Is online therapy right for you?

While social distancing orders have been in place in the U.S. since March 2020, it is common to feel stress when attempting to navigate school, work, and other remote functions of one’s day to day to life online. Special HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platforms have been used by physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and other health care professionals for decades to enhance client accessibility (American Telemedicine Association, 2020). While the pandemic brings upon unprecedented times, the idea of offering and receiving therapy online is not a new concept or practice. In this blog post, potential benefits of participating in online therapy (telehealth) are reviewed.

1.    Positive Effects of Therapy are Transferable to Telehealth

·  Therapists can see clients’ emotional expression and body language whether sessions are in person or online, allowing sessions to take place in real time

·  Clients are also able to see therapist’s facial expressions, experience active listening, prompting, encouragement, and other therapeutic interventions to assist with working through difficult feelings

·  The physical location is less important than the psychological aspects of therapy: Safety, respect, trust, and other components of the alliance between a therapist and client are shared within the relationship, not the walls of the therapist’s office

2.    Increased Client Control and Accessibility to Therapy

·  Clients who fear being seen walking in/out of their therapist’s office no longer have to worry about privacy if sessions are done in a safe and private room at home

·  Clients can see therapists on a lunch break eliminating the commute time/costs

·  Clients can access therapists that offer specialized treatment allowing individuals to benefit from their area of expertise without needing to drive long distances to receive help

·  Individuals with disabilities may have more access to their therapist with accessibility in their homes designed to assist with visual, hearing, and/or mobility (i.e. ramps, railing, adjusted lighting in room/computer screen, modified seating, volume control)

·  Pets can join the therapy session

3.    Decreased Scheduling Demands on Parents

·  Juggling child drop offs and pick-ups to and from therapy are eliminated

·  Children in therapy who live in two homes can continue with weekly sessions without disruption of treatment due to shared custody arrangements of alternating weekly schedules between parents

· Parents have more options to schedule check-ins, parenting support, and skills training with their child’s therapist

· Parents can receive individual therapy when another adult is present to handle childcare duties, possibly reducing the costs and scheduling of childcare arrangements

Reference:

American Telemedicine Association. (2020). Telehealth basics. https://www.americantelemed.org/resource/why-telemedicine/