⚖️ How does online therapy impact our focus?

This is the 2nd post in the series on Challenges in Online Therapy. Read the first post on What we lose in online therapy.

In-person work has limited distractions competing for our attention and the setting itself supports focus in the time available before and after a session.

• At home, though, this time can be easily interrupted- a doorbell rings, a family member starts a conversation, a household task calls or a delivery arrives. These interruptions, however small, can pull us away from the therapeutic work in numerous ways.

• Online sessions also tend to happen on the same laptop we use for everything else: emails, calls, shopping, social media. When we sit down to prep for a session or pause between sessions, it is easy for our attention to drift elsewhere.

The clinic, on the other hand, exists for one thing: therapy. Leaving the house can help us mentally detach from the everyday distractions tied to it. That shift in space invites a kind of single-minded focus on therapeutic work. While waiting for a client, we might revisit the last session, sit with what we felt, or prepare for what’s ahead. The environment cues us into a more reflective state.

In a remote, work-from-home setup, that kind of immersion is not naturally built in. It takes deliberate effort- carving out a space, setting boundaries, creating rituals, making time to pause. Without it, something subtle yet important can be lost.

I’d love to hear how you’ve been creating this space- considering replying to this email.

Until next week,
Suvrita

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