How We Practice Therapy Now

Book excerpt: Essential approaches to clinical practice for today’s out-of-office world. Future psychotherapy is not confined to the office: it can be online, virtual, wellness-oriented, flexible, racially conscious, and in service of public wellness. COVID-19 has forever changed the landscape of psychotherapy in these ways, and in ways we have yet to discover. Practicing psychologist Chanté D. DeLoach invites readers to reflect on the state of psychotherapy and emerging potentialities forged through crisis. She presents key concepts of telemental health, concierge therapy, and other out-of-office approaches to psychological well-being. DeLoach provides step-by-step guidance on getting started in telemental health, and points to clinical, ethical, and legal considerations for clinicians working in a digital space and other nontraditional formations. Topics covered include: how to screen clients for the appropriateness of teletherapy; the required equipment and infrastructure, demystifying the different online platforms; ways to set up a warm and inviting online office, and legal and ethical issues of remote therapy. It also considers business and practice management issues such as what to include in an informed consent for teletherapy. Important discussions of race, intersectionality, and justice in teletherapy round out the book. Readers will be invited to critically reflect on their own identities and comfort in integrating the challenging issues of race, power, and privilege in clinical work. Through interwoven examples and reflective exercises, Dr. DeLoach provides tools to support practitioners as they reimagine their clinical identities to meet the needs of today’s clients. This book offers keen insights and learning for all clinicians, from trainees to seasoned practitioners, who are embarking on this new terrain.