Waking Up - Telehealth, the Pandemic, and a New Normal

by Lisa Baron, PhD, LCSW

     I was a skeptic about the platform of telehealth for psychotherapy. I wondered how I could join my clients through cold glass screens. Could I pick up visual cues and body language? Would my clients feel supported? Was true growth in psychotherapy possible? 

     Fast forward, seven months later. I have been seeing my clients through telehealth since the pandemic of 2020 began. My client was talking about feeling isolated, numb, and wanting to return to “normal.”  While I understood and supported her desire, I remembered her prior “normal.” She had previously had numerous traumas in her life.  Having made great strides in therapy, she had moved away from destructive relationships, dialed down on addictive behaviors, and continued to strengthen her self-esteem along the way.  She had recently reported finding peace in her own company for the first time. 

     When she said she wanted to return to her “old normal,” I took a chance, and asked, “Are you sure you want to go back to your life just as it was before?”

     We both paused. She then said, “I’m not going back to that place where we started. Now, I feel like I’m waking up.” Through our mutual screens, that was a rich, connected moment.  

     While thinking about this session days later, I thought about the opportunities that the pandemic has presented to me.

     I am an extrovert by nature, with a strong introspective side. I am seeing now that the pandemic has been the catalyst for the introverted side of me to grow. I too, am “waking up.”

     I have a new appreciation for walking in nature and taking photographs.  Relationships have taken on a new significance. I make time for the people who are important to me, and they make time for me. Now, I value quiet time, rest, and pause. Recently, we had three days of rain, and I was content and peaceful reading, writing, and just being. This is new for me.  

     And although I have been a writer all my life, during this time, I am discovering that I can be more creative with my writing skills, which is giving me challenge and joy. 

     There is no doubt that I will celebrate seeing my loved ones when the world feels safer. However, I plan on bringing my “current normal” into my “new normal.”  And I will leave some of the “old normal” behind that no longer serves me.   

     How are you waking up?

Dr. Lisa Baron is an experienced therapist, group facilitator, and writer, based in Carrboro, North Carolina. She writes from an introspective lens. Dr. Baron’s family continues to amaze her, as they, too, continue to “wake up.”