Mental Health Awareness: How Teletherapy Can Help
Mental Illness Awareness Week falls on the first week of October each year. This week’s awareness topic is near and dear to our hearts, as it’s become more prominent and crucial than ever before, and affecting people of all ages, especially students. Students need more support now than ever, and this is where teletherapy can be somewhat of a superhero to kids in need. How, you ask? There are multiple benefits of using teletherapy for mental health. Here are just a few:
Privacy
Students may feel embarrassed or nervous to express feelings in person or in front of others when they’re struggling. Chatting with a therapist through a teletherapy service alleviates that, since it’s just a one on one talk, with no one judging them or hearing their conversation besides the therapist. Most school counseling or psychology sessions are private, so the session would be held in a private room with a computer screen and webcam.
Openness
Similar to how most people are confident in their voice through technology, students are more likely to open up to therapists virtually in a private setting that has little to no interruptions. The therapist is 100% focused on the student during a session, and won’t have other staff, teachers, or students interrupting by coming in and out of the classroom. Because of this, the student is more likely to trust and open up to the therapist, since it’s more of a safe, private environment for him or her.
Provider Scarcity
The rise of students requiring mental health services isn’t slowing down, but the number of licensed school psychologists and mental health professionals isn’t rising with it. Schools in certain states have also started requiring more mental health support for students. Telepractice offers a way for students in areas where there are minimal providers to receive the required amount of support and services virtually.
Convenience
The purpose of technology today is to keep people connected, no matter how far they are from each other. Technology offers the convenience of staying and being connected at any point necessary. With teletherapy, there’s no more waiting at a psychologist’s office, or scheduling appointments months in advance to see a therapist. Teletherapists can easily schedule sessions with students, since it’s performed virtually. This prevents service delay and lessens the chance of students feeling worse.
As you can tell, there are multiple benefits teletherapy provides from a mental health perspective. As technology improves, and more states and schools are accepting of this method, more students will receive personalized support from qualified professionals.
Interested in working from home and supporting students virtually? Check out our latest opportunities in teletherapy right here.