Article Excerpt: The urgent need to treat patients safely during the pandemic led to a telehealth boom. Telehealth opened the door to new treatment pathways for all of medicine, none more so than for therapy. While the promise of teletherapy to expand access to care is significant, the reality is it does not serve the needs of all those seeking treatment – and in fact, for many, it continues to keep behavioral health care out of reach.
Consider a factory worker who clocks in at dawn and cannot slip away for a midday therapy session. Many shift-based workers juggle multiple jobs, fatigue, and limited downtime. Telling them to fit teletherapy into a break assumes not only steady internet access but also technology that can handle a video call. Telehealth also doesn’t solve the access issues for individuals who can’t afford out-of-pocket costs or find a provider accepting their insurance. We have convinced ourselves that teletherapy alone can solve the access issues in the US. Unfortunately, virtual therapy and telehealth visits still mirror the same barriers found with traditional therapy. When we limit digital mental health to virtual appointments, we diminish their real value and overlook an important reality: the real value of digital mental health treatments is where opportunity meets need.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/kntykvcj
Article Source: MedCityNews