A little over a year ago, due to the pandemic, many therapists and counselors we’re scrambling to figure out the best way to continue what we love to do: Offer our clients online counseling sessions in an effort to help them to continue to make progress while at the same time abide by the social distancing guidelines to flatten the curve.
While it seems our country and the rest of the world are slowly opening up, many of us have learned something very important during this crises: telehealth offers clients something very valuable, and that is therapy on THEIR terms.
Here are just a few of the benefits of “virtual therapy”:
Privacy
Traditionally, many people, especially those that live in smaller towns and cities, refuse to seek help from a therapist for fear people will find out. In addition, sitting in a waiting room with other clients doesn’t afford you the privacy that you will get from the privacy of your home.
Telehealth is a Time Saver
Not many of us ever feel we have enough time in the day to accomplish all that we need to. Many of my clients find that telehealth saves them from having to deal with traffic, scheduling in a possible long drive, and saving on babysitting fees.
Flexibility
I have found in my own practice that those clients who often require my services the most are the ones that are overworked and often have scheduling conflicts. Telehealth allows me to offer timeslots outside of regular hours that you may not normally have available.
Clients Show Up on Time
Therapists also benefit from telehealth. Sometimes clients show up late to an appointment because ‘life happens’. Fortunately, with telehealth a session can begin with a simple mouse click.
Cost Savings
Online therapy means that a client can save on the cost of gas as well as wear and tear on their vehicle. Online therapy also helps a therapist run their practice without the need for a front desk staff or paying for office space each month. This savings can be passed onto clients by reducing the cost for each scheduled appointment.
These are only a handful of the benefits telehealth offers to both providers and patients. Feel free to contact me to discuss the benefits of telehealth. I also want to encourage you to check out the articles below to learn more about the benefits of telehealth.
Sources:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/millennial-media/201901/14-benefits-teletherapy-clients
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-chronicles-infertility/202005/telehealth-is-here-stay-in-good-way