In February, John saw his therapist at FCS’s Harvard location. Today, he visits with her over a secure video chat.
Fueled by the coronavirus (COVID-19), FCS rapidly shifted to remote services (telephonic and teletherapy) in early March 2020. Now, FCS therapists, case managers, nurses, physicians and psychiatrists visit with approximately 7,000 Tulsans a week from their phones, iPads and computers.
COVID-19 has changed the way we interact with others. Fears, anxieties and unknowns are causing a rise in mental health needs. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, nearly half of Americans report that COVID-19 is harming their mental health. F&CS’s telephonic and teletherapy helps individuals, with non-emergency needs, maintain their emotional and mental health.
Teleservices aren’t new for F&CS. For the last four years, F&CS psychiatry has been using tele-psych with much success using secure, HIPAA compliant online platforms.
Because of COVID-19, these remote visits quickly replacing the bulk of appointments for everything from therapy sessions to case management. This is an essential tool for helping people with anxiety, depression, trauma, adjustment and phase of life problems and relationship issues gain increased insight into their challenges and learn effective coping skills and practical strategies for emotional and physical wellbeing.
The feedback from our patients is that teletherapy is effective and meaningful. They say it offers them comfort and connection. The benefits of teletherapy during COVID-19 are endless because it’s a safe form of counseling without direct social interaction, but rather done virtually from the comfort of home. As a result, F&CS clients continue to thrive.
