There are very few aspects of life that the internet hasn’t impacted or changed in some way.
From how we play games, date, and work, there isn’t much the internet hasn’t severely altered – usually for the better.
One industry that has had a unique reaction to the impact of the internet is the mental health industry.
Both providers looking for clients and clients looking for providers must know how the internet has impacted and continues to impact mental care.
Reach
The internet has vastly improved the reach of mental health services.
Before the internet, if you wanted to find a therapist, you had to:
- Have the ability to get to the appointment(s)
- Know where to look/who to call for finding a therapist
- Just hope the one therapist you did find was a good match
This is vastly different than today’s mental health landscape.
With the internet, both provider and client experience a further reach.
Providers can send emails, buy ads, and do other marketing practices to make their presence known to potential clients.
And potential clients can actively seek out all kinds of things on the internet that makes finding a provider much easier.
Clients are using the internet to:
- Research everything down to conditions and alignments they might have, to therapists that specifically provide care for those problems
- Read reviews from other clients on providers
- Correspond and engage with providers BEFORE making an appointment
- And, honestly, so much more
The internet has given clients the tools needed to find the right help when they need it.
Providers need to make sure they’re putting the correct information out there so when clients do find them; they’re likely to act.
But there is another, more recent, impact the internet has had on how we provide and receive mental healthcare.
Sustainable, Flexible Future
If we’ve learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s that the future is uncertain.
Potential clients want (some) assurance that their provider can commit to the long journey of mental healthcare.
Remote care has proven to be a flexible and sustainable form of care.
Clients currently looking for in-person services know that having remote options is vital – for today and the future.
Luckily, when a provider does know how important a flexible future is for clients, they can use the internet to show off that fact.
But you don’t have to do that on your own!
Download our whitepaper for free and let it be your guide to a healthy, prosperous future!
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