As lockdowns abate, residual effects linger in healthcare. In mental
health, these adjustments are particularly pronounced. Telehealth has
always been a form of treatment but became popular during the pandemic.
It was typically used in the past for those patient's suffering from
such things as Agoraphobia or when a patient was traveling for work.
During the pandemic Illinois' JB Pritzker was one of several governors
to enact legislation allowing for the use of virtual mental health
services. Currently, insurance will cover telehealth sessions at parody
with in-person session. This law is set to expire within the next two
years. So what exactly is virtual therapy?

Telehealth does not require a patient's physical presence in an office.
The therapist and patient may never meet in person. Instead, they
connect utilizing HIPPAA compliant telemedicine websites. Think Skype
with privacy safeguards.

Patients "check in" and wait in a virtual waiting room until the
agreed-upon appointment slot. The therapist accepts the request and
commences the session.

Virtual therapy can be intimidating especially since it's on a screen.
However, after the first session most of the awkwardness should abate.
Instead, the therapist and patient can form an intimate relationship
where all topics can easily be discussed.

There are many advantages to telehealth. It saves time as the patient
doesn't need to commute to the office. For example, a patient could
slip into an empty office if a last-minute meeting is scheduled at work
that would prohibit in person attendance. Telehealth makes regular
attendance more manageable for the those with very busy work schedules
or those who travel for their jobs.

Virtual interactions have replaced the old "phone call" therapy where
the therapist was never able to see the patient's expressions while they
spoke. Much was lost during phone calls. Although not ideal, the
therapist has a much better read of the patient's mood and body language
during a session.

We've all learned that telehealth affords patients and therapists more
options. With the Psypac laws you can even see patients who reside in
different states once credentialed to do so. As a Clinician telehealth
has made therapy available to many who ordinarily would not have had
access to therapy. I encourage you to give it a try if you can't see a
therapist in person.