The idea of a battle between technology and humanity is a long-standing one across societies worldwide. You see it in countless movies about robot uprisings, in the commercial wars between handmade vs. factory-made products, and even in the philosophies of many societies that choose to live without technology.
As tech becomes more pervasive, it’s becoming clear that we shouldn’t be battling technology but learning how to merge it with our humanity in the best ways possible, and that’s especially true in therapy, where human connection is crucial.
So how do you do this? There’s not a unilateral approach that works for everyone, but let’s explore some options for using technology in therapy without sacrificing the human element of it all.
How Can Digital Tools Benefit Therapy?
You don’t have to banish technology to have a therapy practice that your clients feel connected with. In fact, digital tools can have benefits for therapists and clients alike.
Making Therapy More Accessible
Clients who can’t get to therapy in person because of transportation limitations, mobility, childcare, work schedules, or other reasons can get the care they need through telehealth. Teletherapy can also make therapy more accessible for clients with disabilities, offering features like volume enhancement or closed captioning for people who are hard of hearing.
Overcoming Language Barriers
Ideally, every client would be able to have therapy with a therapist who speaks their native language, so they can communicate smoothly. But this isn’t always possible, especially for immigrants, so translation software can allow them to get therapy with a provider who’s not fully fluent in their language.
Easing the Administrative Burden
A therapist’s work often goes far beyond therapy to include scheduling and managing appointments, handling paperwork, coding and billing, and so on. Digital tools can make many of these tasks less time-consuming, so you can spend more time with clients.
Maintaining Notes and Reminders
Some digital tools can take automated notes of each session that you can refer back to. They can even turn the notes into action items and next steps, things to follow up on, and homework for the client.
Keeping Clients Continuously Engaged
If you’re only seeing a client once every few weeks, you’ll inevitably lose some momentum between sessions, and this can slow your client’s progress. There are digital tools that could help your client stay engaged in their healing and grow every day, like symptom tracking apps or skills training tools.
Attracting a Younger Audience
For many clients, getting them into therapy at a younger age can greatly improve their outcomes, and technology could make therapy more attractive to youth. It can make them feel more engaged in therapy because it’s a format that’s more familiar to them and it’s something that interests them.
It can also reduce the accessibility barriers that teens often have, like getting a ride to a therapy office or, in some cases, getting counseling without the potentially harmful interference of parents or guardians who aren’t supportive of therapy.
Digital Tools to Consider for Your Practice
What types of technology might you incorporate into your therapy to benefit yourself and your clients alike? This will vary based on your needs and your clients, but there are several potentially helpful options.
Secure Telehealth Platforms
Telehealth is probably part of your practice already, but it can go a long way in making therapy more accessible if you choose the right platform. Look for a platform with accessibility tools like:
- Closed captioning
- Automated translation
- Text chat options
- Voice navigation for people who are visually impaired or have motor impairments
Symptom Tracking Apps
A symptom tracker allows your clients to note down their symptoms throughout each day, such as their moods, panic attacks, urges, or compulsions, and so on. This makes it easier for clients to talk about their symptoms in each session, rather than trying to remember over the course of a week or more.
Some of these tools also allow clients to track their medication schedules, activities, sleep, and so on. This can give you both insights into patterns, like whether certain activities, events, or foods affect their symptoms.
Administrative Tools
To simplify your non-therapy tasks, you might use digital products such as:
- A scheduling tool with automated reminders
- Digital signature tools for easy paperwork management
- Client management tools that keep your clients’ details, notes, and other essentials in one place
Apps for Skill Building
There are countless apps and web-based tools that are designed to help people work on certain cognitive or emotional skills, and these can be excellent homework for your clients. For example, some of them include games that exercise a particular skill, have role-playing scenarios, or guide users through meditation and breathwork.
Translation Tools
A translation tool can translate language between you and your client in real time. This could be part of your telehealth platform, or it could be a separate tool. Just remember to keep HIPAA compliance in mind and make sure your translator is compliant.
AI Notetakers
An AI notetaker will listen to each session and take notes throughout, and then summarize them in an easily navigable way. This can help you focus on your client during the session, rather than on writing notes, so the interaction feels more natural and authentic.
Biofeedback Tools
If your client has a smartwatch, they may be able to use apps that offer mental health biofeedback. For example, it might track metrics like their breathing rate, heart rate, and temperature and alert them when their stress level appears to be rising, so it can then guide them in lowering their stress.
Tips to Integrate Digital Tools in Therapy Without Losing the Human Connection
There’s no doubt that technology can make therapy more efficient, but how do you reap the benefits of digital tools without losing some of the human connection that comes from two people sitting together and talking openly? These tips can help.
Maintain a “Tools, Not Substitutes” Mindset
As you put digital tools to use, always remember that they’re exactly that: tools, not a replacement. Use them to augment and enhance the experience, but not to replace any element of your sessions, and make sure your sessions don’t revolve around the tools.
Establish a Relationship First
If your first session involves you giving your client a list of tools and apps to use, they might feel like you’re putting your job onto the tools instead, or like you’re giving them a cookie-cutter solution instead of getting to know them and what they need. Instead, take the time to establish a connection first and then incorporate technology gradually, and only in ways that are genuinely valuable to that client.
Keep a Healthy Skepticism
Especially when it comes to AI, remember that these tools can and do make mistakes, so you should trust your professional expertise and your client’s experiences over a technical report or app data. For example, if you’ve used an AI notetaker, take time after each session to read through the notes and correct anything that isn’t accurate, annotate or add anything else that struck you, and so on.
Learn the Technology First
When you discover a new tool that might help your practice, it’s tempting to just leap in and start using it right away, especially if you’re someone who learns best through doing. But this can lead you to use the technology in a way that makes your therapy sessions feel less personal. To make sure you’re using a tool in the best way, invest the time in taking a training course or other learning opportunity about the tool before you start using it in your sessions.
Merging the Right of Technology and Humanity in Your Therapy
At the end of the day, humanity really is what therapy is all about. It’s a way to process human experiences like grief and trauma and work toward better mental health in a way that makes your client feel fulfilled. It’s not a box to be checked or a task to be completed.
With the tools and strategies above, you can take advantage of the benefits of modern technology while still keeping the human connection alive and well with your clients.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. Readers should consult with a qualified healthcare professional or therapist before making any changes to their therapeutic practices. The integration of technology should always be considered carefully, with attention to individual needs and ethical considerations.
