Mental Health: Telehealth or in-person therapy

Mental Health: Telehealth or in-person therapy

Welcome back since the pandemic, Tele Health or Tele therapy has come into its own, it’s when people can talk to a doctor without even leaving their home. Kevin Peterson with Chronic Hope Institute joins us now to talk more about the benefits. Good morning, Kevin. Good morning, Eddie. How are you, Sir I’m doing? I’m doing good. Let’s jump right into it. First things first, who benefits from Tele Health? You know Tele Health reaches a much broader audience and allows people that were previously unable to come into therapy due to jobs or distance or or life stress. You know, it allows them more access and it makes it easier for them to come in. So for a long time we know people resisted Tele health and Tele therapy has that idea changed over the pandemic. Absolutely what the pandemic is actually showing us. That Tele health is incredibly viable and and you know, people don’t have to drive. They don’t have to commute. They don’t have to park. It saves them time. It saves them money and then sort of a one little added benefit is for their business. We actually get to see you inside your home and we get to see a real view of who you are and what you are, which is pretty neat. So why might in person therapy be the right choice versus Tele health? Well, you know it’s definitely more intimate and it creates a more, uh. I would say almost a more intense connection bond for processing and then you know some clients really are isolated and we want to get them out of the house and we want to get them. Teach them they can come to our office and then it’s OK. They’ll be safe. And it’s for folks that are struggling a lot of times with anxiety, depression, agoraphobia. This is like the perfect way to get them into that first step in getting reintroduced. Back into the society. Now, is there one that works better for one person than another person? I know personally I benefit more from working one on one with my therapist. I wasn’t a fan of Tele Health, so I really like going into the office. So question does either work better for one or the other? You know it’s personal choice. I have some clients that are so happy to be able to do the Tele health ’cause it’s more flexible time wise and it’s more convenient. Then I have some other folks that really insist on coming in to see me in person. And it’s OK. Either way, you know I just the thing I like is that it allows us an opportunity to offer more as opposed to just having one once one way of doing things. Kevin, I think that’s good because I mean it, it just shows that there’s not one thing that’s better or one thing that’s worse. Everyone kind of has their own. Kind of, you know, perception of how this whole thing works. I know like I said, for me it’s better Jordan, sitting right next to me, saying he prefers, you know, Tele health is. It’s just easier for him so you know everyone is different. So tell us before we go Kevin. How can people find that help? Absolutely I would say the most important thing is to check your what we call the Community Mental Health Center and there’s like a whole series of those in the Denver and Colorado area and they will offer you know free therapy, indigent, low cost Medicaid insurance so they have answers for everybody. And then the next place. I always tell people to go is psychologytoday.com and you can punch in your zip code and see who’s available. What insurance is they take what they offer in person, Tele health etc etc. Those are all those are your best choices. Alright Kevin, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for for popping up early early this morning with us this morning. We appreciate it. Oh, it’s my pleasure. Good to see you guys and happy Thanksgiving to you.

Kevin Petersen with the Chronic Hope Institute joins us to talk more about Telehealth benefits.

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