Online Therapy & Telehealth Skills: Time to Raise the Bar

Whether you have been doing online therapy, telehealth, or telemental health for years, or you were thrown into telehealth because of the COVID crisis, you are likely doing more online therapy than ever before. While the research has shown online therapy to be as effective as in-person therapy, there is research, and there is reality.

The good news is, the process for getting better at online therapy mirrors the same process that allows us to improve in any area of our clinical practice, or truly, in any area of our lives.

Are You Getting Similar, Better, or Worse Outcomes with Online Therapy?

Based on extensive research by Dr. Scott Miller, being a great therapist doesn’t happen because of years of experience, hours of training, age, licensure status, special certifications, research-based interventions, etc. Great therapists develop themselves using very particular skills and strategies. Scott Miller reports the steps are: “(1) determining your baseline of effectiveness, (2) engaging in deliberate practice, and (3) getting feedback—depends on and is informed by the others, working in tandem to create a ‘cycle of excellence.’”

Your First Step to Better Online Therapy & Telehealth Skills: Get Feedback From Others

First and foremost, you need to get clear on what IS and is NOT working in the way you are providing online therapy. And no, this isn’t something that you can simply do via self-assessment, you need to have some in-depth conversations with your clients. We talk about why and how to do this as part of our free 4-part marketing masterclass: COVID edition. You can get the details and download the free outcomes conversation script that walks you step-by-step through exactly what to ask your clients (and/or caregivers).

Your Second Step: Time for a Self-Assessment:

It may seem strange to not START with a self-assessment, but we’ve found often therapists are not as good as they think they are at self-awareness in these areas. In fact, many therapists actually struggle to identify their strengths or what they are good at. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself:

1. Where do I feel anxious, unsure, or less than in the clinical work when doing it online?

2. Do I have the technical knowledge and tools I need to do my job?

3. Are there additional triggers and family of origin issues to be attended to working online or at home?

4. Where do I feel confident and self-assured when doing the work online?

5. Are there specialties or ideal clients that I do better work with online and get better outcomes?

6. Is my current marketing aligned with attracting the clients that I do my best online therapy work and get my best outcomes with at this moment?

7. How have my support network or my consultation options changed since moving online?

8. How have my personal life and routines changed, and how is that impacting the work?

9. What additional stressors am I facing and what does that mean for my schedule, pacing and types of clients I work with?

10. Have I adjusted my online therapy space so that it meets the needs of my clients AND myself (my body, my mood, my comfort)?

11. Has the switch to online therapy brought any business processes or problems to the surface that need to be attended to?

12. Have I given myself permission to graduate or refer out clients that are not getting their needs met, not progressing, or have met their treatment goals since moving to online therapy?

13. What else have I noticed that I need to take time to attend to?

Your Third Step: Use That Information to Formulate a Plan

After you’ve gotten some clarity about what is and isn’t working, you can formulate a plan. This plan should be focused on improving your clinical outcomes and making sure that your needs are met physically, emotionally, and financially. Remember, you are your own greatest tool. If you are not taken care of, you won’t be able to take care of your clients. Some things you might include in your plan:

• Taking an online certification course

• Changing your clinical hours

• Updating your fee based on the changes to the number of clients you can see

• Updating your workspace to meet your needs

• Joining or starting a clinical consultation group

• Updating your marketing message and marketing plan to attract the clients that you can get your best outcomes with

• Improving ways to take care of yourself to renew your energy

There is no one-size-fits-all plan or certification that is going to make YOU markedly better or more prepared for getting great outcomes in online therapy. Ultimately, you need to learn the process of assessment, planning, re-evaluation, and updating your plan. You are trained to do that. And, you can get better at it over time.

Resources for Starting, Improving, or Growing Your Online Therapy Practice

Here at ZynnyMe, we focus on the intersection between your business and your clinical outcomes. We have a 3 CE Marketing Masterclass: Covid Edition course, plus a free coupon code for 3 CEs, which means you can get this class for free in most cases.

Challenge:

Comment below and share your plan over the next two weeks for improving your clinical outcomes and link to your favorite classes, CEs, teachers, groups, etc. that have helped you up your game in the last 90 days. Share what YOU got out of those courses in particular and how they helped improve your outcomes and your confidence.

P.S. If you are looking to get back into the office, seeing your clients face-to-face, check out our free checklist for returning to the therapy office after COVID.

FAQs about CEs: 

• You can take the course for free here. 

• AspiraCE.com provides CE certificates for a low cost, OR you can use this one-time coupon code to get your 3 CEs for free: ZM3FREECEU

• If you have already used that coupon for another course, you will need to pay for a CE certificate.

• If you do not need CE certificate right now, you can work through the course and then wait to take the exam until you are ready. At that time, you can pay for CE certificate or use our coupon.

• To find out if your state and licensure is covered, click here and then click on your state. (Yes, Psychologists are covered). 

• This course was previously made available without the CEs (in April 2020). If you have already taken the course, you can skip straight to pursuing your CE certificate here.