I must admit that I’m surprised at how surprised I’ve been about how excited folks are to participate virtually in therapy…if that makes any sense?
But when I think about it, why wouldn’t clients want to be able to engage in treatment online? While there are certain benefits to meeting with a therapist face to face, sometimes that is simply not possible for some folks, especially for those who are in early recovery and maybe recently lost their license or are in the earlier stages of rebuilding their lives to save up for a vehicle.
The other obvious benefit is the safety of meeting virtually in the current Covid climate. It really sets clients at ease when they realize “I can get help and don’t have to have to added stress of worrying about Covid exposure”. It’s really been a blessing.
The efficiency and time saving aspect of telehealth can’t be ignored either. Without having to commute to and from therapy, the time commitment is much less. The whole process is more streamlined from filling out intake paperwork to scheduling to billing. (At a lower hourly rate than the average in office visit, there are the less obvious cost savings too ).
One less obvious benefit that we’ve realized since starting our practice is the access to treatment for clients who live in more rural areas that might not commit to a commute to weekly sessions. We operate our current telehealth practice from a smaller rural town in the Monadnock Region of Southern NH and have been working with folks from even more remote towns outside of our area. The ability to practice telehealth with any client in New Hampshire gives the patient the added benefit of a much larger network of providers to choose from as well.
All in all, we have been very happy with how the telehealth model has gone so far. The benefits for both provider and patient make for a mutually advantageous treatment experience. While we will eventually offer in person sessions from the office, for right now we are looking forward to being able to reach and help more and more folks struggling with substance misuse.
If you or somebody you know are struggling with substances, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Paul Conroy, CRSW
Clear Reflection Counseling Associates, LLC
603-316-0559
www.cleareflectioncounselingassociates.com