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 Massachusetts General Hospital 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.
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.