Category: Health Care News

Couples spend a vast amount of time together, and whether they like it or not, they influence each other’s lives in complex ways that they may not even be aware of. Built on the many years of togetherness, not only a couple’s emotional health becomes intertwined, but also their physical health.

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Marriages are tough no matter how much you love your person. There’s always a chance that your relationship’s flame might burn out, losing the passion, the feeling of being in love, or even your attraction to them all in a span of a few years. It is why all married couples will tell you that it’s not just about emotions, but about logic and commitment as well. …

 

Disagreements and arguments are normal occurrences in marriage. But if these fights are happening every single day, then it becomes a problem. For married couples who have frequent communication problems, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may do them good. 

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The number of doctors, even clinical social workers, providing care is declining, and geographic locations affect the accessibility of these programs. This scenario results in people needing only online mental health care and choosing online counseling.

Mental Health Accessibility

 

In 2014, Kurt Mosley, vice president of strategic alliances at Merrit Hawkins and Staff Care, projected that more doctors would retire or leave in 2017. Pairing this with how rural areas in the country lack hospital and clinic numbers, comprehensive virtual coverage will not be achieved.

Where Do Online Counseling Sessions Come In?

Does online therapy work for everyone? How much does an online or virtual therapy cost compared to traditional therapy? Is virtual therapy cheaper? Does it cost you per session or per month? Are there any virtual therapy platforms? What are virtual therapy websites? What does it help, and how is that different from traditional in-person therapy?

Virtual Therapy Services Solutions

Online treatment or online therapy services solutions have been implemented by various organizations in the country to combat the current issues facing healthcare accessibility to address mental health conditions and other mental health emergencies. A virtual counseling platform is usually hosted by licensed therapists and mental health counselors. Virtual therapy or counseling can be used to treat many mental health conditions that are treated in face-to-face therapy via virtual therapy. This includes eating disorders, bipolar disorder, anger management, anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma.

Provides High-Quality Remote Care

These online therapy platform solutions provide virtual therapy users or citizens with a more suitable way of accessing high-quality care through remote means, particularly virtual help. “Online therapy session is also known as teletherapy, […] online therapy, e-therapy, telehealth or virtual counseling, email therapy, text therapy, phone counseling.” Sena Moran, LMHC said.

Three California organizations utilizing the said means are Kaiser Permanente (focused on Northern California) and the Blue Shield of California with the help of Adventist Health, a non-profit healthcare provider in the area.

Is Virtual Therapy As Effective As Traditional Therapy?

Virtual therapy is just as effective as face-to-face therapy, as you’ll receive mental health services the same as the traditional.  Couples therapy is also being provided by marriage and family therapists. There are licensed marriage and family therapists who provide valuable service by offering to counsel remotely and connecting people to effective healthcare treatments that can improve their mental and emotional well-being. Working with a licensed marriage counselor remotely can provide individuals and couples with the tools and support they need to navigate challenging relationship issues. It does eliminate commute time, so you save money. Some licensed providers accept insurance but some are not covered by insurance.

Kaiser On Virtual Counseling

Studies have shown that site visits to the Kaiser Permanente website increased from 4.1 million to 10.5 million in 2013. Kaiser Permanente is aimed at providing quality healthcare services via remote communication between patients and doctors and is an online therapy provider. Remote communication in counseling or virtual counseling is achieved by providing the best virtual therapy platforms that are inclusive of all the patient’s needs or mental health treatment through the help of mental health professionals or licensed clinical social workers.

Patients Can Choose The Best Therapists

The patients may choose the best therapist or any from the pool of licensed therapists for their weekly virtual therapy, whom they wish to consult by browsing Kaiser Permanente’s doctor bios on their site, giving importance to the patient’s specific needs through virtual cognitive behavioral therapy. Doctors and staff are also multilingual. Therefore, patients who wish to communicate more efficiently about their mental health needs may choose a doctor who can speak their native tongue.

Patients May Call And Advise A Nurse 24/7

Patients requiring immediate help, such as unexpected occurrences in their healing process, may call and advise a nurse that is available 24/7. Kaiser Permanente stores detailed health information in affordable virtual therapy and is accessible to all its staff to provide immediate responses in a single message without extra cost. This process removes the patients’ need to schedule appointments and check the therapist’s availability.

But note that “online care is not for every patient or practitioner. Clients with more serious mental illnesses or substance abuse problems likely need more mental health services treatment than digital therapy can provide. And some clinicians may find certain telehealth modalities difficult.” A clinical psychologist and a licensed mental health professional Nina Barlevy, PsyD says.

The organization does not only focus on telecommunication. They also have a mobile app wherein patients can manage their health plans anywhere and at any time.

Blue Shield In Collaboration  With Adventist Health When It Comes To Virtual Therapy

The Blue Shield Association is a federation of health insurance organizations and companies. An independent member of the said organization, the Blue Shield of California, provides remote access to doctors, specialists, and hospitals by implementing telehealth for mental health services initiative in collaboration with Adventist Health, a non-profit healthcare provider in the area. This initiative is similar to Kaiser Permanente’s operational procedures.

