A Poem by Dr. Barry Lubetkin / New York City
Dr. Lubetkin has been working virtually from his home in New York City since March 2020. He is pleased to report that "not a single patient has expressed concern about not returning to in-person therapy, and many appreciate the scheduling flexibility of the virtual model."
The screen flickers
and a new face appears.
Warm hello’s
apologies about FaceTime
since Covid.
She understands:
“I’m remote all day.”
Awkwardness fades.
We talk, we share. I observe
what I would have missed
in my office
strung with diplomas.
I see her dog
and her playful joy.
I see her bookcase
and admire her taste.
Pictures of her family
confirm her words.
Flowers on her desk
make her room glow.
And I see her eyes
and body language
in a different way,
than in my cluttered office.
I see her!
I can’t shake her hand
I can’t sense when she catches her breath
I can’t even offer her a Kleenex when she sobs
but I can see her soul.
Barry Lubetkin, Ph.D. is the co-director and co-founder of the Institute for Behavior Therapy in New York City. The Institute for Behavior Therapy is the oldest private cognitive behavior center in the United States.