Telehealth treatments aren’t necessarily new in the world of mental health care. They’re just becoming more widely available. Most types of therapy are delivered through face-to-face conversations. They translate to digital platforms almost seamlessly. Receiving personalized treatment is one of the most important aspects of mental health care. In some ways, online treatment methods open up more possibilities for personalized care than in-person treatments.

Both in-person and online treatments have their merits. In fact, in clinical trials, outcomes are about the same. However, telehealth platforms allow you to work with your therapist from your home, your workplace or anywhere in your community. Clinicians are often more flexible in providing online treatments around your schedule. You can also work through real-life situations with your therapist in real time and practice new skills in the environments where you’ll be using them most. 

In this blog post, we’ll talk about five types of telehealth treatment for mental health and how each one delivers personalized care.

• Virtual Partial Hospitalization Program (vPHP) — In a Virtual PHP, clients receive five full days of treatment each week. You’ll work with a primary therapist in one-on-one sessions, and you’ll spend four to six hours each day in group treatments. Your treatment will include evidence-based treatments hand-picked to suit your needs and your treatment goals. Because treatment is virtual, you can use your sessions to help with real-life situations. You’ll also have access to a psychiatrist for medication management.
• Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (vIOP) — A Virtual IOP is flexible to include up to five partial days of treatment per week. Most people will start with five days per week and then taper down as they make progress. During a Virtual IOP, you can balance life with treatment for more opportunities to build habits and practice healthy coping skills. You’ll have both individual and group therapy, and you can do sessions anywhere at home or in your community. 
• Teletherapy — Teletherapy consists of one-on-one therapy sessions that usually last about an hour. Most people see their therapist about once a week, but this can be adjusted. Your therapist may use one or more types of psychotherapy to help you manage symptoms and care for your mental health in the long term. It’s a good idea to see a few different therapists for consultations and find one you really like. Some people see the same therapist for years at a time.
• Virtual medication management — During virtual medication management sessions, you’ll meet with a qualified prescriber, such as a psychiatrist. They’ll talk with you about your symptoms and how you’re feeling, and they can help you find medications that help with mental health conditions. These sessions are usually 30 minutes to an hour long. You may start with frequent visits and then see your prescriber less often as you find medications that work for you.
• Virtual group therapy — While virtual group therapy is the least personalized type of virtual treatment, it has some unique benefits. Groups usually meet once a week, so it’s not very time intensive. However, you’ll interact with group members to give and receive support. You may work on learning skills together or share about things that are happening in your life. Virtual group treatments help you feel like part of a community, and you can gain some valuable perspective from your fellow group members.

What types of psychotherapy are offered via telehealth?

Each therapist has their own specialty area and experience working with different client groups. Many types of therapy practiced today are based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but not all. CBT is a systematic approach to understanding your thoughts and feelings and learning to respond with more intention. With some practice, you can learn to use your thoughts and emotions as helpful information. Then, you can choose how you speak to yourself and what you focus on.

Some types of therapy help you retrain your brain to respond to different stimuli that may make you feel anxious or stressed in a calmer way. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are helpful for conditions that involve anxiety. Others, like cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), are helpful for healing from trauma. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a multifaceted and intensive type of therapy that helps people who have complex or severe conditions.

The following are some types of psychotherapy that are offered in most of the formats we discussed in this post:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) 
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Mindfulness-based therapy
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Relational therapy
• Yoga and movement therapies

Are you looking for virtual mental health treatment programs right now? We offer both vPHP and vIOP at Lightfully. Our Precision Care Model (PCM) ensures that each client receives a personalized treatment plan. We can help you determine what level of treatment is right for you. We’ll match you with a primary therapist who’s a good fit for your personality and your condition. Your care team will create your unique treatment plan based on an in-depth assessment.

Many of our clients prefer virtual treatment over in person, even when both programs are accessible. We try to give you as many options as possible to make your treatment experience fit your schedule and your lifestyle.

The first step toward treatment is scheduling your online assessment. Reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today. We look forward to meeting you!