I write about the virtues of virtual behavioral health in a third guest blog for Highmark Health.
By now, you’re likely familiar with telehealth through your primary care physician. But, many aren’t aware they can schedule remote appointments with their therapists and counselors.
My guest blog explores the merits of virtual therapy. In it, I share two case studies from my own practice.
CASE STUDY 1: Using Remote Therapy to Find a Specialist
The first case study highlights the value of finding a specialist who can do remote therapy sessions. In this case study, Kristi is a young professional who lives hours away from my office. But, it was essential that she find someone who specializes in hair pulling (trichotillomania).
CASE STUDY 2: A Family Using Remote Therapy
The second case study explores the added convenience of virtual behavior health for parents and children. In this case, for Anne and her daughter Emily.
Virtual visits also meant Emily could get counseling in her own home; many children feel more at ease and are better able to focus on therapy when they’re in a familiar setting. During our sessions, I’d sit in my office in McMurray, and Emily and Anne would be at their dining room table many miles away.
In just a few months of weekly visits, we made progress that Anne called “remarkable.” I give her much credit, first for finding a specialist who understood her daughter’s condition, and then also because, as an occupational therapist, she was familiar with sensory integration and quickly understood how to help with Emily’s exercises and homework assignments. Eventually we got to a point where we felt confident about Emily’s progress and reduced the therapy sessions to once a month.
As you likely can see, the availability of telehealth allows people and families access to the specialists they need. And in doing so, it helps them heal and overcome adversity, even amid a global pandemic.
Continue reading “The Virtues of Virtual Behavioral Health” at Highmark Health.
Click below to read my other two guest blogs from Highmark Health.
