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Writer's pictureNeil Parekh

Ep. 13 Grace Hipona, Ed.D. | Shining Light on Shadows: The Pros and Cons of In-person and Online Therapy

Updated: Aug 20


Please join me and my co-host, Dawn Helmrich Neuburg, for the lucky 13th episode of “Shining Light on Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health.” Our guest will be Dr. Grace Hipona, a licensed professional counselor and clinical supervisor with a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision based in Northern Virginia.


Like many therapists, Grace began seeing patients online during the pandemic. This episode will focus on the pros and cons of in-person vs. online therapy. Grace will provide her perspectives as a provider; I will provide my perspectives as a client and Dawn will talk about her son’s experiences with online and in-person therapy.


We’ll be live Thursday, August 8 at 7pm ET / 6pm CT / 4pm PT. If you can’t watch the show live, you can watch the recording at your convenience on this website or the links below.

 

You can watch the live show or recording here

or watch and comment on social media:

Facebook | Twitter* | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram*

*We won't know the exact urls for Twitter or Instagram until we go live. For now, these links go to Neil's Twitter and Dawn's Instagram home pages.

 

As Grace wrote in her blog post, Telehealth / Online Therapy From a Therapist’s Perspective, although telehealth has its advantages, there are important considerations as well. These include confidentiality, technical difficulties, assessment issues and the therapeutic relationship.


As Dawn wrote in her blog post, Choosing Between Online, In-Person or No Therapy? Do What Works Best, “I think that everyone has the right to choose what works best for them. I continue to practice mindfulness, grounding and breathing as I work through this very crazy life. Take what works best for you and use that to help you get through all the things that life puts in front of you.”


I have been seeing a therapist through BetterHelp, an online platform, for the past five years. As I wrote in my blog post, Online Therapy Works for Me, “In some ways, it’s just another online meeting. I’m in the same space where I produce shows and where I do other work. It’s integrated into the rest of my life.”


Grace holds a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision. Her dissertation's focus was on disaster mental health (specifically sheltering-in-place). She is also a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and Board Approved Clinical Supervisor.


Dawn and I launched this twice a month show (the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month) in order to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be joined by friends and colleagues who are working through or have worked through their own challenges, practitioners who can speak to some of the issues faced by their clients and advocates who can talk about a range of different issues.


The show is produced by Digimentors on a pro bono basis.


 

Resources / Relevant Links


National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline 800-950-6264 Or text "HelpLine" to 6264; nami.org

Mental Health America Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org; mhanational.org Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) National Sexual Assault Hotline 800-656-HOPE (4673); rainn.org



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