Are you back in the office yet, offering in-person therapy sessions? Or are you still running your practice primarily online?
To say 2020 has been a challenge is an understatement. Every business in the world was hit with unexpected shutdowns, including mental health practices. One-on-one sessions were suddenly out of the question, as were group sessions due to social distancing rules. How could mental health practices and professionals stay in business with these restrictions?
Luckily, Owl Practice started to offer Video Therapy services. We recognized years ago that video therapy would become popular, so we were prepared to adapt quickly to the “new normal.” Now that things are a little more under control, we’ve been getting asked if we’re planning on offering our Video Therapy features moving forward. We’re delighted to tell you that these features aren’t going anywhere! Here’s why.
Convenience
Thanks to the pandemic, video therapy sessions were born out of necessity. But something that most people didn’t realize is how convenient these sessions could be.
Going to an in-person therapy session can take up a significant chunk of the day. Your client needs to get ready, head out the door, make their way to your mental health practice, sit in the waiting room, have their session, and then do it all in reverse after the session ends. A one-hour session can take up a two-hour or more block of time.
With video therapy, your client simply needs to be sitting beside their computer, tablet, or phone at the time of their appointment. No travel, no waiting, just mental health assistance!
Help For Clients Who Can’t Travel
A significant issue for many people who need mental health assistance is that they can’t reliably travel to in-person sessions. Maybe they have a physical disability, an irregular work schedule, or are wary of the outside world.
With video therapy, accessibility has been widened to include everyone! All your clients need is a stable internet connection to have a session with someone at your practice. This opens to the door to many people who never had access to mental health services in the past.
But what about group therapy? With social distancing rules in place, in-person group therapy is difficult. That’s one of the reasons why we built multi-person sessions into the service. We’re the only practice management platform that offers this feature, allowing groups of people to communicate wherever they are currently.
Even after the pandemic has passed and things have fully reopened, virtual video therapy sessions will continue to be an excellent option for those who need it!
Unparalleled Security
If you don’t trust the internet, we don’t blame you. It’s easy these days to fall prey to an internet scam or have your devices become compromised.
That’s certainly not acceptable when it comes to video therapy sessions. Early on in the pandemic, uninvited people would unexpectedly pop into “private” Zoom conference calls. There’s no risk of this happening with Owl Video Therapy. It’s the only fully PHI and College-Compliant video conferencing platform available in Canada, plus everything is run through our Canadian servers, so Canadian privacy laws protect all personal data.
Owl Practice Integration
A feature of Video Therapy that Owl Practice users love is the full integration with Owl’s already existing features. When you log onto Owl, everything is laid out right in front of you. There aren’t separate apps for booking, calendars, billing, and video therapy. When you’re in a virtual therapy session, you’ll have all of your clinical notes and your clients’ Circle of Care network right at your fingertips. Moreover, it will work on any modern device, including laptops, tablets, and phones.
We had high hopes for our Video Therapy feature, but its popularity has grown beyond our wildest expectations! No matter what happens, Video Therapy will continue to be one of our Premium pricing options in the future. If you’d like to see what else Owl Practice has to offer, we invite you to book a 14-day free trial or a demo today.
If you have any questions or comments about our services and video therapy tools, please contact us at support@owlpractice.ca.
As Always,
Practice Wisely
