesn’t mean I should rethink my career path at nearly 40 years old. Neither should you. You are a rock star! You are pouring everything you have into these sessions just like you do with in person therapy. We are working harder than we usually do to make these last two months successful therapy sessions. Right now, this is the season we are in. We are in survival mode.
It’s ok to be in survival mode. You know what? So is everyone else! Yes, some of those therapists in your new Facebook group make it look super easy. That’s awesome for them! Hit that “like” button on their post to show your support. BUT DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO THEM! Everyone’s survival mode looks different just like our “ROCKSTAR” modes look different.
If you are struggling, make the best of this season. Not everything lasts forever…even though this seems like it will. We will get back to “in person” sessions and start rockin’ again! None of this is your fault. You weren’t expected to know everything. You weren’t expected to be prepared. But here we are. Ignore the social media posts and Pinterest pins of the perfect teletherapy session…JUST DO YOU! Remember: you are not alone.
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