How About Internet Counselling?

Please note: For what they are worth, these comments represent Debbie’s opinions and perceptions based upon her own experiences and must be understood as such. Thank you…

So, what is all this telemedicine stuff, anyway?  I get asked this question a lot… So I thought it might be good to share my views on the subject….

Telemedicine (ehealth, internet counseling, distance counseling, remote visits, etc.) is a fairly new way to use electronic systems like computers to have a one-to-one visit with your healthcare provider.

In my case, it is a way for me to have a counseling session with you over the internet.  You can be snug and warm at home in a room where no one can overhear you, and you can log into an internet site with your computer, tablet or smart phone.  I do the same thing, and we can see and hear each other in “real time.”  It is very similar to what you might know as Skyping or Face timing, but it is done through a HIPAA-compliant system so that no one can overhear what you and I are saying to each other.

I have been performing ehealth with clients for several years now and find it to be a useful therapeutic tool. The client does not need to leave home and travel to my office. I do not need to confirm that they are safely driving or not running into other problems along the way.  I find that I can understand what they say and can help them sort out their issues just as if we were face-to-face in my office. And I have discovered that I can use all sorts of methods, including EMDR, EFT, somatic techniques and so on, even though we are far apart.

And guess what?  Health insurance pays for the service just as if we were face to face. How’s that for being in the modern age?

Of course, there are a few hoops you have to jump through. For example, there are special permission slips you must sign, and I must make sure that I am licensed in the state where you are. If you are a Medicare Part B recipient, you must (in most circumstances) be speaking from a building that is certified to accept Medicare (like my office or a hospital or clinic). But aside from that, the process is pretty easy.  Most all the other insurance companies, including Medicare Advantage programs, let you do it from home.

I think this is a development with great potential. For example, if it snows on the day of your appointment, no problem. If you can’t get off work for the travel time and office time to come to an in-person session, you may be able to walk down to the parking lot and use your smartphone from your car. If you live way off in the mountains up a dirt road or down a canyon, you can still get counseling… If you have a bad cold and do not want others to catch it, if your anxiety is so bad that you are afraid to leave home, no problem…. See what I mean?

More and more of us in the counseling business see this as a way to reach out to folks who couldn’t get into our offices before.  Some of my internet clients come to my office on alternate weeks. The opposite weeks we meet on the internet.

So let me know if this is something that might interest you ….dhc