Telehealth or In-Person
Telehealth or In-person?
Prior to the Corona Virus invasion of our planet in 2020, most counselors and coaches met exclusively in-person. By 2022, the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 96% of psychologists were offering at least some services virtually. People choose to receive counseling or coaching services either in-person or via “Telehealth,” which could be a two-way telephone conversation or more commonly, a two-way (or group) video conferencing call – known as virtual. Sometimes, a client may choose to vary the format from session to session based on a variety of factors. We have found that both formats are quite comparable in effectiveness.
The benefits and drawbacks of In-person sessions.
In-person sessions allow the client to meet in a comfortable office space which has been specifically set up to provide a comfortable and confidential environment. It tends to have an (obvious) authentic and natural feel to the session. A couple advantages to in-person over Telehealth is in-person sessions also allow for both the client and professional to communicate via body language. Another advantage is that verbal communication is smoother – without the ever slight delay that is experienced per a virtual session.
The biggest draw back we hear about in-person sessions is the added time it takes to drive to and from sessions.
The benefits and drawbacks of Telehealth
Virtual sessions have the benefit of being an option for clients who are either far away from the therapy office, or have difficulty for a variety of reasons to physically attend in-person sessions. And the benefit of eliminating drive time is very helpful for some of our clients.
Here is a list of just a few of the most common drawbacks of virtual sessions. First, technology is not always as reliable (from hardware, to software to the internet connections). This becomes challenging if the technical difficulty happens mid-way through a session. We have protocols in place for this possibility, but it can be quite the interruption. Another challenge is the need for clients to create a confidential and secure space where the session will not be interrupted. Sometimes this is simple. In other situations, we find that a client might even go out to their vehicle to get the confidential space needed.
Some of our clients choose either in-person or virtual on a session by session basis.
Please feel free to speak with your therapist about the benefits and drawbacks for either format.
Call (614) 263-8161 and speak to someone on our team to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
Please contact us if you have questions or would like to get started!
(614) 263-8161