TELETHERAPY

TELETERAPY

Since the beginning of the Pandemic in March 2020, we have been providing Tele-therapy sessions with great success. Having this option for clients of all ages has allowed for easier access to mental health services and a continuation of care for current clients. For many people, the convenience of doing therapy from home and/or an office has been an added bonus to getting support. While children do better with in-person services (which we are offering), it is still something that we have successfully provided using play therapy techniques adapted to Teletherapy.

We will continue to provide Teletherapy as an option for clients who want this and might benefit from it.

For most people, therapy can be a rewarding and valuable experience, helping to provide a safe, nurturing place to overcome challenges and barriers to living a fulfilling life. It can be hard to face this alone. Unfortunately, seeking out therapy is still something many people find difficult for several reasons: the lingering social stigma of needing support for our mental health or simply finding the time and capacity to sit down with a therapist.

Teletherapy can be the answer for many people. What is Teletherapy?

Goode and Shinkle (2019) created the following definition of teletherapy:“Teletherapy is the online delivery of speech, occupational, and mental health therapy services via high-resolution, live video conferencing.”Teletherapy, also known as online therapy, e-therapy, or video therapy, is any remote therapy delivered through the use of technology to help the therapist/counselor to connect with the client community. Usually, it’s a virtual platform via a computer; cell phone; or tablet. If you’ve ever used FaceTime or Skype, it’s essentially the same thing – except a HIPAA compliant, more secure platform and with a qualified therapist or counselor at the other end instead of a distant friend or relative.

How Teletherapy works.

Teletherapy sessions are scheduled at an appropriate and suitable time and day for each party, who then logs in via an agreed, secure HIPAA compliant video platform, such as Zoom or Simple Practice. The therapist and client can see and hear one another in real-time during the session via the use of webcams and headsets.Through this virtual environment, they can interact with each other, and the therapist uses the same traditional techniques and activities they would use in a face-to-face therapy session. Tele-therapy provides a range of benefits in comparison with traditional therapy.This may be for you if:

• Have health risks, especially during the COVID-19 health crisis. Tele-therapy allows people to get mental health treatment at home without risking the spread of infection.
• You hate traffic.
• You have a dynamic work schedule that often takes you out of town.
• Your schedule is tight given your work, family, social life, and you would prefer to avoid spending time traveling to a therapist’s office.
• You anyways work from home – even before covid – and it would be easier for your life not to come to the office.
• You have health issues that make it challenging or even preclude you from getting to a therapist’s office, or
• You are a caretaker for a loved one who cannot be left unattended at home while you travel to an appointment.

A note about insurance:Insurance companies have in the past varied in their coverage of teletherapy but for now (during the Covid 19 pandemic) most are covering or reimbursing for it. It is widely hoped that this practice is here to stay. Either way, if you need to have your insurance cover your therapy for financial reasons, it would be wise to contact them to inquire about coverage.