Thoughts from the Counselor Videoconferencing and Skype Counseling
Videoconferencing and Skype CounselingThoughts from the Counselor: Videoconferencing has been used for a number of years in the corporate world to conduct meetings in which personnel can not all be physically present but in which their input and attendance is vital for the success of the goals of the meeting.
Videoconferencing via the use of SKYPE is now being utilized in a broader sense for providing both mental health psychiatric care and mental health counseling support. SKYPE is a secure and encrypted means by which counselors, doctors and patients/clients can communicate without concern for violation of confidentiality. Some counselors, including Mercy House Counseling Center, have chosen to add therapy videoconferencing utilizing SKYPE as an additional means of obtaining counseling services.
Videoconferencing has often been shown to be just as effective in psychiatric treatment as face-to-face treatment for those who are not able to access the psychiatric or counseling services they need due to time constraints or other restrictions. In addition, some areas make the provision of counseling support services unavailable either due to locale, traffic conditions, work constraints, or other responsibilities. videoconferencing provides an alternative to face-to-face treatment that helps to overcome these obstacles. In addition, some individuals in high-profile or high-risk jobs may be concerned about the confidentiality surrounding coming to and from a counseling or psychiatric facility.
SKYPE allows these C-level executives to receive confidential support from qualified professionals and yet maintain their privacy. Oftentimes these same executives' schedules and responsibilities may not allow them to be away from the office, but they may have breaks during the day in which a secure and confidential counseling support session could be conducted via videoconference. Because of the C-level executives' familiarity with videoconferencing, the opportunity to utilize this service should be an easy one to utilize. Realizing that these individuals have special considerations and needs that may separate their therapeutic concerns from those of the general public, it would be prudent for the executive to do their due diligence in selecting a mental health professional who can understand and has the proficiency and skill set to provide these services.
In addition, a generation of children and adolescents where texting, video-game playing and electronic media abound, these same children and adolescents may find that videoconferencing is a significantly less intimidating process by which to obtain the counseling support they need. On-going office visits with a counselor may exacerbate symptoms in these children and adolescents with diagnoses of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, or Bipolar Disorder. SKYPE and videoconferencing may alleviate some of these anxieties and, may possibly decrease the length of therapy needed to produce an improved state of wellness. Studies are underway to determine the effectiveness of videoconferencing, but the results are not yet complete, so quicker results can not be guaranteed. In addition, the alliance between the therapist and the child or adolescent should never be underestimated as it can be developed in face-to-face meetings. Each case should be considered independently.
From another standpoint, college students often face time constraints due to class scheduling, extracurricular activities, adjustments from home life to college life, and many other factors that could prevent them from seeking the counseling support they need. Videoconferencing may provide an alternative solution by offering more flexible hours for appointments scheduled around other college activities.
In a world with increasing stressors on so many levels, videoconferencing may be an excellent alternative for assisting people to receive the counseling support they need without the added stressors of the interruption of an individual's daily schedule.
As a professional with an extensive background in corporate, collegiate, and counseling venues, Mercy House Counseling Center is now offering this service to its clients.
Thoughts from the Counselor: Videoconferencing has been used for a number of years in the corporate world to conduct meetings in which personnel can not all be physically present but in which their input and attendance is vital for the success of the goals of the meeting.
Videoconferencing has often been shown to be just as effective in psychiatric treatment as face-to-face treatment for those who are not able to access the psychiatric or counseling services they need due to time constraints or other restrictions. In addition, some areas make the provision of counseling support services unavailable either due to locale, traffic conditions, work constraints, or other responsibilities. videoconferencing provides an alternative to face-to-face treatment that helps to overcome these obstacles. In addition, some individuals in high-profile or high-risk jobs may be concerned about the confidentiality surrounding coming to and from a counseling or psychiatric facility. SKYPE allows these C-level executives to receive confidential support from qualified professionals and yet maintain their privacy. Oftentimes these same executives' schedules and responsibilities may not allow them to be away from the office, but they may have breaks during the day in which a secure and confidential counseling support session could be conducted via videoconference. Because of the C-level executives' familiarity with videoconferencing, the opportunity to utilize this service should be an easy one to utilize. Realizing that these individuals have special considerations and needs that may separate their therapeutic concerns from those of the general public, it would be prudent for the executive to do their due diligence in selecting a mental health professional who can understand and has the proficiency and skill set to provide these services. In addition, a generation of children and adolescents where texting, video-game playing and electronic media abound, these same children and adolescents may find that videoconferencing is a significantly less intimidating process by which to obtain the counseling support they need. On-going office visits with a counselor may exacerbate symptoms in these children and adolescents with diagnoses of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, or Bipolar Disorder. SKYPE and videoconferencing may alleviate some of these anxieties and, may possibly decrease the length of therapy needed to produce an improved state of wellness. Studies are underway to determine the effectiveness of videoconferencing, but the results are not yet complete, so quicker results can not be guaranteed. In addition, the alliance between the therapist and the child or adolescent should never be underestimated as it can be developed in face-to-face meetings. Each case should be considered independently. From another standpoint, college students often face time constraints due to class scheduling, extracurricular activities, adjustments from home life to college life, and many other factors that could prevent them from seeking the counseling support they need. Videoconferencing may provide an alternative solution by offering more flexible hours for appointments scheduled around other college activities. In a world with increasing stressors on so many levels, videoconferencing may be an excellent alternative for assisting people to receive the counseling support they need without the added stressors of the interruption of an individual's daily schedule. As a professional with an extensive background in corporate, collegiate, and counseling venues, Mercy House Counseling Center is now offering this service to its clients. |