However, the organization’s procedure differs in how the patients consult with their desired doctors. While Kaiser Permanente allows remote appointment scheduling and remote healthcare management, Blue Shield focuses on interactive video technology (more information here: kid ps4 games).

Utilization Of This Technology Requires Patients To Go To Any Of The Nine Local Adventist Health Sites.

With those sites, they may consult with their doctors or licensed clinical social workers who are across the state. It is achieved with a centralized command center that specializes in mental health conditions or mental health diagnoses. This center sets up appointments, allowing patients to consult doctors, family therapists, and virtual therapy providers according to their availability. Easy as it may seem, but John M. Grohol, Psy.D. said, “This kind of effort takes a fair amount of commitment and understanding of the online world.”

FAQs

Can You Talk To A Therapist For Free Online?

How Much Does An Online Therapist Cost?

Does Virtual Therapy Really Work?

What Are The Best Online Therapy Services?

Is Betterhelp Therapy Legit?

What Is The Betterhelp Controversy?

Is Talkspace Or Betterhelp Cheaper?

Why Is Betterhelp So Expensive?

Is Betterhelp Therapy Free?

Can A Virtual Therapist Prescribe Medication Management?

What Is Virtual Therapy?

What Is The Best Free Virtual Counseling?

What Are The Objectives Of Virtual Therapy?

How Can I Talk To A Counselor Online For Free?

What Are The Benefits Of Counseling?

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Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short, is a mental health problem that develops in some people after a particularly dangerous or scary event. Events that usually trigger PTSD involve combat, sexual assault, child abuse, or natural disasters. In addition to that, anyone can develop PTSD, and there are so many factors outside one’s control that increase the chances of triggering PTSD. Luckily, psychiatrists have found many ways of treating people with PTSD.…

The relationship between a counselor and a patient is often one-sided. Most of the time, the patient is the one who talks, while the counselor receives information and tries to process it. This kind of counseling process can lead the patient to feel unsatisfied at the end of the session.

As such, there are many kinds of therapy nowadays that try to address this problem. A notable example is a humanistic therapy.…

 

There is a huge percentage of Americans that are severely overweight and this condition affects overall health and life expectancy.  Many people want to lose weight or learn how to eat healthier but are unsure where to turn.  There are numerous for-profit programs that are too expensive for many people.  The Aim for a Healthy Weight program is free of charge and has many online resources available.…

Source: ventfitness.com

Silver sneakers sound like something a superhero would wear.  Maybe even the name of a superhero.  Silver Sneakers is actually a fitness program for people 65 and older and it is offered at no cost by more than 60 health plans across the US.  These people are superheroes because they want to stay in shape in their senior years.…

You may have seen commercials for the United Way and wondered what their organization does and how it helps people.  This organization offers many wonderful programs that support those in need.  One way that it offers assistance is in health capacity.

MISSION OF THE UNITED WAY

“The United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good”.  They want to strengthen communities by supporting individuals who may not have other resources.  Among other things, the United Way offers Born Learning, a school readiness program; an initiative to teach students character building and relationship skills; free tax filing and financial planning based on income.  They also have a docu-series that highlights heroes within the community.

HEALTH INITIATIVES

2-1-1:  “2-1-1 is a free and confidential service that helps people across North America find the local resources they need”   If you dial 2-1-1, you have many resources at your fingertips including, but not limited to, information on supplemental food and nutrition programs, health care, vaccination, and health epidemic information; addiction prevention and rehabilitation programs; support groups for individuals with mental illnesses; a safe passageway away from physical and/or emotional domestic abuse.

LOCAL RESOURCES

If you go to the United Way website (www.unitedway.org) and go to FIND YOUR UNITED WAY, you can find resources specific to your area.  Each community offers similar, yet varied programs.  Below are some specific community offerings:

Boston area:  Thanksgiving Project – gives full Thanksgiving meals for families in need.  Emergency assistance with food, heat, housing, and access to benefits.

New York area:  Feed NYC – funded urban gardens, fresh veggies delivered to food pantries, and donations to emergency food programs

Chicago area:  connecting people to affordable health services, promoting a healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic disease

California:  Covered California is where California residents can get brand-name health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Promotes policies that combine enrollment and administration of most public health and human services programs.

Florida:  Devotes time and money to programs that offer adults and children  admittance to health and wellness care, including mental, physical and social; FamilyWize – a prescription discount card usable at local pharmacies

Although these are just a small percentage of the United Way organizations in the United States, it is clear that they all have a similar mission.

VOLUNTEERING

A great way to see how the United Way operates is to volunteer with them.  You may not be someone in need, but helping others can be a great way to increase your positive feelings.  Going out and doing something to be of assistance to your community is one of the best ways to pay it forward and make you feel good about yourself.  Those who are in need may want to volunteer to show their appreciation for the support they receive from the organization.…