Almost every industry is impacted by technological innovations – including the therapy space. As therapists and counselors, adapting to these evolving tools means you have more ways to provide care and can cut down on time-consuming administrative tasks. If you’re not sure how to navigate this space with your private practice, just keep this in mind: those who balance therapy’s standard of care with the expanding technologies will be best prepared to lead the future of therapy and strengthen practice and care delivery.

Technology Makes Therapy More Accessible Than Ever 

With demand for mental health services on the rise, access to therapy professionals has never been more critical. Luckily, modern technologies are making therapy more manageable for professionals and accessible to patients. If you’re curious how to implement these tools to make your practice more effective, the following systems are great places to start:

Telehealth Platforms 

Try GoogleMeets, Zoom, or other online meeting platforms for telehealth services so you can meet with more clients and patients don’t have to travel long distances for in-person sessions – a win-win!

Scheduling Software 

A number of scheduling softwares exist, but their goal remains the same: when patients can set up appointments based on mutual availability, both you and your clients can reduce missed or moved appointments. Plus, this software eliminates back-and-forth emails that can delay treatment for the client or take up more admin time for the therapist. FrontDesk is one such tool that makes online appointment scheduling easier.

Appointment Reminder Systems 

We all have too many things to remember on a given day, but appointment reminder systems help both you and your patients be ready and on time for meetings. This technology can also reduce no-shows and no calls, which makes your time management easier and means one less email you have to manually send.

Patient Portals 

Patients can access all their information in one place through a patient portal. They can also set up automatic payments and message you with questions – reducing communication channels and admin tasks on your end. 

Intake Forms 

Rather than collecting relevant information on your clients yourself, intake form technologies can gather helpful data on clients so you can understand their needs sooner

Understanding the tools you have at your disposal not only helps you streamline your practice. With this knowledge, you can also better support patients so they can gain the effective and timely care they need. For example, a tool called TherapyPartner is an all-around practice management tool that improves everything from scheduling to billing to revenue tracking. 

Read More: Interested in Online Therapy? Explore Its Benefits Further.

Benefits Abound for Therapy Technology 

As a therapist or counselor, you can do more than just familiarize yourself with the technologies at your disposal. Below is a deeper dive into the benefits of these tools on patient care and your private practice. Telehealth platforms, scheduling software, appointment reminder systems, patient portals, and intake forms support the following:

• Expanded care to more people and populations, thanks to virtual meeting tools
• Less wasted time on administrative tasks like scheduling, billing, data collection, and meeting reminders
• More organization for you and your clients, with all your important information in one portal space

No patient is the same, which means having a variety of tools at your fingertips ensures your practice is flexible and versatile. Learning to harness technology’s positive opportunities will keep your practice sharp and your time freed of administrative to-dos.

Great Technological Power Means Greater Responsibility

Expanded technology means more options, but also bigger safety and ethical considerations. Managing patient data and safety has taken center stage given growing data technologies. Remaining abreast of relevant laws and regulations, like the American Counseling Association (ACA) 2024 Code of Ethics and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) regulations, is critical to keeping your practice in good standing.  

In addition to protecting your practice, your clients will thank you for your commitment to ethics and responsibility. Offer them peace of mind that you are protecting their information and not using these tools negatively.

Read More: Concerned About the AI Movement? Don’t Worry: AI Is Not Therapy 

Use Modern Tools to Improve Your Practice 

 Experts debate the pros and cons of digital technologies, but one fact is clear: the therapy space can greatly benefit from modern tools and innovations. These systems help expand access to care, streamline administrative tasks, and improve organization. Spending more time with clients and less time on management responsibilities frees up your schedule and headspace so you can better support clients and prevent burnout.

Thankfully, we have tools to help you protect your well-being. Through GoodTherapy’s Resources for Mental Health Professionals, you can find tips on marketing, business management, software technology, professional development, and more.  

As a therapist, you have tremendous power to help clients break down barriers and build bridges. Want to help more patients? Easily connect with potential clients through a trusted, established platform via GoodTherapy’s therapist directory.

How Therapists Are Using EMDR in Telehealth Sessions

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, commonly referred to by its initials EMDR, is well-known as a model of therapy. This type of therapy was created to treat individuals suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related mental illness. Since its invention, it has been proven to help with other disorders and mental illnesses as well such as anxiety, phobias, sleep irregularities, and chronic pain.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health providers have had to adapt EMDR to a telehealth format. A treatment that is traditionally done in person, this modality has required providers to innovate ways to deliver this treatment to patients over video chat. What are therapists doing to effectively adapt EMDR online?

The Pandemic and Telehealth

The coronavirus pandemic prompted mental and behavioral health providers to transition their care delivery to be primarily online. Telehealth has broken down several of the existing barriers to mental health services like travel, transportation, and scheduling. More individuals than ever before have access to mental health care. While this tool has revolutionized the delivery of mental health services, it has posed some challenges as well. Not every kind of treatment is easy to deliver when the client and therapist are separated by a screen.

