I Used to Drive to My Clients. Here's Why I Moved to Telehealth

For a long stretch of my career I worked where my clients lived. Apartments in Brooklyn, facilities in Queens, kitchen tables with the radio on low. I'd spend as much of the day in the car as I did in sessions.

I loved that work. What I didn't love was how much of it went to parking.

What I expected to lose, and didn't

I assumed video sessions would feel thinner. Something about being in someone's home makes the conversation real. What I found instead is that people are still at home. They're on the couch with a cup of tea and the dog leaning on them. The dog shows up either way.

The difference is that nobody's watching the clock for my drive time. Sessions start when they start.

Where it really matters

Consistency is the boring answer, and it's the true one. Therapy works when it happens regularly, and the things that break a schedule are almost always logistical. Snow. A bad hip. A car in the shop. An aide who came late. Take the commute out and most of those stop being reasons to cancel.

For older adults especially, this is the whole thing. The clients I used to see in person often couldn't have made it to an office at all.

Who it doesn't suit

I'd rather be honest about this. If you don't have a private space and can't get one, video sessions are hard, because you'll censor yourself. Some people talk in the car in their driveway, which works fine. If technology genuinely stresses you out, we'll spend five minutes on the first session sorting it out, and if it's still a wall, that's worth naming.

And if you're in acute crisis or need a higher level of care, telehealth with one clinician isn't the right container. I'll tell you that directly and help you find what is.

What the first call looks like

Fifteen minutes, free, no forms. You tell me what's going on, I tell you honestly whether I'm the right fit, and if I'm not, I'll point you somewhere better. No one has ever regretted the fifteen minutes.

I'm licensed in New York and see clients across the state by telehealth from Nassau County. Book a free consultation whenever you're ready.