Mental Health Program Addresses ‘Therapy From Your Couch’ Movement
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) July 26, 2013 -- With the advent of a new ‘therapy from your couch’ movement, mental health therapy has gone online. The question remains: How will this form of mental health care affect behavioral health treatment as an industry? The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center, a comprehensive mental health treatment facility, located in South Florida is taking up that very question.
“Although it sounds unusual, it is not entirely surprising that a behavioral health program is now available online,” said Ben Brafman, a 20-year veteran of the behavioral health industry. “The initial benefit seems to be accessibility; people will now be able to explore mental health treatment from the privacy of their homes. However, it remains to be seen how a lack of real-time human interaction may impact treatment.”
‘Therapy from your couch’ is essentially a live video chat with a mental health professional. Clients have the freedom to select their own licensed therapist after viewing an online video introduction. Founders and program investors anticipate that this type of therapy will be less costly and easier to arrange than a traditional mental health program.
“We certainly have a gap in America when it comes to getting behavioral health treatment for the people who need it,” said Brafman, founder of the Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center. “Statistics consistently show that there are far more people who need help than there are people who receive it. Two of the main reasons people do not seek mental health treatment are cost and stigma.”
For many people however, virtual programs may not be enough to combat chronic or severe behavioral health issues which often require several months or even years of treatment. Traditional programs like the Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center rely on evidenced based treatment methods and provide one-on-one counseling. There is overwhelming evidence that in person treatment can help manage the symptoms of many mental health disorders, but effective methods vary from person to person. One-on-one therapy is only a single component of a treatment plan, which can also include group therapy, medication, and professional supervision.
“Ultimately, if more people are gaining access to a mental health program, then that’s a good thing,” said Brafman. “But behavioral health treatment is not a blanket method. It needs to be developed based on individual needs. We should keep in mind that comprehensive treatment incorporates multiple methods, not therapy alone. It may be possible to administer high-quality therapy through a computer, but the client may still lack the round-the-clock access to support that a traditional facility can provide.”
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The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center is a full service mental health facility located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Dedicated to helping individuals who suffer from mental illness find a path to living better, The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center offers a mental health program and support for a wide variety of mood and thought disorders including: depression, anxiety disorders, anger management, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. For more information on mental health treatment please contact The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center at 1-888-205-2775 or online at http://www.mentalhealthcenter.org.
Alton Smith, Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center, http://www.drugrehabfl.net/, 888-205-2775, [email protected]
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