What is Teletherapy?
Teletherapy is the online delivery of mental health therapy via high resolution, live video conferencing. During therapy sessions, the client and their licensed therapist can see, hear and interact with one another in real time, using our HIPPA complaint system.
Our teletherapy system makes this process easy and accessible to clients who are unable to make it to our office, whether is be due to weather, illness or transportation issues.
How Does Teletherapy Work?
Through a secure platform, clinicians link to clients via an internet connection, web portal, and two-way live video. Here, the actual therapy provided is the same as the therapist would deliver face-to-face using traditional therapy techniques. There can be hands-on activities, activities shared across the platform, and even interactive games between those involved; this is incredibly helpful with children and allows for healthy parental involvement in the therapeutic process.
Have you used video calling on your cell phone? Then you already have the knowledge on how to use teletherapy!
What Are the Key Benefits of Teletherapy?
Convenience & Flexibility- You don’t have to leave your home! You may also have access to hours that are more accommodating to you personal/work schedule.
Reduced Wait Times & No More Waiting Rooms- It might seem like a small benefit, but increased flexibility also means reduced waiting times for patients wanting to speak with a therapist urgently or for the first time. Taking time off from work to battle traffic while going to the therapist, finding a baby sitter, or spending time in the waiting room may impede on your calendar and may have previously been a deterrent in you seeking counseling. Being able to brew a quick coffee, step into a private room for the scheduled therapy session, and ready to return fairly soon to ‘life-mode’ is a much more viable solution for many.
Creates a Safer Enviorment- That feeling of anxiety many experience when sitting in the waiting room of the dentist or to see their doctor? It’ can be the same anxiety experienced when waiting for a therapy session. The process of going to a new environment to meet with a therapist can be a stressful one. Teletherapy alleviates this stress by allowing patients to familiarise themselves with the process in the comfort of their own home.
Kids love technology- Yes, there are opposite opinions regarding technology with children as a whole, but sometimes it can be beneficial. Most children love online video interaction and are highly motivated by it. Also, children can feel more comfortable in this setting, where they are physically located in a comfortable setting for them, rather than with an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar setting. While a lot of adults might not understand the constant connection technology provides, in our current day, a lot of kids do.
Access to providers you typically wouldn’t have access to otherwise- Those in rural areas can access therapy in their living room instead of having to drive an hour to a rural clinic. If you need to see your clinician, but you are ill, you can still have your mental health needs supported. The options provided to clients has grown exponentially with the introduction of teletherapy.
Go hybrid!- Many of our clinicians offer hybrid options where you can book in-person or telehealth depending on your needs for that session. Not feeling well? On a tight schedule that week and you aren't sure you can make it to the office on time that day? You can contact your clinician and request telehealth for that appointment and still present in-person for following appointments. With our hybrid system, you have options that fit your life.
Is Teletherapy Effective?
With the advancements in technology, there has been a lot of research on telepractice as it continues to grow as a service delivery model. Research has found very few differences between telepractice and traditional in-person therapy, and is considered a highly effective method for therapy delivery.
Wagner, Horn, and Maercker (2013) explored the benefits of teletherapy for supporting patients diagnosed with depression. Sixty-two patients were randomly assigned to two groups – one receiving teletherapy and the other receiving more traditional face to face therapy. The patients received eight sessions each, and at the end of their sessions, the group who received teletherapy showed a slightly higher percentage of reporting fewer depressive thoughts and feelings. After three months, the teletherapy group continued to report a decrease in depressive thoughts and feelings, compared to those treated traditionally who reported a minimal decrease.
However, teletherapy may not be for everyone, and that is okay. We encourage you to have an open conversation with your clinician about your concerns, questions and feelings surrounding teletherapy and whether or not it is the best pathway of support for you.
Can Couples & Family Therapy Use Teletherapy?
Yes! And they can even do it from separate locations, at the same time. Please speak with your clinician about the details.
Are Teletherapy Sessions Private?
Therapists are ethically and legally bound, by privacy laws, to not share details about their teletherapy sessions, just as with face-to-face sessions. Therapists must ensure they are in a private and secure room before engaging in any teletherapy sessions. Sessions should not be recorded or shared, unless with explicit agreement from the client. It is up to the client to ensure they conduct their end of the session in an equally private area to ensure their own confidentiality.
Some therapists have argued that teletherapy is more private than traditional face-to-face sessions, where patients who know each other have the potential to bump into each other on the premises where therapy takes place.
In terms of the security of the software used, at Barber Family Counseling and Wellness we use specialized software that is fully encrypted, offering a high level of security and privacy. Any software that therapists use for telehealth must be approved by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This is legislation that ensures data privacy and security for safeguarding medical information, including therapy.
Teletherapy is the online delivery of mental health therapy via high resolution, live video conferencing. During therapy sessions, the client and their licensed therapist can see, hear and interact with one another in real time, using our HIPPA complaint system.
Our teletherapy system makes this process easy and accessible to clients who are unable to make it to our office, whether is be due to weather, illness or transportation issues.
How Does Teletherapy Work?
Through a secure platform, clinicians link to clients via an internet connection, web portal, and two-way live video. Here, the actual therapy provided is the same as the therapist would deliver face-to-face using traditional therapy techniques. There can be hands-on activities, activities shared across the platform, and even interactive games between those involved; this is incredibly helpful with children and allows for healthy parental involvement in the therapeutic process.
