Do you need support for an illness or disorder, but can’t make it to an in-person appointment?
Are you a busy stay-at-home or working parent, and don’t have time to schedule or keep doctor appointments?
Do you live too far away to make an in-person visit? Does your town not have access to evidence-based care in your town?
Is your anxiety better treated in your home or is your anxiety keeping you from getting to the office?
Telehealth (or telemedicine) is a more recent innovation. Telehealth allows the facilitation of health-related services to patients via live video conferencing. Thanks to modern technology, just about everyone in the U.S. has a smart phone or tablet capable of video chat. This ease of access to make video calls has revolutionized the health industry, allowing doctors, nurses, and therapists to interact with patients through a convenient phone call. Teletherapy is evidence-based and shown to be as effective as in-person, face-to-face therapy, specifically when using a cognitive behavioral therapy approach.
Telehealth appointments can be very beneficial if getting to a traditional in-person appointment is a hassle for you, if you live in an area that does not have evidence- based care, or if your illness keeps you from getting to the office or makes it difficult to get to the office. In addition, it can be more effective than in person visits in the treatment of anxiety. For example, it:
- Allows the therapist to support you in various settings. For some people, anxiety is tied back to triggers that can be hard to re-create in a therapy office, and having online support makes this possible. It also allows for treatment to generalize to other environments, allowing clients to make gains faster.
- Minimizes the “safety behavior” of having a therapist present in anxiety provoking situations. Sometimes, having a therapist present can minimize anxiety or give a person a false sense of safety; anxiety learns to associate the therapist with being safe, but what happens when the therapist is not there? As treatment progresses, online therapy can offer a way to progress further in treatment by supporting a person in their self-efficacy.
- Allows continuity of care for those people who might be away due to school, travel, or other circumstances. Progress can be maintained and continue even if a person is not physically in the office.
Using your smart phone, you can have a remote therapy or counseling appointment. The app is safe, secure, and easy to use. It works just like facetime or Skype. In addition, insurance companies have recently changed their policies to pay for telehealth appointments. Our therapists have advanced training and years of experience in offering telehealth. We are licensed in Michigan, Florida and Illinois. Contact The Chicago Stress Relief Center at (847) 412-0922 to learn more about telehealth therapy options today!