Mental therapy practitioners are split over whether to embrace SMS as a legitimate means of providing therapy , especially for patients who need immediate counselling , or distance themselves from an unproven technology that can damage the doctor - patient relationship , muddy levels of professionalism , and is unclear in terms of payment from insurance companies . Psychologists interviewed by clinical News described the pros and cons of text - based therapy , with some saying that it can be demanding for doctors to reply promptly , and devastating for patients if they do not . others , however argued that it can be a very useful tool in some situations , but requires privacy and privacy assuarances .
Mental health practitioners are split over whether to embrace SMS as a legitimate means of providing therapy, especially for patients who need immediate counselling, or distance themselves from an unproven technology that can damage the doctor-patient relationship, muddy lines of professionalism, and is unclear in terms of payment from insurance companies. Psychologists interviewed by STAT News described the pros and cons of text-based therapy, with some saying that it can be demanding for doctors to reply promptly, and devastating for patients if they do not. Others, however argued that it can be a very useful tool in some situations, but requires planning and privacy assuarances.