Are you looking for counseling services, but unsure whether you want to do Telehealth or in person therapy? You may consider many factors when you are deciding which format of therapy will be best for you.
Telehealth Therapy
Since COVID began in 2020, telehealth, or virtual therapy, has become very popular. Most insurance companies now accept it. Many therapy practices continue to offer the option of virtual sessions and some are completely virtual. Some therapists only see their clients via telehealth. Others might see their clients both in person or virtually, depending on what meets the clients’ needs. So what can one expect from telehealth therapy sessions?
Expectations
Each practice and/or therapist may handle telehealth differently. Make sure you follow up with the practice or therapist and ask about how their version works. With Barnum Counseling, you can expect to create a Spruce Health account. This is our secure platform for communicating between therapist and client. It enables HIPAA compliant video calls for your sessions. From there, your therapist will begin a video call for the length of your session. You can expect that your therapist will be in a private space. They may or may not use headphones depending on their preference and space. It is expected that you, as the client, are also in a private space with no one else around and no other distractions.
Pros
There are definitely some positives to using telehealth therapy. Virtual therapy can be done anywhere, within reason. When you’re working with a Barnum therapist, you and your therapist both have to be in Illinois during the session. But other than that, “anywhere” is wherever that private space is for you. That could be at your mom’s house or your dad’s house if your parents are split. You could be in your bedroom or in the kitchen.
Virtual therapy can also be helpful for those who do have divorced parents or are unable to drive themselves or get a ride to therapy. Virtual sessions can be beneficial if your car breaks down or if your schedule is too demanding to fit in a full session plus the commute there and back. This also provides the opportunity for you to find a therapist that you have a good connection with, no matter how far away the practice is located.
Cons
While virtual sessions have their appeal, there are also some cons to consider as well. Not everyone is able to have a private space where they can talk to their therapist freely and comfortably. Even if one has a room where they can close the door, that does not mean that others cannot hear right outside the door. This can lead to some topics being “off limits” or the client not feeling they can be completely vulnerable sharing. Considering this scenario, its possible there could be slower progress or no progress at all. Another con can consist of connectivity issues.
Whether the connection problems are on the client’s end or the therapist’s end, it can be detrimental to progress and an annoyance if there is continuous buffering or dropped calls. Also, some insurances might not accept or pay for telehealth sessions, so it is important to know what services insurance will and will not cover so one can be prepared for the financial commitment. Lastly, telehealth sessions can limit the therapist’s ability to help you to their fullest capacity due to the fact that the therapist is limited to seeing from your shoulders up. It makes it harder for the therapist to read body language or see how you react to certain topics and discussions.
In Person Therapy
These sessions, which are in a therapist’s office or space, is typical of what we expect when we hear about therapy. Many practices offer in-person services, and like telehealth, many major insurance companies reimburse for these sessions. However, in-person can be quite different from virtual sessions. So what can one expect from in-person services?
Expectations
You can expect to meet a therapist in their practice location in a private room or space. With Barnum Counseling, our practices are inside buildings with many units. Once you enter Barnun Counseling’s unit, there is a waiting room where you to wait to be called by your therapist. In the waiting room, there are various sound machines on or music playing to increase the privacy of clients’ sessions. Once you are called by your therapist, you will be in a room with a comfortable couch. Some therapists offer fidgets that you can hold or play with throughout the session. Once the time is over, the therapist will dismiss you or walk you back to the waiting room.
Pros
Just like telehealth sessions, there are pros and cons as well. One of the pros to in person sessions is confidentiality. Unlike virtual sessions, you are in a private space: just you and the therapist, with no distractions, and no one snooping around to hear your conversation. This can create an environment where the client feels they are able to be vulnerable and share whatever they need to share. In person can also help the therapeutic relationship build, form, and maintain. Seeing each other in the same room is a very different experience from seeing each other through a computer screen. The therapist is able to see your body language and how you react and behave to certain topics or discussions.
Cons
Like telehealth therapy sessions, in person services have some cons as well. The client will have to commute to and from the office, which can increase costs due to gas and car payments. This also can create challenges with scheduling appointments if the client has a tight schedule or limited availability. Another con could be finding a ride to sessions if you are unable to drive or not old enough to drive. Having to rely on someone else weekly can cause challenges for the client and the driver. Another con could be a feeling of embarrassment or failure walking into a therapy office with the ongoing stigma of mental health.
Review
Both in person therapy services and virtual therapy services have their pros and cons. Those include insurance, technology, the commute, and comfortability. If you are exploring whether you want to start attending therapy sessions, take some time to think about the pros and cons of in person versus telehealth therapy. Talk to a potential practice or therapist about what they prefer or what they offer. Not all therapists offer hybrid, in-person, or virtual sessions. Some therapists only offer telehealth and some therapists only offer in-person services. It is important to decide what would be best for you and your mental health journey while considering your life circumstances.
About Therapist Bethany Winter, MA, LPC Barnum Counseling
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