Therapy for angry kids and the people who raise them
Slow Down Psychology
In-Home Therapy
Part of offering highly personalized psychotherapy services includes the option of home-based therapy throughout Montgomery County and for parts of Howard County. Please be aware that additional fees apply based on time spent traveling to your home. At this time, Slow Down Psychology, LLC does not have a traditional office space to see clients; options for therapy are in-home, or online.
This page is intended to inform families about this optional service with Slow Down Psychology, LLC. While home-based therapy can be highly beneficial in favor of teletherapy or office-based therapy, Slow Down Psychology, LLC offers no guarantees regarding outcomes of this option.
Why I offer in-home therapy:
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As a therapist who is obsessed with the big picture, I enjoy learning so much about my clients' lives simply by being in their living space.
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As a therapist who also sees the benefits of a family-systems approach, I find that home-based therapy can make it easier to include other family members when needed (and with the client's permission).
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By spending time in the home with others present, I am able to gain some insight into family functioning that helps inform my work with parents. It's like seeing an image in 3D versus 2D.
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For clients with sufficient backyard space, we are better able to enjoy the outdoors while preserving privacy.
More research is needed in this area, but anecdotally, many therapists who offer in-home therapy have reported that forming a therapeutic alliance--arguably the strongest predictor of success in therapy-- has been easier than in traditional office-based therapy. With that being said, there are no guarantees as to whether offering in-home therapy will yield "faster" results.
Expectations:
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Privacy
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In a traditional psychotherapy office, therapists are required to provide total privacy for clients. This often means a private room with sound protection and the absence of any recording equipment (with some exceptions). When I come into a client's home, it's important to have a private space that honors that basic requirement for psychotherapy. Therefore I make every attempt to avoid having therapy in open spaces within earshot of others who may also be in the home.
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To protect client privacy during therapy, I will also verify whether the home has any surveillance equipment, recording devices, or smart speakers. Therapy will not be provided in spaces with surveillance equipment, recording devices, or smart speakers.
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Safety
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Before going into a client's home, I will ask about the presence of weapons. It is important for me to verify that if there are weapons in the home, that they are secured and out of reach.
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Supervision
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An adult who is responsible for the client must be present at all times.
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Public Health Precautions
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Almost universally, mask mandates have remained in place for healthcare settings. When I walk into your home, we must treat it as a healthcare setting. Because of this I ask that all household members who may come into close proximity to me wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
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Possible obstacles:
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Scheduling
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This is the biggest challenge I face as a home-based psychotherapist. Because I provide my services within a fairly wide mileage range, I have minimal flexibility with scheduling. This means that families need to be ready to commit to the offered time slot for as long as we're working together.
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While I will make every effort to accommodate a client's extra-curricular schedules, I make no guarantees that I will be able to work around this. If the client has an especially busy after school schedule and we can't find a mutual time, then I will likely recommend that we opt for telehealth, which offers me more flexibility in scheduling.
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Other children in the home
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When there are younger children in the home, it's important that someone else is able to redirect them if they become curious or wish to participate in therapy without first being invited.
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Especially with teens, it's important that everyone understands that our therapy appointment must be protected, and friends are rarely if ever invited.
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Learn more about in-home therapy:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/modes/home-based-therapy
If your family is ready for a therapist to see you in 3D, let's get started!