Over the last several months, clinicians and treatment centers, along with the rest of the world, have been working on ways to offer their services online. Some made the jump prior to the global pandemic, while others waited for the future to arrive right at our doorstep. 

In the months since that leap to online, offering services via telehealth has been both a helpful and frustrating alternative for counselors and their clients worldwide. In many ways, this time has been both trial and error, learning the ins and outs of what not to do when meeting online. 

During and After COVID-19...

1. Your caseload won’t be the same.

For some, you may have seen a spike in clients these past few months, those struggling with anxiety and uncertainty of the future who’ve sought you out for help. For others, the seismic shift from face to face to telehealth sessions may have come with a drastic reduction in caseload. Of course, we understand that this is related to the severe changes that we as a society have had to face, as well as the fact that our very lifestyle is no longer the same. 

When getting clients to make the switch, a helpful way of thinking about it is to ‘put your sales and marketing hat on’. Think about the benefits of telehealth and do your best to present your case for why you can make it easier for clients to engage in services via telehealth.

2. You will be called on to set an example.

Counselors around the globe have been expected to set the bar for human services professions by practicing social distancing and follow stay at home orders. While being an example is part of our profession, it does not mean it is easy.

One of the many roles as counselors is to welcome clients in to teach them how to handle change. When they do not choose to continue services via telehealth it is not a personal reflection on yourself as a professional. It is a reflection on the client’s needs and perspective on the changes we are all enduring.

As you continue your work via telehealth, keep your perspective in mind. Instead of blaming clients, allow your mind to consider the challenges they may be facing and be understanding.

3. You will need to re-set expectations.

When beginning or switching to telehealth, maintaining a caseload can be difficult. Clients may take advantage of the degree of separation and may feel more comfortable practicing less healthy communication skills with others when they are online. That includes with you. Many of our clients may stop communicating altogether. We have handled that reality face to face; we can address these responses via technology as well.

When clients do not follow up with telehealth services, start with an attitude of grace and end with an attitude of professionalism. We use informed consent as the bedrock to establish expectations at the beginning of any therapeutic relationship. The switch to online demands the same. 

4. You will need to become well-versed with technology & be able to teach others, too.

Though we are hard-pressed to live without it, technology does not come easy to everyone—counselors included. Telehealth requires a basic understanding of the internet, WIFI, and audio/video connectivity. As counselors, we most likely do not have much experience connecting these three together to provide services. Regardless of our tech expertise, we have all likely experienced the difficulty of teaching clients how to use telehealth.

In sessions with children, the challenges are magnified at least two-fold. Counselors must teach both clients and their parents or caregivers how to connect to sessions online. Patience may wear thin when explaining to clients how to connect to sessions.

To ease the pain of learning and teaching clients how to use telehealth, keep the following in mind: 

• As much as you are able, choose a user-friendly platform for your telehealth services. Fewer clicks to get to sessions increases the chances your clients will be able to connect. In turn, your client retention rate will likely increase as well. 
• Practice connecting to a session with your client before their first telehealth session. Troubleshooting at the start will save on unpaid time and frustration on the backend.
• When in doubt about how to troubleshoot, do a quick search for how to connect to your telehealth platform and there is most certainly a helpful post you can send to your clients. 

5. Your documentation process will need to adjust.

With the advent of telehealth, many professionals are scrambling to adjust documentation needs to telehealth services. Paper documentation in the age of telehealth creates stress in addition to the frustrations of changing to telehealth. 

EMR platforms like Alleva make documentation easy. Consider implementing EMR services through Alleva that streamlines the online documentation process from intake to discharge. With this platform, client records and resources can be documented in one user-friendly place. With a healthy perspective and the most up-to-date resources for learning technology, telehealth can be used to the benefit of clients and counselors alike. Alleva offers a mobile app for your clients to easily access a session remotely. Alleva also offers group telehealth with the ability to accommodate up to 150 participants.

Let's keep our chins up, and lead by example in a world of teletherapy. Call us today to schedule a free demo.