March has been the strangest month I can remember. It began with my husband and I arriving home from our vacation, and after two weeks off the grid we felt as though we came home to chaos. What does Corona Virus have to do with toilet paper and why is everyone losing their minds? I tried to be the calm one, dismissing news alerts, conversations surrounding illness or economy, and refusing to discuss switching our clients over to telebehavioral health.
Fortunately, my business partner balances me out very well. While I resisted, she researched, and when our city shut down for the protection of our community, she had us ahead of the curve and ready to switch over to telebehavioral health. We rallied our eight student therapists and threw ourselves into the trainings, ethics and practice of uninterrupted behavioral health via our HIPAA compliant telehealth system.
The practice management system was upgraded to include encrypted, HIPAA compliant telebehavioral health. Our clients were able to access the link to their video session on their computer, iPad, or smart phone in the convenience of their home, office, or even their parked car. The ease and convenience of telebehavioral health was a welcoming light in this stressful time.
If you are new to therapy, considering entering therapy yourself, or resuming therapy after a break, you don’t have to wait for the quarantine to end to engage in services. Many clients enjoy the hour of self-reflection before returning to their family, home-schooling activities, or work. Asking your family members for one hour of privacy is an essential part of your self-care. You can schedule your telebehavioral health appointment today by visiting redrockcounseling.com.
It is amazing to me how quickly our perspectives can change. While I still prefer face to face therapy, telebehavioral health has literally been lifesaving. I am able to continue to serve my clients while we remain safely quarantined so our community can be a part of the solution…stopping the transmission of Corona Virus. I want to thank my partner and dear friend Adrienne O’Neal for her courage and foresight, as well as our brave students who never expected this hasty transition into telebehavioral health. We’ve got this!
-Written by Susan Dow, MS, LADC, MFT-Intern