3 Reasons Why Teletherapy is Beneficial for Therapists and Their Clients

The landscape of mental health services is changing now more than ever. More and more people are seeking out behavioral health services as the stigma against it is breaking down and becoming normal amongst millennials and younger generations. It is important that therapy providers remain current on the resources and tools that clients are seeing from their regular medical providers and how those tools might apply to behavioral health as well. For example, telemedicine and telehealth visits have revolutionized how clients interact with their providers. Teletherapy is beneficial for therapists and their clients in a number of ways. Keep reading to learn how teletherapy might be useful to your organization and its growth.

The Teletherapy Difference:

1) Access for Clients

Access to mental health services is one of the biggest crises in the utilization of services across the country. Individuals everywhere are eager to get help but are unable to for a number of reasons. Some of those reasons include cost barriers, transportation, scheduling, and being unaware of what their options are.

Teletherapy offers a vital solution to several of these barriers. Teletherapy visits are completed over the computer through secure video communication. This offers new and unique access to those who might be struggling to engage in mental health services.

Teletherapy eliminates travel barriers for clients who might not be able to drive to their appointments or do not have extra money to spend on gas for their car or a bus pass. By eliminating some of those added costs, the teletherapy visit, itself, becomes more affordable. Teletherapy visits are also shorter on average and allow clients to take less time out of their day to engage in services compared to a traditional visit setting. Teletherapy makes getting help much more accessible than in the past.

2) Flexible Scheduling

Another common barrier that both clients and physicians face is scheduling. For clients who are busy with work and the other demands of life, finding time to get away and visit with their therapist on a regular basis can be difficult. Different from a medical visit, therapy visits take place more regularly, sometimes once a week or even more depending on the needs of the client.

Teletherapy offers a solution for flexible scheduling. With this tool, the client no longer has to remove themselves from their situation to visit with their therapist. Instead, they can log on to their computer, moments before the visit is scheduled to start. This allows them to schedule visits whenever they have time rather than having to restructure their entire schedule. This feature of teletherapy promotes engagement rather than abandoning their efforts.

Therapists can access quality scheduling tools with practice management technology made specifically for behavioral health providers.

3) Decrease Overhead Costs

Teletherapy makes it possible for therapists to completely eliminate the in-office visit all-together. This can greatly impact their overhead costs in the long run. These costs might include the cost of renting an office, staffing a receptionist, or printing expenses. These values can add up extremely fast for any behavioral health provider servicing patients in-person. With this tool, you can also visit with the patient from any secure environment just as they can visit you from wherever they are. Another added benefit of telehealth for therapists is that more clients are seeking out accessible services and this can be a great tool to help you get more therapy clients through your door.

Teletherapy offers a solution for clients on the search for accessible behavioral health services and therapists need it in order to grow now and in the future. To learn more, click here.