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Teletherapy

2020 was a historic year that hit the world like no other, and in light of COVID-19 impacting our digital age, this blog is revolved around the pro’s and con’s of a now very well-known topic, teletherapy (therapy online). We realize that many are tired of being glued to a screen and want nothing more than to have a concrete face to face interaction. That said, when it comes to therapy, there are benefits to having it online, and of course some draw backs.

Pro’s

  1. Developing therapy skills in a clinician’s office is great when building a foundation before going into the real world, however, rarely is the therapy happening out in the real world. So, how much of what is happening in the therapy room impacting how a person communicates in the real world (generalization)? A fixed and controlled setting (therapy room) is different than a home or a workspace, right? This is where teletherapy comes in handy. Not only are you getting therapy, but you are receiving it in a place where you normally habitat. This enhances the generalization a person receiving from therapy.
  2. There is no added commute to your day. If you are an adult, therapy can potentially happen in your car. If therapy is for a child, you can go directly home after school instead of making an additional trip to the clinician’s office. And when at home, you can be involved in your child’s therapy while also taking care of other things around the house. Having experience with teletherapy, a parent is not always needed during that time, however, it is most profitable if they are present for most of the session. Moreover, when a parent is intimately involved in a session and applies what is being labored in therapy to around the house, the amount of time it takes a child to improve decreases significantly (generalization). Who doesn’t want to shorten their time in therapy?!

Con’s

  1. If one spends most of the day on a computer then transitions to doing therapy on the computer, this can be unbeneficial to your posture and potentially the efficacy of the therapy due to computer fatigue syndrome. If it is possible to see a clinician in-person, then it is best to go this route. You never want to compromise efficacy for convenience. Additionally, whether you are an adult or child, it is easier to be distracted when one is fatigued.  
  2. Truly, there is no replacement to the quality interaction one has when talking with a person face to face. Though teletherapy can provide a digital face to face interaction, it is very different from having someone tangibly in front of you. Now, if you are a shy introvert then this might be a pro, nevertheless for this blog, it is considered a con.

There are several other points to make for each case but for sake of brevity, we will digress here. Keep in mind that NEATS is providing both teletherapy and in-person services, and concomitantly building a track-record of excellence in both areas of service.