It goes by many names. Officially, in Arizona, it is psychotherapy under the umbrella of 'telemedicine'. This is a service that an agency where I previously worked really took full advantage of (in a good way). Through my own online private practice, I get to incorporate this unique way of providing psychotherapy every day. It is amazing to have clients all over the state versus being limited to those located nearby the office. This platform obviously allows me to reach a much broader range of clients who invite me into their worlds through a doorway that, had telemedicine never come to be, I would have no way of walking through.
So how did this telemedicine thing happen? Starting with the previous post, and for the remainder of this week, I will be covering a series titled,The Top 4 Reasons Online Therapy is Needed. This post covers reason number two.
Mobile Internet Use
Gone are the days when we had to wait for that horrible (and yet delightful) noise, followed by "You've got mail" when getting online. Kids of the '70s and '80s - you know what I'm talking about! Sorry, I digress. Anyway, the majority of Americans – 77% – now use a smartphone with an immediate and consistent internet connection. This explosion of smartphone and other mobile devise use created opportunities for app-based companies to offer more accessible and affordable therapy. Of the platforms I use for my own private practice, all have mobile applications available for android or iOS users. There have been a few times in which, when they were unable to connect by desktop, a few of my clients have actually downloaded the mobile application to their phone or tablet to find that it worked better. The only thing I can figure is that there was way too much going on in their desktops, and perhaps the mobile versions were more lightweight? So it is not a perfect system. But then, neither is providing therapy out of an office that clients have to deal with traffic to get to, after a long day at work.
Remaining Reasons
Join me over the two days for the remainder of this series. Tomorrow we will be talking about how our schedules have come to necessitate this option for so many prospective clients.
