The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid transition to remote mental health appointments, presenting unique challenges and opportunities. The research article “Pouring their heart out in Sainsbury’s” explores the experiences of young people, parents, and mental health practitioners during this shift. This blog distills key findings and offers actionable insights for practitioners to enhance their remote therapy practices.
Key Findings and Implications
1. Home as Clinic
Remote appointments often take place in the home, which can be both a comfort and a challenge. Practitioners found that home settings could provide naturalistic insights into a patient's life but also raised issues of privacy and confidentiality.
- Positive: Comfort of home can facilitate participation.
- Negative: Lack of privacy may hinder open communication.
2. Disrupted Therapeutic Relationships
Remote therapy can impact the quality of the therapeutic relationship. Building trust and empathy is more challenging when non-verbal cues are missing.
- Challenge: Establishing trust and empathy online.
- Opportunity: Some patients may disclose more due to perceived anonymity.
3. Engagement Difficulties
Engagement can be problematic in remote settings. Patients might find it easier to avoid or disengage from sessions, leading to inconsistent participation.
- Challenge: Maintaining patient engagement.
- Strategy: Use interactive tools and regular check-ins to keep patients engaged.
4. Uncontained Risk
Remote settings limit a practitioner's ability to manage risk effectively. Emotional triggers are harder to handle when the practitioner is not physically present.
- Challenge: Managing emotional and safety risks remotely.
- Strategy: Develop clear protocols for managing crises during remote sessions.
5. Scope of Care Provision
Remote therapy can expand or limit the scope of care, depending on the type of service. Some therapies are challenging to deliver online, while others benefit from the flexibility and accessibility of remote settings.
- Challenge: Certain therapies may be less effective remotely.
- Opportunity: Use remote settings to extend care and involve family members more easily.
Conclusion
While remote mental health appointments offer both benefits and challenges, they are likely to remain a part of future service delivery. Practitioners must continue to adapt and refine their approaches to maximize the effectiveness of remote therapy. Further research is essential to develop standardized guidelines and support practitioners in delivering high-quality care remotely.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: “Pouring their heart out in Sainsbury’s”: qualitative study of young people’s, parents’ and mental health practitioners’ experiences of adapting to remote online mental health appointments during COVID-19.
