Now that many patients and students have been forced to transition to telehealth (or teletherapy/telepractice) many clients are finding they want to keep doing teletherpy in tandem with in-person services due to how it makes their lives so much easier. There are a lot of benefits for therapists and practitioners as well.
#1
Expand your Practice with New and Existing Clients
There is a huge gap between the amount of patients open to telehealth and the number of therapists and other providers willing to consistently administer therapy via telepractice. The convenience of telepractice can help break down barriers to entry and make it easier to schedule more appointments with the same patients who otherwise may have issues with too much travel, as well as opening up the realm of possibilities for potential clients. Building out a telehealth practice along with your regular practice, or simply obtaining the necessary skills for telepractice through telepractice certification can help ensure that your skillset is never irrelevant no matter what social distancing measures are in place.
#2
Location Independence
Therapy can be done from any professional workplace incorporating telehealth into an existing practice or starting to work exclusively remotely can offer significant advantages with regard to time savings and flexibility. It is important to maintain professionalism in a number of ways; attire, setting, maintaining privacy, and avoiding interruptions. However, there are many options for converting a room or space to a place for telehealth that can meet all these requirements. This flexibility could allow a therapist to work from their home office (or a designated space) multiple times per week or if they are looking to set up a 100% telehealth practice they can potentially eliminate commuting altogether.
#3
Eliminate Commuting Hassles
There’s nothing quite like a long day at work followed by a significant commute home. In fact, commuting is usually ranked as one of the most influential components when it comes to overall satisfaction with where one lives. Facing daily traffic, long commute times stuck slouched over at the wheel, and other driving hazards can take a serious toll on your mental health and happiness. Establishing a telepractice is the simplest way to eliminate all commute-related challenges so you can spend your time and energy on more important areas, such as your patients’ progress.
#4
Increase Your Safety
People that become therapists and practitioners typically picked their profession to help people. This also means they are often willing to go above and beyond to see their patients succeed and receive the therapeutic treatment they need. However, sometimes this can come at a cost to the therapist. In a time when doing too many in-person sessions can mean putting both yourself and your clients at risk for infection, it is important to be smart and realistic about what risks are worth taking. Even other things like driving through severe weather or leaving the office alone late at night can increase various risks to the therapist. Telehealth can increase the flexibility of the therapist or practitioner and the ability to administer services regardless of whether there are stay-at-home orders, severe weather, or other unforeseen circumstances. Service providers know that if their patients start to miss sessions regression can happen quickly, endangering the goals of therapy and undermining patient motivation.
Teletherapy Certification Options
#5
Enjoy a Flexible Schedule
Implementing technology and virtual services into your mental health practice is an effective way to maximize your time and enjoy more flexibility in your day to day life. Therapists and practitioners who use telepractice extensively have the ability to accommodate a wider range of appointment times and can also lessen transition times associated with having someone physically present. This increased flexibility also means it is possible to offer therapy sessions at abnormal times due to not having to go into the office every time someone needs therapy. While offering sessions outside of normal working hours is not necessarily a goal for many therapists, having the option to be able to do effective telehealth sessions without using time to commute between sessions or wait at the office during gaps can be extremely beneficial. A telehealth practice opens doors to a different type of work-life balance for therapists, especially with regard to their own families. When you have greater flexibility in your schedule this gives you the freedom to prioritize your commitments and choose how to shape your days. This sense of freedom can hugely impact your well-being and peace of mind as well as make it easier for you to be more effective with helping your own family navigate the ins and outs of everyone’s schedules.
#6
Work-Life Balance
A teletherapy practice opens doors to a different type of work-life balance for therapists, especially with regard to their own families. When you have greater flexibility in your schedule this gives you the freedom to prioritize your commitments and choose how to shape your days. This sense of freedom can hugely impact your well-being and peace of mind as well as make it easier for you to be more effective with helping your own family navigate the ins and outs of everyone’s schedules.
#7
Expand Your Reach
When offering virtual services as a therapist it is possible to reach new people. Patients with disabilities, financial challenges, and transportation difficulties are just a few examples of people that are possible to serve through telehealth that would not have been possible before. It will also be possible to serve people in other cities, making location less relevant. Telehealth gives therapists the opportunity to serve more people while making more money. It’s a win, win.
#8
Increased Efficiency Leads to Professional Advancement
Service providers who are dedicated to self-educating, growing, and staying up to date with the latest developments in their field will truly distinguish themselves as the world is shifting to new norms through COVID-19 and after. In such a cutting-edge industry, it’s crucial to keep up with innovations and constantly deepen and develop professional skills. Due to the many efficiencies of teletherapy, therapists who manage their schedules effectively will be able to dedicate more time to their education and professional advancement. Along with this, telepractice allows therapists to work with patients who aren’t necessarily in the immediate area of the therapist. This can expand their reach to many hard to reach areas and help to stabilize their client base even in times of social distancing.
#9
Decrease Your Overhead
Expenses such as rent, utilities, liability insurance, office supplies and furniture, along with other typical business costs can be enough to overwhelm anyone. Most offices will look to maintain in-person services and use telehealth as a supplement, but even with this strategy it can be possible to cut costs. If teletherapy is built into the regular schedule in a predictable manner that may mean that the same number of therapists now needs a much smaller space that is organized differently. While there can be a very significant expense reduction from going to a full-time telehealth model, this is not going to be viable or even desirable for many. Mindful therapy clinics will make sure that they have a road map for how they are integrating telehealth with regular services, look at how they can help to use it to cut costs for their physical location, as well as ensuring they are prepared to give effective teletherapy.
#10
Maximize Your Time With Your Patients
Ultimately, teletherapy helps to simplify the patient-mental health practitioner relationship and the entire process of offering sessions. When obstacles are eliminated, such as having to physically make it to an appointment, this frees up more time and energy for you and your patients to focus on their progress. Teletherapy can be used to cut out any unnecessary distractions and hassles so you can focus on the most important aspect of your practice: your patients. With flexibility and freedom, telehealth allows you to prioritize your own health and well-being, which creates a positive ripple effect in all areas of your life, professionally and personally.
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