Have you used video calling on your cell phone? Then you already have the knowledge on how to use teletherapy!
What Are the Key Benefits of Teletherapy?
Convenience & Flexibility- You don’t have to leave your home! You may also have access to hours that are more accommodating to you personal/work schedule.
Reduced Wait Times & No More Waiting Rooms- It might seem like a small benefit, but increased flexibility also means reduced waiting times for patients wanting to speak with a therapist urgently or for the first time. Taking time off from work to battle traffic while going to the therapist, finding a baby sitter, or spending time in the waiting room may impede on your calendar and may have previously been a deterrent in you seeking counseling. Being able to brew a quick coffee, step into a private room for the scheduled therapy session, and ready to return fairly soon to ‘life-mode’ is a much more viable solution for many.
Creates a Safer Enviorment- That feeling of anxiety many experience when sitting in the waiting room of the dentist or to see their doctor? It’ can be the same anxiety experienced when waiting for a therapy session. The process of going to a new environment to meet with a therapist can be a stressful one. Teletherapy alleviates this stress by allowing patients to familiarise themselves with the process in the comfort of their own home.
Kids love technology- Yes, there are opposite opinions regarding technology with children as a whole, but sometimes it can be beneficial. Most children love online video interaction and are highly motivated by it. Also, children can feel more comfortable in this setting, where they are physically located in a comfortable setting for them, rather than with an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar setting. While a lot of adults might not understand the constant connection technology provides, in our current day, a lot of kids do.
Access to providers you typically wouldn’t have access to otherwise- Those in rural areas can access therapy in their living room instead of having to drive an hour to a rural clinic. If you need to see your clinician, but you are ill, you can still have your mental health needs supported. The options provided to clients has grown exponentially with the introduction of teletherapy.
Go hybrid!- Many of our clinicians offer hybrid options where you can book in-person or telehealth depending on your needs for that session. Not feeling well? On a tight schedule that week and you aren't sure you can make it to the office on time that day? You can contact your clinician and request telehealth for that appointment and still present in-person for following appointments. With our hybrid system, you have options that fit your life.
Is Teletherapy Effective?
With the advancements in technology, there has been a lot of research on telepractice as it continues to grow as a service delivery model. Research has found very few differences between telepractice and traditional in-person therapy, and is considered a highly effective method for therapy delivery.
Wagner, Horn, and Maercker (2013) explored the benefits of teletherapy for supporting patients diagnosed with depression. Sixty-two patients were randomly assigned to two groups – one receiving teletherapy and the other receiving more traditional face to face therapy. The patients received eight sessions each, and at the end of their sessions, the group who received teletherapy showed a slightly higher percentage of reporting fewer depressive thoughts and feelings. After three months, the teletherapy group continued to report a decrease in depressive thoughts and feelings, compared to those treated traditionally who reported a minimal decrease.
However, teletherapy may not be for everyone, and that is okay. We encourage you to have an open conversation with your clinician about your concerns, questions and feelings surrounding teletherapy and whether or not it is the best pathway of support for you.
Can Couples & Family Therapy Use Teletherapy?
Yes! And they can even do it from separate locations, at the same time. Please speak with your clinician about the details.
Are Teletherapy Sessions Private?
Therapists are ethically and legally bound, by privacy laws, to not share details about their teletherapy sessions, just as with face-to-face sessions. Therapists must ensure they are in a private and secure room before engaging in any teletherapy sessions. Sessions should not be recorded or shared, unless with explicit agreement from the client. It is up to the client to ensure they conduct their end of the session in an equally private area to ensure their own confidentiality.
Some therapists have argued that teletherapy is more private than traditional face-to-face sessions, where patients who know each other have the potential to bump into each other on the premises where therapy takes place.
In terms of the security of the software used, at Barber Family Counseling and Wellness we use specialized software that is fully encrypted, offering a high level of security and privacy. Any software that therapists use for telehealth must be approved by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). This is legislation that ensures data privacy and security for safeguarding medical information, including therapy.
We DO NOT have administrative support on site, at any of our locations. For additional support:
Our phone lines are monitored Monday - Thursday, from 9am-1pm MST: (866) 644-6131
If no one answers, we are on the other line. Please leave a message and we will call you back or email us at
[email protected]
For General Inquiries: Please click here.
Our phone lines are monitored Monday - Thursday, from 9am-1pm MST: (866) 644-6131
If no one answers, we are on the other line. Please leave a message and we will call you back or email us at
[email protected]
For General Inquiries: Please click here.
Locations
Barnes Rd., Colorado Springs, CO
4775 Barnes Rd. Ste L Colorado Springs, CO 80917 |
Briargate Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO
3475 Briargate Blvd. Ste 201 Colorado Springs, CO 80920 |
Las Vegas, NV
Teleheath Only |
Phone: (866) 644-6131
Fax: (719) 434-9615
[email protected]
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center.
You matter and you are never alone.
Barber Family Counseling and Wellness is proud to support our military members, veterans and dependents.
Fax: (719) 434-9615
[email protected]
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center.
You matter and you are never alone.
Barber Family Counseling and Wellness is proud to support our military members, veterans and dependents.