How has COVID-19 impacted your private practice?
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been living under pandemic conditions for over a year. During the early days of the pandemic, Canadian private practices had to shut their doors, exacerbating the mental health emergency that accompanied the public health emergency of COVID-19.
Fortunately, mental health professionals across the country adapted fast, offering solutions that allowed them to keep in contact with those who needed their help. Tools like Video Therapy have made mental health help accessible within the home, and with effective COVID-19 protocols in place, private practices have been able to reopen for in-person appointments.
As Canada’s leading practice management solution, Owl Practice has access to a great deal of information on how COVID-19 affected private practices. We’ve compiled that info in a downloadable fact sheet. Here are some of the highlights:
Demand for Mental Health is Up
This result is unsurprising, to put it mildly.
Constant social isolation and a lack of a reliable income can dramatically affect mental health. Private practices around the country have seen a significant spike in demand for their services, and that high rate of demand isn’t likely to go down anytime soon. We’ve only begun to see the long-term impact COVID-19 has had on our society, which is why it’s so crucial for mental health professionals to have the tools they need to efficiently run their practices.
Importance of Teletherapy
The rise of video therapy in 2020 was driven by the need to get help to people who required it.
The problem was that video conferencing apps like Zoom were not equipped for mental health professionals’ needs, especially in the early days of the pandemic. Sessions weren’t 100% secure, and they certainly didn’t have PHIPA or college compliance.
Fortunately, Owl Practice was able to deploy our own Video Therapy solution in record time! Currently, 79% of sessions are conducted through teletherapy. Even once COVID-19 is fully under control, we don’t expect video therapy to be going anywhere. It’s simply too valuable a tool for mental health professionals!
More Detailed Information
If you’re curious about our findings on how COVID-19 has changed the world of private practice, we invite you to download our free Fact Sheet.
If you’d like to learn more about what Owl Practice has to offer Canadian mental health professionals and private practices, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial! If you have any questions or comments about our services, please contact us at support@owlpractice.ca.
As Always,
Practice Wisely
