First of all, what is Telehealth?
Telehealth counselling is basically therapy via an online or phone method. For most, it might be via Zoom or Teams (or other similar platforms) as well as phone, and for some, even chat rooms. For me, I offer face to face appts but also now offering Zoom counselling appts for all those who might have tricky work hours, kids at home, or health issues which preclude them from travelling.
Telehealth isn’t new, but since Covid, has become quite popular in lots of different fields (and I won’t even get onto the subject of AI counselling which is growing by the minute)
Benefits
- Convenient: No need for babysitters, allocating time for transport, or working around work shifts
- Better availability: With telehealth, you can be anywhere in the world, just as long as you have internet, you are good to go
- A good stepping-stone: For people who are hesitant in seeking support or a little anxious in turning up to a counselling room, telehealth is a great first step
- Same results: Research tells us that therapeutic outcomes are the same whether face to face or Telehealth (based on the same therapist’s style, training, experience etc)
Drawbacks
- Requires technology/Internet: yes, without a decent device or internet, Zoom won’t work. Phone session still require reception which may or may not be tricky depending on who your provider is
- Rapport: Some may say that they don’t find Telehealth as personable. There might be some truth to it, but it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to build rapport as long as all parties are open minded about the change
- Requires an experienced therapist: There’s some research that discuss Telehealth being harder to manage for novice therapists. Therefore, the experience of your therapist might be something to consider when considering Telehealth
There are a few articles out there about the outcomes of Telehealth, pros and cons, but a good peer reviewed article to read can be found here. More information can also be found by clicking here, here, and here. There’s so much more and with a good Google search, the sky’s the limit on what you can find on this topic.
In short, there is no difference in outcomes whether a person is doing Telehealth or face to face therapy. The research is pretty clear that the outcomes are equal regardless of which modality is offered, the key being in the relationship between the client and therapist, therapist’s experience and qualifications, as well as what issues need to be worked on (more acute mental health issues may be better face to face). For couples, it’s also possible to do a Zoom meeting over 3 devices, should partners be in different locations or simply prefer to be in different rooms.
Do you have any questions? Or simply ready to take the plunge in the Telehealth world? Contact me and let’s start your recovery journey towards a better life 🙂
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