Telehealth for behavioral therapy: Here to stay in New Mexico?
Feb. 28—Nearly a year after the coronavirus pandemic swept into New Mexico, forcing isolation and broken routines, and creating a widespread mental health crisis, therapists cite a silver lining: The transition to telehealth has increased patient attendance at counseling appointments.
While many await a return to face-to-face sessions, they believe more options for accessing behavioral health treatment are likely to stick.
"The mental health fallout from COVID, we haven't really seen that yet. We're not sure what it's going to look like," said Dr. Patricia Singh, executive director of A New Awakening Behavioral Health Services. The organization provides care to about 600 people, most within the criminal justice system around Albuquerque.
"Our agency previously only offered in-person services. Going forward, we're going to incorporate some kind of hybrid," Singh said. "It just makes sense to be more flexible and meet people where they are."
Since the organization transferred to telephone and video therapy, Singh said, 90 percent of patients continued treatment and the appointment no-show rate dropped to less than 10 percent from around 40 percent. Speaking with patients while they are in their homes has increased family involvement in treatment, she added.
Singh and other providers are gathering from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday for a behavioral health summit focused on telehealth. Resilient New Mexico, an organization under the Santa Fe Community Foundation that is dedicated to training providers and raising funds to increase telehealth services, is hosting the event, which will feature Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
Students from the New Mexico School for the Arts will make a presentation.
Resilient New Mexico co-founder Martha Braniff said the organization already has worked with eight behavioral health providers, including A New Awakening.
Brian Blalock, Cabinet secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department, which oversees the foster care and juvenile justice systems, said he supports an increase in telehealth services.
"Telehealth should be a valuable part of our strategy to deliver services to hard-to-reach or under-served locations even once the pandemic is behind us," Blalock wrote in an email.
While learning to use videoconference systems was a challenge for some veteran psychotherapists, Singh said, the transition to virtual group therapy has been smooth. Before the pandemic, she added, not all insurance companies covered telehealth at the same rate as in-person counseling, which prevented some agencies from offering the option.
"When we listen to the people receiving our services and other behavioral health services across the state, they're saying they like the flexibility," Singh said. "So yes, we're going to listen to them and keep this practice going."
