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What Is It?

In addition to our traditional face-to-face mental health services, 515 Therapy and Consulting is happy to offer Telehealth (also called Teletherapy or Telepsychiatry), a means of accessing online therapy and medication management via the Internet. Telehealth is delivered through a secure HIPAA compliant video-conferencing link.

What Are The Benefits?

Telehealth provides access to healthcare in situations where an in-office visit is not feasible or convenient. Telehealth is especially useful in rural states, such as Iowa, because access to mental health providers is often limited. Individuals who may benefit from Telehealth include military personnel and their families, people who are unable to travel to an in-office session due to illness or disability, individuals who frequently travel for work or who have other time or distance constraints, including living far away from a provider. Telehealth can also provide increased confidentiality because there is no need to go to a brick and mortar office.  

Is It Effective?

The majority of research shows that Telehealth is indeed as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy, not only for anxiety and depression, but many other mental health issues, as well (Berryhill et al., 2018; Kingston, Ph.D., 2017).

Who Can Be Treated?

We treat children, adolescents and adults, as well as couples by Telehealth. Traditional therapies, such as play-therapy, can be modified for a video-conference setting. Please ask your provider or call our administrative support at (515) 402-4395 if you have any questions.

Are There Drawbacks?

There are some potential pitfalls for Telehealth. Some individuals believe the ability to pick up on important non-verbal cues is reduced and believe it could be more difficult to build a sense of connection between patient and provider. To the contrary, some individuals feel it’s easier to talk about sensitive topics from a distance. Another possible barrier could be a lack of equipment or technological literacy or even low internet connectivity in some locations. If we are dropped from the video conference due to technical difficulties, we can switch to a phone call, if required.

Why Is Telehealth Essential For Mental Healthcare?

Mental health is as important as physical health and deserves the same attention and access. Mental health is certainly relevant in today’s climate. For example, two of the most common mental health issues, anxiety and depression impact 40 million U.S. adults (18.1%; Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2016) and almost 1 in 3 adolescents (31.9%; Child Mind Report, 2017).  

What Is The Cost?

The cost of Telehealth is usually the same or less than in-office appointments! If you have questions, contact your insurance company for more details about the coverage for Telehealth services.

Questions About Telehealth?

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have or to see if you might be a good fit for Telehealth (Teletherapy or Telepsychiatry). For more information (like our Telehealth FAQ) or to schedule an appointment, send a secure direct message to us by clicking the “contact us” tab in the tool bar at the top of the page. We can treat patients remotely anywhere in the state of Iowa. We look forward to working with you in the near future!