Over the course of the past week, it has become increasingly clear that we, as a society, need to make unprecedented adjustments to our behaviors in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 across our communities. As mental health professionals, we know all too well that behavioral changes are hard to implement, but this is crucial.
The graph above, taken from the CDC, clearly shows that by engaging in “social distancing” we have the best shot at slowing the spread of this pandemic so that our healthcare infrastructure can keep up and treat those who are infected. Keep in mind: life goes on and other people’s medical and mental health conditions do not cease to exist. They will need care, too! This is why we all have to work together to balance various competing risks in order to slow the spread.
As mental health professionals, we promote authentic connection and recognize that meaningful social engagement is crucial, and “social distancing”, on the surface, is not what we’d typically encourage. During this time, however, “social distancing” simply means minimizing in-person contact whenever possible.
Social distancing in action can mean reducing the number of people taking public transportation, asking people to work from home, shopping at off-peak times, or encouraging anything that enables individuals to stay at a distance from one another, which ultimately limits the spread of the virus. It also allows for less forced total quarantines as people are less likely to come into contact with people with COVID-19 and become quarantined themselves. As much as possible, you should continue to interact with friends, family members, and co-workers digitally to maintain your social connections.
In our practice, we have shifted to video Telemental health sessions using a HIPAA-compliant platform for all appointments where this is clinically feasible. We are finding for some individuals this is a welcome convenience but for others, it is undesirable. We ask that you keep an open mind and roll with this for now. We also encourage you to provide your feedback on these sessions so we can best support you going forward. Video sessions may offer you the opportunity to notice things about therapy that you have not noticed before or it may challenge your assumptions of connection and what it means to engage with others.
We are especially curious about what it is like to have our group therapy sessions over Zoom video. These online sessions may allow individuals who previously had logistical barriers to access these groups for the first time. We also want to avoid a situation where one group member or group leader testing positive for COVID-19 leads to a quarantine for all group members. We understand that, at times, WiFi will fail and screens will freeze, but we will deal with these obstacles as they come. Life (and WiFi) is bumpy at times, but that’s why we’re here. A fundamental part of mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is taking a curious, non-judgmental “not knowing” stance towards human interactions and we hope this spirit will carry through to our Telemental health adventures over the next several weeks.
What does this mean in practicality?
- TMS and Spravato (intranasal ketamine) sessions are still being held, but please contact our main number (929-296-1624) via text or phone to adjust appointment times to avoid rush hour and crowded public transportation.
- The majority of other types of appointments are being redirected to telehealth video sessions and the office should be reaching out about logistics around this, including providing a guide on how to use the secure platform.
- The governor of NY just announced a waiver for Telemental health to be covered by insurance with less restrictions, if your insurance doesn’t already cover it.
- Exceptions to use of telemental health are made on a case-by-case basis (ex. younger children engaged in therapy, individuals already in the office for TMS whose MD is present, high clinical acuity situations or individuals who are within walking distance from the office), but if we can do the appointment by video, we should and we can.
- We are accepting new patients for all services! It may mean an initial appointment is conducted by video. Our intake coordinator can discuss the options.
Don’t forget, we are all more flexible and resilient than we often realize.
