September 18, 2020 - After Pari Baker, a clinical social worker and therapist in rural Virginia, switched to seeing clients over video she noticed several benefits of teletherapy. No-show rates for appointments decreased, bad weather and transportation issues no longer mattered, long-standing clients seemed to be more relaxed in their own homes, and historically underserved areas started seeing increased access to mental health services.
“So many barriers to treatment ... we just blew through them because of telehealth,” Baker says. “The majority of the new clients had never had mental health services at all before. I can’t imagine going back. I think that would be really devastating, and really doing a disservice to our people.”
Teletherapy has many benefits, but it also has some limitations. In-person sessions are especially valuable for individuals who do not feel safe in their home environment. Targets of domestic abuse may be unable to speak candidly due to a lack of privacy. While telehealth services have increased access to care, 21 million Americans still do not have access to broadband internet.