How EMDR Works

This type of therapy works by mimicking how your brain processes emotions through directed eye movements. It aims to enable someone to reprocess difficult experiences and emotions and transition them out of the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response.

How EMDR Is Being Adapted to Online Therapy

The pandemic has moved most mental health services online. This has prompted major challenges for providers who regularly utilize EMDR in therapy. Traditionally, EMDR in therapy is done in person through the utilization of bilateral stimulation tools. How are providers adapting this to a virtual therapy setting?

Screen Sharing

Some providers are utilizing screen sharing options to continue delivering EMDR therapy. This tool allows them to share with their client what they wish them to focus on. This enables the therapist to control the left to right visual stimulation.

Patient Instructions

Providers have also tried delivering EMDR in therapy by asking patients to try different methods of stimulation like tapping on their legs. This is more difficult because the provider does not have control over the speed, start, and stop of the process.

Issues Providers Might Run Into

The nature of EMDR is to help clients process trauma. It is best to do this in person so you have control over the client’s environment and safety. This kind of therapy can often trigger trauma responses and crisis-level reactions that a therapist would normally be present to help navigate. Online EMDR therapy removes these safety options.

Providers are also used to seeing the client’s entire body movements. This helps them read whether or not a client is becoming too overwhelmed. Online therapy makes this difficult as providers can only see the top half of their client’s body.

Providers are navigating these issues and complications to practicing EMDR virtually through the use of emergency contact information. If they believe their client is in danger or at risk, they can contact their designated emergency contact.

Therapists everywhere are doing an incredible job transitioning to online care during unprecedented times. To learn more about a therapist in your area, click here.

By Dr. Victoria Raymond, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

5 Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Virtual Therapy Session

Virtual therapy sessions are the new normal. Our lives have changed profoundly in the past few months. As we continue to process the impacts of this pandemic, I believe we might be developing a new normal in the field of psychology: virtual therapy. (It’s got a lot of synonyms, including online therapy, telehealth therapy, telemental health, and teletherapy.)

I have been offering virtual therapy appointments to clients for years. My clients are professionals, parents, couples, and students. They prefer virtual sessions for a variety of reasons, including flexibility in scheduling and the convenience of connecting from their own home, completely cutting out commute time.

The concept of privacy is especially important in therapy, as the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist relies on the principles of confidentiality. Many of my clients are physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and executives who are well-known in the local community. These clients often prefer virtual sessions, as it eliminates the risk of seeing patients or clients of their own in a therapist’s office. The ability to choose this option for telehealth therapy increases their privacy. 

If you are thinking about beginning virtual therapy or want more out of your telehealth sessions, here are some tips to help you fully benefit from your sessions. 

 1. Find a Private Space

Sometimes you may need to get creative – especially if you have a partner or roommate also working from home, little ones running around, or are in the office – in order to find a place to be alone. Your car parked somewhere private, can be a great option. Other clients like to sit on their balcony or patio or take walks while we speak. It is important to find a space where you feel free to express yourself authentically, without fear of being overheard or seen. Some of my clients schedule our appointments on their shared calendars as a recurring meeting and therefore can avoid any questions from colleagues or family.

2. Set The Scene…and Yourself

Take a few moments before each session to center yourself. Oftentimes, when attending in-person therapy sessions, clients will sit in the waiting room for a few minutes, sipping tea and gathering their thoughts before the session begins. With virtual sessions, it is helpful to give yourself a few minutes prior to the appointment to prepare. I suggest that clients set a reminder for 5-10 minutes before their appointment time; this way they can set up a comfortable space, get themselves some water or tea, and take a few calming breaths. This is also a useful time to review any notes you may have taken between sessions. 

 3. Check Your Connectivity

Try to figure out where you have the strongest internet connection. If WiFi is acting up, switch over to data. If neither one is working, switch to the phone. One thing this pandemic is teaching us: Flexibility is key. It is helpful to keep your devices (including headphones) charged so you can approach your session with mindfulness and be fully present- and not worrying about whether your phone battery is too low. 

 4. Give Feedback

Please tell your therapist if you cannot see or hear, if the connection is bad, or if your dog barking in the background is distracting you. We want to make this the best possible experience for you; so please be honest. 

 5. Be Yourself

One of the best parts of virtual therapy is that it allows clients to feel comfortable in their surroundings: Wear your most comfy sweats, wrap up in your favorite blanket, stay in your sweaty gym clothes, have your furry friends close by (I love meeting my clients’ pets!). We are more likely to be open and authentic – and to talk about things we really need to talk about – when we feel most comfortable. Telemental health offers a unique opportunity to lean into this – take advantage of it!

To start your search for a therapist who offers virtual therapy, click here to search your area and then filter your results by the Type of Service “Telehealth.”