In-Person Vs. Telehealth for Therapy
Should you choose in-person or Telehealth for your child’s psychology services?
Research Evidence
Long story short:
The research supports relatively equivalent benefits of both approaches. This held true across:
-Parent-child interaction therapy (Peskin et al., 2024)
-Parenting intervention for children’s emotional and behavioral problems in military families (Cai et al., 2024)
-Violence interventions (Stover et al., 2024)
-Youth anxiety disorders (Rabner et al., 2024)
Interestingly, one study from New York State (Huffnung et al., 2021) demonstrated that while adults increased their use of psychology through Telehealth during the pandemic, children’s utilization of these services decreased. As pandemic restrictions eased, children returned to therapy but mostly in-person. It was unclear from the study if this reflected patient preferences, availability of services, or other factors.
So What Should You Do?
On the one hand, this lack of direction can be frustrating. You want the very best for your child, so how can you choose? Certainly, research could and should improve in this area.
On the other hand, research is based on averages. And your child is not an average- they are unique! Therefore, perhaps this lack of direction can be freeing, and you can use your knowledge of your own child and family’s needs to guide your decision.
Pros and Cons
Here are some benefits of either approach that you might consider when making your decision:
Benefits of In-Person Therapy:
A safe place to share personal matters, that will be secure, private, and separate from day-to-day life
Going to a specific place can establish a sense of routine
Being able to read your therapist’s body language (and they can better understand yours and your child’s!)
Some people find that they can open up or feel more comfortable in person
Benefits of Telehealth Therapy:
Less time to travel (and less time off of school/work)
There is some data that family engagement is higher (e.g. both parents can log in from work)
Can be done regardless of sickness status (yours, your child’s, or your therapist’s)
Depending on your therapist’s license, you may be able to access therapy even while traveling out of state
Some people find that they can open up more when they participating from the comfort of their own home
What you should look for:
Most therapists and psychologists will advertise clearly whether they practice in-person or by Telehealth, or a combination. When you reach out, be sure to ask. Furthermore, even if they offer a hybrid practice, is it completely flexible, or are there limitations on when you could access either service? Could you alternate based on your convenience, or are you locked in?
At Pediatric Pain and Behavioral Health, therapy is offered both in-person and through a secure telehealth platform. Individuals and families are usually able to flexibly adjust between in-person and Telehealth based on overall needs or last minute changes. Additionally, Dr. Emily (Foxen-Craft) Scholand is authorized to provide services across 40 states through PSYPACT.
References
Cai, Q., Buchanan, G., Simenec, T., Lee, S. K., Basha, S. A., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2024). Enhancing engagement in parenting programs: A comparative study of in-person, online, and telehealth formats. Children and Youth Services Review, 162, 107686.
Hoffnung, G., Feigenbaum, E., Schechter, A., Guttman, D., Zemon, V., & Schechter, I. (2021). Children and telehealth in mental healthcare: what we have learned from COVID‐19 and 40,000+ sessions. Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice, 3(3), 106-114.
Peskin, A., Barth, A., Rothenberg, W. A., Turzi, A., Formoso, D., Garcia, D., & Jent, J. (2024). New therapy for a new Normal: comparing telehealth and in-person time-limited parent-child interaction therapy. Behavior therapy, 55(1), 106-121.
Rabner, J., Norris, L. A., Olino, T. M., & Kendall, P. C. (2024). A Comparison of Telehealth and In-Person Therapy for Youth Anxiety Disorders. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1-12.
Stover, C. S., Holland, M. L., Martin, E., Modanesi, E., Fish, M. C., & Beebe, R. (2024). Comparing in person to telehealth delivery of a family violence intervention. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 31(4), e3034.