Due to the spread of the covid-19 virus, we have transitioned to telehealth sessions only until it is safe to go back to in-person sessions. most mental health professionals and other businesses are making the shift to work from home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. luckily mental health has always been effective through telehealth sessions. research actually shows that telehealth sessions are just as beneficial as in-person sessions. at anchor therapy, we want to help flatten the curve as much as possible so that our hospitals hopefully do not get overrun. below is all the information you need to know about telehealth for mental health therapy sessions.

Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions.

What is telehealth?

Telehealth is the online distance version of a healthcare visit. All healthcare professionals are able to provide telehealth sessions to clients, depending on the issue. For mental health services, telehealth is a great way to practice your self-care. At Anchor Therapy, our telehealth sessions are done on video and phone. This gives clients the flexibility to pick whichever method they prefer to do their counseling sessions. For video sessions, we provide a free and easy to use video service. Our video service is HIPAA compliant. For phone sessions, we also have HIPAA compliant business lines that protect privacy.

Flexibility, flexibility, and more flexibility

The flexibility is really endless for telehealth sessions. Not only do you get to decide if you want to have your session by video or phone, but our clinicians are also a lot more flexible to meet your availability. Because we are now working from home, we do not have constraints of sharing our office space for in-person sessions. Due to COVID-19 we also are generally more available as we are staying in our homes. We really want to spend this chaotic time helping as many people as we can through telehealth sessions. Usually we set up clients with a time slot that is saved for them weekly or biweekly. However, with our flexibility for telehealth sessions, you have the option to move around scheduled sessions as requested.

When we do move back to in-person sessions, we will continue to provide telehealth sessions as we have always done. Previously, our policy was that you were welcome to switch your in-person sessions to telehealth whenever you wanted. For example, if you or a family member is sick, it’s snowing, you’re stuck at work late, or you just prefer to lay in bed in your pajamas- you are welcome to switch your in-person session to telehealth through video or phone. We also see clients solely through telehealth sessions who have never stepped into our office before.

privacy

During this difficult time, a lot of clients are inside their home on top of their family members. Some have had a hard time finding privacy to continue their therapy sessions. So we had to become creative and here are some ideas that have helped them: using headphones, going in the bedroom and closing the door, going in the bathroom, going for a walk (staying 6 feet away from others!), sitting in your car, sitting on your stoop, sitting in your lobby area of your building, and getting a white noise App on your phone and placing it by the door of the room you are talking from. You can also find white noise on YouTube and place your computer or tablet at the door. While these options may not seem the easiest for you, they are still better than nothing and they will help protect your privacy. It is important to take care of your mental health during this time.

comfortability

Some people prefer in-person only sessions and I get that. I am hearing that a lot of therapists have never done telehealth before and it seems they are struggling to adjust to telehealth during this trying time. As a mental health therapist who already provides telehealth, I would highly recommend that you try it out. We are already on our phones, tablets, and computers all day. Telehealth is very easy to do and adapt to. During this COVID-19 crisis, we are already having to adapt daily. I have also found that a lot of clients are more comfortable to have a screen between us and to be in the comfort of their own homes. For this reason, some clients actually open up a lot quicker than ones in-person and find quicker benefits from therapy sessions.

kids and teens

While we see a lot of adult clients, we also treat kids and teens. People tend to think that telehealth can’t be done with kids or teens. I actually find that teens do really well with telehealth sessions. This is the way they communicate already and they open up a lot faster through video and phone. Nowadays, kids are also accustomed to using these electronics. It can be tricky to have a full therapy session on video or phone with a child, but family sessions can be very useful. An example would be to see a child for one-third of the session, the child and parent(s) for one-third of the session, and the parent(s) for the last third of the session. Sometimes the child is able to communicate and play well through telehealth and the family does not need to be included. When we see children, we usually do include the parent(s) though. This may look like a separate parenting session with the parent(s) on phone or video to discuss the progress of their child in therapy and to get an update on how everything is going at home. The clinician can then assist the parent(s) in what they can do to help the child at home in between therapy sessions. During this time, we are all cooped up on top of each other at home. It is likely that you will come across some behavioral issues with your kids and teens. Therapy can help your family in multiple different ways during this time.

Group Telehealth Sessions

Our in-person office is a very cozy space, but it is not big enough for groups. An amazing benefit that we have through telehealth sessions is holding group therapy! If you have an interest in a support group that you’d love to join, please drop some ideas below by filling out the form. Some ideas we have are a possible grief group or teen support group. Telehealth sessions provide so much more availability for us to help the community! We are looking forward to helping you the best we can during this difficult time.