Benefits of Teletherapy Services

At Lighthouse Therapy, we are often asked what the benefits are for providing therapy services via telepractice in the school setting. Whether the school we service is a public, private, virtual, charter, or blended model, there are many and varying benefits to using online therapy services. Here is a list of what we consider some of the many benefits of providing related services via telepractice.

1. Teletherapy empowers parents, teens, and young adult clients to take control of their own progress.
2. Due to therapist shortages, teletherapy offers rural and inner-city schools an alternative when challenged with finding in-person therapists to serve students.
3. Teletherapy is beneficial to schools’ bottom line when working with a confined budget, especially for rural schools – eliminating travel time between school sites.
4. There is less hassle for virtual students – no cost for gas and no transportation time to get to a therapy session.
5. There are fewer missed days of therapy, and there are usually few interruptions for meetings, fire drills or therapist absences.
6. Teletherapy provides access to various internet resources geared specifically toward the students’ interests is highly motivating.
7. With teletherapy, no germs are spread, and no services time is lost due to illness.
8. Most students can participate in teletherapy. Either independently or with a student support specialist with them.
9. Therapists can serve students who are not willing or able to attend brick-and-mortar schools for various reasons (e.g. medically fragile, emotionally impaired, temporarily homebound).
10. Research shows that students achieve the same level of success with interventions via telepractice as students seen face to face.
11. With teletherapy, there are generally fewer distractions from other students, creating increased opportunities for learning.
12. There are fewer difficulties with student behaviors due to highly motivating activities. Thus, the student attends better and more is accomplished during the sessions.
13. Students are very comfortable with technology and can accomplish more in less time.
14. Students who struggle with attention often focus better due to the removal of external stimulus and focus on the activities on the screen with the use of a headset.
15. Students with severe needs can be serviced via teletherapy. These students’ services need additional planning and may require an in-person assistant to be the therapist’s “hands”, but services can be effectively accomplished.
16. Student Support Specialists (para-pro, assistance, or e-helpers) assist the student in getting to and from therapy vs. paying a higher cost therapist for transportation times.
17. Lighthouse Therapy provides training to Student Support Specialists. This promotes communication between our therapists and the assistants, creating a working relationship which is key to students’ success.
18. Lighthouse Therapy provides competent, accessible, and responsive IT professionals that work with the district’s IT department is willing to work with the telepractice company when needed.
19. Teletherapy allows for total family involvement in services. Parents can even observe sessions.
20. Teletherapy allows therapists to integrate sessions into a student’s daily life. Students and parents can generalize goals for activities at home or in other environments.
21. Teletherapy can offer therapy that meets the IEP frequency of service allotted to the student instead of providing what the therapist has available due to a shortage of therapist availability.
22. Lighthouse Therapy strives to identify good therapists, monitor services, and make sure the school and the therapist are a good fit so the students can reach their maximum potential.
23. Therapists are very self-sufficient and proactive in engaging with the families of the students they serve.
24. Therapists perform evaluations completely online without the need for onsite assessments.
25. Tele-therapists are more technologically savvy and have excellent problem-solving skills.
26. Therapists work independently and have more flexibility in their work schedule meeting personal needs and increasing career satisfaction.
27. Lighthouse Therapy provides mentoring for all our therapists.