Advantages of Telehealth for Therapy

When news of the pandemic first made its way into the clinic I was working at, we envisioned a pause in in-person therapy sessions for a few weeks. Our clinic at the time fully intended to resume services as normal when everything blew over. Except everything didn’t blow over – it blew up.

As a result of the pandemic, clinics and private practices had to rethink the way therapy could be facilitated without the client in the room. Telehealth wasn’t a new concept (it began in the 1960s), but it was the exception. The standard model of therapist and client being physically present with one another in a room was turned upside down, and there was a lot of uncertainty about how that would impact treatment both in the short- and long-term. But luckily, there seem to be far greater advantages than not in providing telehealth services. Here are a few I’ve noticed:

Services are more accessible.

Prior to the pandemic, finding a therapist was very location dependent. You had to consider the location of the office, the driving time to get there, the time spent in traffic, etc. Then there were people living in remote or rural areas without local mental health providers. These factors were major barriers to people wanting to go to therapy but being unable to do so. Now, services could be accessed in the palm of your hand. It’s that simple!

Scheduling is more flexible.

Now that physically getting to an appointment was removed from the process, people had more time available to attend therapy. Working folks could now attend sessions throughout the day on a scheduled break, rather than waiting until late in the evening. University students could attend sessions between classes and extracurriculars without ever leaving campus. Couples could be apart from one another and still attend a session jointly. Therapy was not only easier to access, but also getting more convenient to include in our day-to-day activities.

Services meet you where you are.

In my experience, sometimes symptoms of depression or anxiety have held individuals back from jumpstarting their therapy. Telehealth has allowed people to start receiving therapy services when leaving their house or a new experience may be too daunting or overwhelming in the moment. Telehealth allows a person to literally take it one step at a time and provide that cushion of comfort for a bit longer.

It’s been a little over two years since the start of the pandemic, and while we see certain realms of life go back to in-person, I think telehealth is here to stay. With evidence that telehealth and in-person therapy provide just about equal outcomes and it increases access to care, I strongly champion it as the new standard. Avant Counseling will continue to support virtual therapy services that are evidenced based and effective. So if you’re thinking about starting therapy and needing easy access, flexibility, and support – Avant Counseling could be for you.