The pandemic, of course, changed all that, and seemingly everyone involved in the delivery of mental health care suddenly was pushed to use this technology…or else. To help, states have been rushing to modify existing laws and regulations in an effort to make the service available to as many people as possible during this increased time of need.
Now several weeks into this new “experiment,” we are starting to get a sense of how this is working. Not unexpectedly, the response from both clients and clinicians has been mixed. Some find the new technology distracting and difficult to learn, and some find the interactions more stale and impersonal. Others, however, love the format and are finding some unexpected benefits to telehealth within the realm of mental health treatment. In my own practice, several families have announced to me that even when in-person appointments become available, they would prefer to keep at least most of the visits online.
As more and more of these appointments take place, a number of important and interesting considerations have also arisen that have sparked debate and discussion. Many have come up before, but with the massive number of new people now using telehealth, there is now a much wider audience.