There are roadblocks to getting mental health services. Many people don’t live near a mental health provider. They may struggle to find a babysitter or be out of town when they need help. Telehealth solves these problems and more.
Telehealth is an exceptional option for people with mental or emotional challenges that make it difficult to interact in person, leave home, or travel to the office.
M Rameen Ghorieshi, MD, MPH, and the therapy team at Palo Alto Mind Body offer telehealth appointments to ensure you have convenient access to psychiatric care and talk therapy.
Do you wonder about details like how to access telehealth, what happens during an appointment, and which mental health disorders are treated through telehealth?
Or maybe you’re curious to learn if telehealth works as well as in-person visits. Keep reading for the answers to those questions.
Telehealth is an interactive, face-to-face appointment conducted through online videoconferencing. You can connect with your provider using any device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) if you have internet access and video capabilities.
Your telehealth appointments are always confidential and secure. We use encrypted channels and HIPAA-compliant video conferencing software.
How do you schedule telehealth? You only need to call the office or send a message. We’ll connect with you and explain the process. When it’s time for your appointment, we text or email the link to your appointment.
The mental health services available through telehealth include:
Psychiatric evaluations are essential for diagnosing the cause of your symptoms and guiding your treatment. During an assessment, we learn about your medical and mental health history, current symptoms, and how they affect your daily life.
We may send you a questionnaire about challenging emotions and behaviors and ask you to complete it before your appointment. After determining your diagnosis, your provider works with you to develop a personalized treatment plan.
Psychotherapy through telehealth is just like an office visit. Receiving therapy online can be better than office visits if relaxing at home makes talking and sharing your feelings easier.
Our therapists specialize in many techniques, and most can be done through telehealth. Some therapies may use worksheets or questionnaires to guide the process.
For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may use these tools to help you identify and track thoughts and behaviors. That isn’t a problem for telehealth because we can email the information.
In some cases, we may encourage an in-person visit if we believe it’s crucial for your safety and well-being.
You can keep scheduling follow-up appointments through telehealth. You can also switch to office visits or take a hybrid approach that combines telehealth with occasional in-person appointments.
Telehealth works well for psychotherapy for any mental condition. Patients often seek virtual visits for:
Whether you’re currently diagnosed with a mental health disorder or need help with mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges, don’t hesitate to call our caring team for help.
Your telehealth appointment proceeds like it would for in-office therapy. After you connect through the link, you and your provider talk online.
They guide the conversation by asking questions. As you share your experiences and concerns, they offer insight, guidance, and information. At the end of each telehealth session, they schedule the next appointment.
Studies show that telehealth consistently achieves the same results as in-person therapy. Diagnostic accuracy and treatment effectiveness are just as good through telehealth as office visits.
The quality of care you receive is also on par with in-person care, with patients reporting they’re satisfied with online therapy.
Patients are also more likely to keep telehealth appointments, which is essential for reaching their goals and getting the most from therapy.
Call Palo Alto Mind Body today if you need help with emotional or behavioral problems or have questions about telehealth.
