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May 23, 2021 by Alan Zupka Leave a Comment

How to Navigate Challenging Life Transitions

When we’re young, life transitions are fun and empowering. We go from crawling to walking, walking to running. We start with training wheels but soon no longer need them. As we age we graduate into higher grades and become more independent.

But as adults, life transitions can feel not so fun and far from empowering, because life transitions can often include loss: loss of a job, a marriage, and loved ones. During these life transitions, we can feel out to sea, completely at the mercy of the tides that seem to be tossing our lifeboat around.

If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed right now because you are facing one or more life transitions, here are some ways you can navigate these choppy waters:

Slow Down

Have you noticed that the pace of life has picked up? Most likely your heartbeat and breathing have also picked up as a response. It’s time to slow down.

As simple as it may sound, slow, deep breaths are a powerful way to tell your body that everything is okay. Right now, your body is in “fight or flight mode,” as you subconsciously, and maybe even consciously, feel you are being attacked. Making time each day to be still, away from the noise and chaos to breathe deeply and slowly, will slow down your heart rate and make you feel calm and peaceful.

Embrace Uncertainty

I know, it seems completely counterintuitive if not downright impossible. But when we surrender control and embrace the unknown, with an almost scientific curiosity about outcomes, we feel positive emotions (curiosity, wonder) instead of negative emotions (lost, out of control).

Acknowledge the Cycles of Life

Someone once said, “This too shall pass.” Life, like weather, has seasons. While you may feel stuck right now and like nothing is going the way you hoped or planned, recognize the truth, which is, this too shall pass. Transitions are just that, an uncomfortable bridge from one part of life to the next.

Fall Back on Traditions

Rites of passage have been used for thousands of years in all cultures to help people transition from one place in life to another. It’s time to call upon this ancient wisdom of our ancestors and empower ourselves.

Rites of passage put us in the driver’s seat. We can acknowledge that things MUST change because we intuitively understand that the human journey is all about facing challenges and becoming new versions of ourselves.

Life, such as it is, throws us curve balls and sadness and things that cast fear and doubt into our vision. This is natural and no one escapes.

But there ARE ways to navigate these challenges. Try these three tips. And if you’d like additional help along your journey, please get in touch with me.

SOURCES:

  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201703/10-ways-make-it-through-your-life-s-transitions
  • https://chopra.com/articles/9-ways-to-navigate-loss-change-and-transition
  • https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rites+of+passage+modality+for+life+challenges&atb=v142-1&ia=web&iai=r1-1&page=1&sexp=%7B%22biaexp%22%3A%22b%22%2C%22msvrtexp%22%3A%22b%22%7D

Filed Under: General, Telehealth

March 14, 2021 by Alan Zupka Leave a Comment

Does Online Couple’s Therapy Work?

The current global pandemic has caused most people in this country to have to shelter in place for many months. This has caused a lot of stress and strain for families and couples. And, often acute or sudden stress can bring underlying relationship issues to the surface.

But, since many states are still in lockdown mode and residents are still practicing social distancing, how can couples facing these issues get the help they need? Through online therapy.

What is Online Couple’s Therapy?

Online couples therapy offers the same benefits as face-to-face therapy, with the added convenience and privacy of getting the help and support you need at home. Usually, sessions are held via video chat and with the couple in the same location. However, online couples therapy can be particularly beneficial for those couples who are dealing with the stress of living apart because of long-term hospitalization or military deployment.

Besides the lockdown or being apart from your spouse, what are some other reasons couples may choose to try online therapy as opposed to face-to-face therapy?

  • It’s easier for those couples with busy schedules
  • Convenient for those couples living in geographically isolated areas (rural America as opposed to big cities)
  • Some people find going out into public or driving stressful
  • Couples may not want to be seen by anyone in their local community walking into a therapist’s office
  • When one or both partners has a disability that makes attending in-person therapy more challenging

Online therapy follows a similar model to traditional therapy and in most cases, therapists do nearly everything online that they do in person. The only real difference is that it may take a little bit longer to get comfortable with each other, as human beings tend to connect more when they are in each other’s physical space. But once the connection has been made and everyone feels comfortable, there is no real difference in how sessions are conducted.

When Online Couples Therapy is Not a Good Idea

While online couples therapy can be very effective and beneficial to a majority of couples, there are those situations when it would not be suitable. For instance, in the case of domestic violence. Couples therapy, whether online or over the internet, treats both partners as equal in the relationships and aims to save the marriage. But when there are abuse and violence, the partners are not equal (ie, partners are not contributing equally to the problems) and the goal should not be to keep a victim in a dangerous relationship.

