I’ve recently been taking on personal clients who live further afield (even one as far afield as Ghana!) via the marvellous technology available to us nowadays, namely Skype.
I’ve accepted and worked with clients by telephone many times, but this new approach, much as I tended to shy away from it in the past, is working remarkably well.
When I began my practice I limited myself to working in person, either in their home or my own. Over time I allowed myself to be convinced to try to work by telephone, and found much to my surprise that it worked. Not only that, but in some cases (housebound, distance etc) it worked better on a practical basis! Having a voice in the ear, directly, means that you are totally focussed on listening. On the conversation and the spoken word. Better still, without the visual cues (which I do feel are important) my senses swiftly became finer tuned to intonation, mood, manner and attitude. Often the pregnant pause, the unspoken word, is even amplified by using this method.
Astonishingly, it’s become my most common form of client therapist working relationship!
Now I’m using Skype, and I’m finding that along with that same intense focus (concentration on the voice via technology) here I am again with the additional visual cues. Brilliant! Genius! I’d like to personally thank Skype for providing me with a tool that more and more clients are making good use of and finding invaluable during their time with me.
Perhaps a minor point, but certainly one worth mentioning. My practice includes in person, by telephone and now by Skype sessions.
Isn’t technology marvellous?
~smiles & doffs cap~
DK x