Thinking Of Returning To Face to Face Sessions?
by Lindsay Roadnight
last updated: 01/08/2021
This is Part 1 of a 6 Part mini-series on things to consider when thinking about returning to face to face sessions.
It’s a big question! When to return to in person sessions? I see a lot of threads on counselling groups with many practitioners worried about doing the ‘right’ thing…..
I’m here to say, there is no one right way. What’s right for you, won’t be right for another practitioner, but that doesn’t make it wrong! Much like our work with our clients, everyone’s situation is unique and has it’s own considerations.
Start with what’s right for you.
It might sound obvious, but I believe the COVID-19 crisis is unique in that it’s virtually impossible to separate out our ‘counsellor-self’ from our ‘businessperson-self’ from our actual self! They all have a say in whether or not we go back to our counselling chairs. As a counsellor, you put your clients’ needs first. From a business point of view, maybe you’re still paying for your room and it’s lying empty. Maybe you’re struggling to work online and you long to be back in the room with your clients.
These are all valid questions and we’re all going to have different answers to them. Some practitioners might love the convenience of working on line. The freedom of being able to see clients across the country and the comfort of doing our job whilst still wearing our slippers. That’s ok. It might seem like there’s pressure to get back to ‘normal’, but this is a massive change in our entire world. A perfect chance to reflect on how we want to work.
Trust your gut.
And that would be my starting point. What’s right for you? Trust your gut and really think about what you want.
If returning to F2F is what you want, here are some things you might want to think about as a next step.
- How do I keep myself and my clients as safe as possible?
- Does my insurance still cover me?
- Can I follow the government guidelines?
- How do I do a Risk Assessment?
- What do I include in a COVID disclaimer?
We’ll look at each of these questions in turn over the next few blogs.
This article is part of a series ‘Returning to Face To Face Sessions‘. You can view the other articles in this series here:
- Part 1 – Thinking Of Returning To Face To Face Sessions
- Part 2 – How Do I Keep Myself And My Clients Safe?
- Part 3 – What About Insurance?
- Part 4 – What Are The Guidelines?
- Part 5 – How Do I Do A Risk Assessment?
- Part 6 – What Do I Include In A COVID Disclaimer?