Teletherapy is becoming more and more popular as the school years come and go. And with good reason! Technology is all around us and will continue to play a huge role in children’s lives in the future. It only makes sense to bring it into therapy practices for everyone to reap the benefits of it all around.Even beyond technology, there are many benefits to getting started in teletherapy – either as a therapist or a school.
Therapists Benefit from Teletherapy
Teletherapy supplements your practice
Teletherapy can be added to your current practices whether you are in private practice, serve a school, etc. If you want to fill in some times during your day when you could be seeing patients, but don’t have anyone nearby to see, teletherapy can help fill in those gaps.It is also great for reaching clients/students/patients that otherwise can’t make it into your office due to lack of transportation, mobility issues, or just busy schedules.
Scheduling options
With many teletherapy companies, especially if you contract with them, you get the freedom to decide when and how much work you are able to do. This means you can set up a schedule that works for YOUR needs, give yourself breaks when you need them, and start/stop your day when it works for you.If you are adding teletherapy into your own practice, you get to say when you will be signing in. You can fill up times that you need to fill, or leave some space to grab coffee or lunch with a friend.Plus, no matter if you are going solo or joining a team, you’ll be in the comfort of your own home so you can grab coffee, wear yoga pants, and make your own snacks and lunches as you please.
No commute time for therapists or students
One BIG time saver and “plus” for many people looking into teletherapy is the lack of a commute. Not only does this mean no more sitting in traffic all morning and all afternoon, it means giving yourself more TIME in your day. You can see more clients during these times, or just sit back and relax before “heading into the office”.
Smaller caseload size
Feeling like you have WAY too many students to juggle and too many schedules to work around? Teletherapy can often help reduce this workload for you.Many teletherapy students come from online or virtual settings, where they attend school at home. For these students, you’ll be able to see them individually. This lessens the amount of “groups” you have during your day, which can help to lessen your overall caseload.If you do have groups of students from Brick and Mortar schools, signing on virtually, they are often limited to 2 or 3 students, not 4 or 5 like many in-person school based sessions. With this smaller amount per group, it helps to keep your caseload in check.
Connection to team members and families
When you work virtually with students in their homes, you often connect with the families to set up sessions, troubleshoot and get updates on the student. This can be a HUGE change for many therapists, who only see the parents and families during annual meetings. Teletherapy can help you really get to know more about your student and their life and experiences, so you are better able to help them meet their needs.Since a lot of communicating with the team is through email, it can be really simple to give updates, ask questions and stay in touch with the progress your student is making, how they are doing in school, and what the team needs from you.
