What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is essentially providing health-related services through electronic information and telecommunication technology. So psychotherapy being conducted through Telehealth usually means by a video chat platform and by telephone.
COVID-19
We’ve all experienced the COVID-19 pandemic together. Telehealth has made it possible for people to continue receiving health related services including psychotherapy. New clients are now enjoying the option of starting psychotherapy through Telehealth. Even before the pandemic, there were common reasons why people wanted alternatives to being physically in the therapy office.
Some of these reasons are...
Due to COVID-19, some people still do not feel safe leaving their home and doing unnecessary travel. Some clients did not return to their previous therapists because they went back to work in their office space and some clients are not comfortable yet to return due to safety concerns.
Sometimes a client cannot make it into the therapy office because they are too depressed to leave the house. They might say something like, “I just can’t leave my house today. All I want to do is stay in bed and I don’t feel like seeing anyone.” So having the option to attend a therapy session on their computer is a benefit to them.
Clients can be under the weather and not up to coming in for their session and ask, “Listen, I’m not feeling well today but I’d like to get my session in, so can we please do it on the phone or online?”
There are also situations where a client has a difficult or long commute to the therapy office and rather do a Telehealth session. People now have this option since Telehealth has become more mainstream.