As Covid restrictions enter their second year, more Americans than ever are struggling with mental health issues. Coping with depression and anxiety brought on by the various challenges of the pandemic has prompted an increased demand for mental health services. In fact, as of January 2021, about 4 in 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder._¹

Yet, due to the same restrictions brought on by the pandemic, it has remained difficult to meet in person. The situation has created pent-up demand for mental health services that is being met, in large part, by the expansion and increased adoption of telehealth. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), last fall, a third of psychologists said they are seeing more clients since the start of the pandemic, a large portion of them via telehealth.

In this article, we will explore some of the ways adding Telehealth to your offerings can help you meet increased demand and benefit both you and your clients.

Meet Without Fear of Infection

During pandemic times, this is the obvious one. By meeting in a virtual space, you cut to 0% the chance of infecting someone or becoming infected by any transmittable disease, such as Covid. But it is also true for any other transmittable infection, such as the flu or the common cold. So if either you or your client is feeling unwell, even beyond the current pandemic, the two of you can still connect online via Telehealth and keep each other safe.

Being able to meet this way may provide the additional benefit of further reducing some of the anxiety that may have been an impetus for the client to seek out your services in the first place.

Clients Want Telehealth Services

US consumer adoption of telehealth has increased from 11 percent in 2019 to 46 percent of consumers using telehealth to replace canceled healthcare visits as of May, 2020.² In fact, providers are seeing 50 to 175 times more clients via telehealth compared to what they did before the pandemic hit.³

It’s not just because it’s safer; it’s also convenient. Now that more clients are discovering this fact, they want to be able to see their therapists from the comfort of their own homes. Not when there is no need to commute to their provider’s office, not even to obtain required paperwork, as the availability of online document signing has all but eliminated the need for paper forms.

There is growing evidence that moving into the future, more and more clients will be looking for services like telehealth. According to a recent survey, 76% of respondents reported a high degree of satisfaction with their experience and said that they would be likely to keep using telehealth services.⁴ So therapists who don’t offer a virtual option may risk alienating a large portion of their potential client base.

See More Clients

Adding telehealth to your offering can be a smart business decision in more ways than one. You can see more clients, not only because you’ll attract more clients but because, by eliminating your commute, you’ll have more real hours in your day to do so.

There are also a variety of time-saving online tools that came as a part of some telehealth platforms, such as:

• Online chat
• Online document signing
• Online notes

And more.

You can also be more available for your clients, and be available for (virtual) face-to-face meetings when they are in crisis.

Regain Lost Revenue

By adding telehealth, you can become a real option for clients who are out of convenient commuting distance who may be looking for a particular service that providers in their more immediate area are not. Expand your geographical reach, and you can expand your practice.

By adding telehealth you can get a leg up on other providers — even local providers — who offer the same services, but not a telehealth option.

Reduce Missed Appointments

Sometimes you or your client might not be feeling well. Or maybe your client just can’t make it to your office for their scheduled appointment. Telehealth makes it so that there is no reason for them to miss the appointment or for you to lose that income. Even if one of you is out of town, you can still meet.

In many cases, telehealth appointments are reimbursed by insurance companies in the same way and at the same rate as in-person, so it makes financial sense too.

A Great Option

TherapySites, a trusted provider of mental health websites and digital marketing services, offers their platform, Telecouseling, with a full suite of secure HIPAA-compliant tools to help you get your telehealth services up and running.

Telecounseling is an option that can be added to any TherapySites website and includes features such as:

• Interactive video sessions and messaging
• Online scheduling
• E-Sign documents and forms
• Secure payment processing
• Email/SMS and text appointment reminders

When looking for a telehealth platform, make sure that you search for one that is complete, like the TherapySites offering, to ensure that you get the full value and complete benefits for both you and your clients.

Conclusion

Now that clients have gained a taste for it, demand for telehealth, post-pandemic, is expected to continue to increase, with the global telehealth market projected to reach $312 billion by 2026, more than quadrupling 2019 levels.⁵

Keep up with demand by adding Telehealth to your offerings. And use a provider like TherapySites, which offers a complete package that will assure that your online offering is as effective and satisfactory as any online session.

The future of your practice may depend on it. 

¹The Implications of COVID-19 For Mental Health and Substance Abuse | KFF, January 2021 | https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/

^2,3,4Telehealth: A Quarter-Trillion-Dollar Post-COVID-19 Reality? | McKinsey & Company, May 2020 | https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dollar-post-covid-19-reality#

⁵Mental Health Professionals are In High Demand As the Pandemic Enters a Second Year | CNBC, April 2021 | https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/02/mental-health-professionals-are-in-high-demand-as-the-pandemic-enters-a-second-year.html