Some other instances where online therapy may not be suitable:

  • If the couple has outdated technology and/or can’t access the internet
  • One or both partners distrusts technology or feels anxious about sharing over the internet
  • One or both partners feels uncomfortable having sessions in the home and would prefer a more professional setting

Again, for a majority of couples, online therapy can be very beneficial and even preferred. If you’d like to explore treatment options and do so online, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-does-online-couples-therapy-work
  • https://tacomachristiancounseling.com/articles/does-online-couples-therapy-work
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201203/5-principles-effective-couples-therapy

Filed Under: Couples/Marriage, Telehealth

July 19, 2020 by Alan Zupka Leave a Comment

Is Telehealth the Future of Therapy?

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, many therapists have had to quickly pivot and offer their clients online sessions in an effort to help them to continue to make progress while at the same time abide by the social distancing guidelines to flatten the curve.

While it seems our country and the rest of the world are slowly opening back up, many of us have learned something very important during this crisis: telehealth offers clients something very valuable, and that is therapy on THEIR terms. It’s really not so surprising that telehealth is currently a $6 billion industry that is expected to reach $20 billion by 2025.

Here are just some of the benefits of “virtual therapy”:

Privacy

Traditionally, many people, especially those that live in smaller towns and cities, refuse to seek help from a therapist for fear people will find out. With telehealth, a patient can receive help from the comfort and privacy of their own home. This can be particularly helpful for therapists who treat teens and young adults who go to the same school/college and can feel ashamed of seeking professional help.

Telehealth is a Time Saver

Not many of us ever feel we have enough time in the day to accomplish all that we need to. You will find your clients will appreciate telehealth because it saves them having to deal with traffic, scheduling in possible long drive times, and looking for parking.

Flexibility

I have found in my own practice that those clients who often require my services the most are the ones that are overworked and often have scheduling conflicts. Telehealth helps you to offer clients timeslots outside of regular hours that you may not normally have available.

Clients Show Up on Time

Therapists benefit from telehealth as well. In any given month, many clients may show up late to an appointment. When a session can begin with the simple mouse-click, timeliness is greatly improved.

Cost Savings

Online therapy means a therapist can run their practice without the need of a front desk staff or paying for office space each month. This extra revenue can greatly impact their life.

These are only a handful of the benefits telehealth offers to both providers and patients. And while it will be a bit more time before clients and therapists fully embrace online therapy, the future looks bright.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/202004/telemental-health-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/millennial-media/201901/14-benefits-teletherapy-clients
  • https://psychcentral.com/blog/its-probably-time-to-switch-to-telehealth-with-your-therapist/

Filed Under: Telehealth

July 5, 2020 by Alan Zupka Leave a Comment

Telehealth for Support Group Therapy

Many of us continue to try and make sense of this new world we live in – one in which the novel coronavirus dictates much of our daily routine. Some states are still mandating social distancing and wearing of masks. And many people are still out of work or working remotely for the unforeseeable future.

This quarantine has certainly made life more difficult in many ways. One of those ways is making it difficult for some people to continue to get the mental therapy they need. Luckily, more and more therapists are offering their services through telehealth (telemedicine).

This means you can still receive your one-on-one or group therapy support via online therapy sessions.

Is Online Therapy as Effective?

Many people who are used to face-to-face therapy may be wondering if telehealth or online therapy is an effective form of therapy. Very much so. Both face-to-face and telehealth therapy operate from the same guiding principle, so you can be sure you will receive the same level of service through the internet as you would face-to-face.

There are actually many pros to online therapy. So much so that when this pandemic is behind us, we are apt to see many people continue to receive care via digital channels.

Online therapy is incredibly convenient. You can get the help you need from the comfort of your own home. This means you don’t have to spend money on gas or deal with traffic to get to your support group.

There is also a heightened sense of privacy when choosing to receive mental health services online. You don’t have to worry about someone seeing you walk into a therapist’s office.

And finally, you may find that since you and your therapist are meeting online, you can do so at times that are more convenient for you. This means nights and weekends may become available should your support group decide to go the online route.

You will want to be sure to check with your insurance provider to see if they cover telehealth services. Many do, and more are hopping on the telehealth bandwagon, but there are still some companies that may not, so ask first.

If you are looking for telehealth support group therapy, please get in touch. I would be happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://www.apaservices.org/practice/legal/technology/group-therapy-telehealth-covid-19
  • https://psychcentral.com/blog/is-now-a-good-time-to-try-telehealth-or-online-therapy/
  • https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/telehealth-methods-come-group-counseling/

Filed Under: Telehealth

Alan Zupka

Alan Zupka | Counselor | LGBTQ Community | Orlando, FL

(407) 986-2888
alan@azupkacounseling.com

Orlando, FL 32803

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