Interested in teletherapy services for your child during this closure? The Therapy SPOT is offering this service to current patients. Follow these steps to get started:
- Fill out this form to indicate your interest and provide us with some additional information to get you started: https://forms.gle/85PTUJ4Rjkz2Uskk7
- Once you complete the above form, someone from our office will contact you. At this time, we will review information regarding billing, what to expect, things to have prepared, how to get started, and scheduling. Scheduling can be single or multiple appointments, depending on your preferences.
- Once your appointment is scheduled, you will receive an email with further instructions. Your therapist will contact you directly if there are additional items they wish for you to have prepared.
- If you have any questions, remember you can call either office or contact us by email.
(248) 817-2484
(24) 893-6192
info@therapyspotmi.com
About Teletherapy
While our preferred method of intervention is in-person sessions with your child, there are many benefits to teletherapy services. One of our limitations to our work in the clinic is that carry over to the home environment can be challenging; with teletherapy, we are able to interact with the child in their natural environment, which is the best way to improve skills that are needed specifically for home. Teletherapy also helps us to guide and coach families with specific strategies at home, using items around the house, to help instill confidence in the family’s ability to implement therapy suggestions at home. During this difficult time, many of our patients will see a decline in progress they have worked hard to gain and many will experience increases in behaviors and sensory challenges which is difficult for every member of the family. Our role is to help you through this unusual time while also ensuring your child continues to progress with his or her goals.
Our staff feel strongly that this service method will be critical for many of our patients as we are anticipating schools and therapy clinics to be shut down for extended periods as a result of the Coronavirus and therefore many of our patients will become more disorganized, more disregulated, and lose gains they have been achieving with regular intervention. The significant decrease in social interaction, direct support from therapists or educators, as well as the likely increase in use of electronics, have pediatric therapists very concerned about the development and well-being of children during this historic event we are all experiencing.
What to Expect
Appointments can be set up one at a time, or on a regular basis, depending on your preferences. We will review any specific items the therapist may want you to have handy. If the therapist wishes you to have additional items handy, she will contact you 24 hours prior to the appointment via email. Be sure to check your email so you know what to prepare. Depending on your therapist’s recommendations, the session will be set up as either a ‘treatment’ session, a parent education session, or a combination of both. Most commonly, sessions will be some combination of the two. For the first session, plan on having a parent or caregiver present for the duration as your therapist may modify her plan as she observes the child’s response to this new type of intervention approach.
Treatment Session:
The child’s current goals will be addressed mostly through contact and direct activities with the child. The parent’s role during this type of session will primarily be at the start and end of the session. At the start of the session, the therapist will review the session’s plan and make sure items are prepared and ready to go. She may also ask you about any updates or concerns you are having. After that, the therapist will begin her planned activities with your child. During this time, the parent or caregiver’s role is primarily that of observer or camera person. For some children, the therapist may recommend a ‘coaching’ style- during this type of session, the therapist is coaching the parent in what to do with the child. Your therapist may modify your involvement in the session as it progresses. The last few minutes of the session will end with caregiver discussion; during this time, the therapist will review any suggestions and discuss recommendations for the next appointment (if needed).
Parent Education Session:
This type of session will address your child’s current therapy goals through direct interaction with the parent or caregiver. The therapist will begin by reviewing the child’s current functioning and getting up to date with how the child is doing. The therapist will ask the parent to describe current strategies or ideas that parent has currently been implementing and how successful they were. Then the therapist will discuss their recommendations, update the home program, and provide suggestions based on what is available within the home.
Combination:
The therapist will spend part of the session completing treatment with the child- through activities, demonstrations, discussion- and part of the session with just the parent- through discussion, education, providing suggestions.
