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. “People have been using text messages since before I was born,” said Dr. David M. Rosenthal, director of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
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.