You’ve heard of teletherapy and you know the basics. If you’re still not sure exactly what teletherapy is, you can find more information here. So how does teletherapy differ from traditional therapy services that may be provided in a facility, home or outpatient clinic? What information should you know before deciding on whether or not to use teletherapy services vs. traditional therapy services? Here are a few things to consider.
Benefits for Patients
1. Finding the right therapist.
The ability to choose a therapist from anywhere in the state versus just those therapists located in your immediate surrounding area can be a huge patient advantage. It can allow you to find the therapist that keeps you engaged, fits your learning style and has the expertise you are looking for in your area of specific concern. The right therapist can help you achieve your maximum outcomes.
2. Convenience for time and transportation
Getting access to high quality therapy services on your schedule can be invaluable. Since services can be provided at a school, facility or home, patients can choose the time that works best for them. The need to alter their day to make time to get to a therapist during traditional office hours is no longer a mitigating factor. For both the adolescent and geriatric populations, getting to appointments can be a struggle. At both ends of the spectrum there may be an increased number of patients who suffer from physical impairments, which makes getting ready, transferring in/out of the car and walking to/from the office take just as long and be just as challenging as the actual session itself. Even more critical, is for those living in rural areas who may not have a therapist in their immediate area, in which case getting services may mean traveling to the closest city with a therapist which may be an hour or more away from their home.
3. Quality of services
Therapy services can be limited by the resources that are located in the immediate vicinity, which can be particularly difficult for those therapists who travel to different locations, including facility and home-health therapists. The ability to conduct treatment from a stable office means that all of the resources are available all of the time, allowing for better service delivery and improved adjustment to treatment materials to address specific needs at any time.
4. Group participation
If you are a person who likes the idea of having treatment sessions where others are involved and can share their experiences, successes and challenges, then teletherapy may be perfect for you. With the ability to connect people from all over the country, even those patients with more rare diagnoses, can be placed into online groups with like individuals.
5. Ability to record and playback
With the use of live computer interactions and recorded sessions, all parties involved including the clinician, the client and the caregiver can playback the information and critique the session and provide feedback. This is also beneficial when needing to complete caregiver training as the session can be played for other family members in order to demonstrate the exact method for cueing or eliciting appropriate responses, which can be observed directly from the clinician during the session.
6. Computer aided connections
For some clients, particularly those who struggle with social skills to begin with, the ability to “hide” behind the computer can allow a client and clinician to connect without being too invasive. It allows the client a safety net of not having a new person sitting next to them with peering eyes and feeling like they are being analyzed or criticized too closely. In addition, having a LIVE computer interaction can benefit the patient by keeping them engaged, as most people have grown up with a television and are used to watching a screen, so having someone who is actually talking directly to them can be surprisingly effective for treatment.
Now that we have reviewed some of the major benefits for the use of teletherapy, let’s also review some of the cons of teletherapy that are most commonly discussed.
Cons for Patients
1. Technology challenges
In the same way that the computer can help with making a connection, if the technology you are using is being temperamental, or your connection becomes unreliable, then sessions and effectiveness can suffer and become a hinderance. This could lead to shortened sessions, or even possible missed visits. Low audio, delayed visuals or dropped connections can be very challenging if not able to be fixed timely.
2. Lack of tactile cueing
Let’s face it, there are some methods of therapy that require a hands-on approach. For example, many clients benefit from a tactile sensation to elicit proper placement for retraining articulation movements or providing sensory stimulation following a stroke. If the client does not have someone there with them to assist with providing physical cues to the patient, then the clinician will need to develop alternate methods for stimulation.
3. Challenging for “active” clients
For those clients who have difficulty sitting down for extended periods of time or have shortened attention spans, then teletherapy may be a challenging setup. Since they do not have the ability to walk around the room to release energy, participating in a session that requires lengthy periods of prolonged sitting can be a difficult. The use of video-style sessions require better eye contact and face-to face interaction than the traditional therapy which could adjust for changes in room positioning or benefit more from play based therapy with actual object manipulations.
As we can see there are potential upsides and challenges to using teletherapy services for treatment that can help a client make the decision on whether this is the best approach for their needs. It is also important to examine the pros and cons of teletherapy for the clinician, which play s big role in a therapist deciding whether or not to offer these practices as part of their services.
Benefits for Clinicians
1. Less travel / Additional prep time
With the use of a home office and computer system, the therapist is able to see multiple clients back-to back without a break required to get between facilities, homes, or classrooms. This can also allow the clinician to have more of their own “family time” as they eliminate the commute back and forth to work. The reduction of travel time allows for additional time to create session outlines, generate or search for new material and prepare for treatments since transition time between appointments is essentially eliminated.
2. Extra income / Less expenses
With the elimination of a daily commute and less need for work attire, a therapist’s professional expenses are reduced allowing for a clinician to work less hours and/or have less incidental expenses. This results in more money at the end of the month. The use of teletherapy, can also allow for clinicians to make extra income by providing services outside of traditional office hours, or even in another time zone, allowing for you to make your own schedule and determine your own income based on the number of hours they choose to work.
3. Greater selection of materials
With the integration of the computer, clinicians are able to use a variety of materials to personalize sessions and keep clients engaged. The introduction of interactive games, videos, Power Point presentations and worksheets that can be scanned allow for multiple sensory input and maximizing client engagement. Also, with all of the resources stored in one place, the clinician is able to change course or incorporate other items in order to present the information thoroughly and make the lesson more easily understood. Not to mention, theses video sessions are more Earth friendly, as clinicians are not making multiple paper copies for use in sessions with multiple clients.
Cons for Clinicians
1. Inability to move about the room
For those clients who have difficulty maintaining attention to task, or are general “busy bodies”, a clinician can become challenged to keep the attention of a a client. It is recommended to provide guidance and suggestions on completing therapy in a place with minimal visual or auditory distractions. Less stimulating environments should help to reduce client disturbances.
2. Missed revenue
If you are a clinician who works for a larger company, then missed visits may affect your income. Many agencies pay per session, and therefore will not pay you if you or a client misses a session, regardless of whether it was the therapist’s fault, the client’s fault, or technology issues. Not having direct communication also allows patient and family to be held less accountable when they do not have to look at you in the face to explain why they missed their appointment time. Missed visits can also occur as a result of technology malfunctions, which are typically unavoidable.
3. Difficulty separating work and home
Like many who work from home, transitioning from “office time” to “family time” can be challenging when you live and work in the same place. Some people have difficulty “turning it off” once they are done for the day, while others have too many distractions in the home (laundry, kids, etc) since your home becomes your office. Creating a specific space for your office that is quiet and professional can help with transitioning throughout the day and ensure your clients are getting your full attention during their session.
So after having reviewed some of the pros and cons of teletherapy, it is important to also mention that research on teletherapy has shown to be very promising. According to Towey (2013) and Gorgan-Johnson (2011), research shows that clients receiving teletherapy have even “outperformed control groups and national benchmarks” in the areas of expressive and receptive language, social pragmatics, as well as articulation skills. Much of the research being conducted is quickly building evidence that teletherapy is an excellent avenue for therapy providers and client benefit. If you feel that you or your loved one can benefit from teletherapy or are wanting more information, please feel free to contact us via email at hcstraightup@gmail.com or by phone at 727-275-0493.
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