Virtual Therapy Onboarding: How It Works

There might be more to the recent reappearance of a show like Frasier on television than just the general pattern of reboot-mania hitting TV and streaming services. Mental health and therapy are everywhere in the culture, much more than they were when the sitcom--about a one-time clinical psychologist hosting his own self-help radio show--first ran. This isn’t a phenomenon restricted to traditional broadcasting. On social media, people drop therapy lingo in casual conversation. On dating applications, people sometimes list a willingness to pursue therapy as a desirable trait in a partner. Since the disruption of the pandemic and the waves of uncertainty that have followed, people everywhere are talking about seeking professional guidance to manage life.

For mental health practitioners, such increased visibility would seem like an unqualified blessing. It’s true: we’re seeing old taboos about seeking help disappear, and a broader acknowledgment of therapy’s value in the culture at large. Clinicians now have the opportunity to help more people find personal strength and contentment than ever before. This is not, however, the whole story.

Yes, more people than ever are discussing, considering, and signing up for therapy, but not every incoming client has the right idea about what that means. Therapists know the difference between a client that walks in with firm intentions, goals, and a plan to pursue improvement, and someone with unclear expectations. The influx of new excitement about therapy has meant a boom in the latter, and therapists owe it to these brand new clients to make sure they get the most out of the experience. Getting new clients up to speed on how to approach therapy is a necessary part of providing them the best guidance we can. Virtual therapy onboarding is proven to do that.

Virtual therapy onboarding is simple to implement, and goes a long way in improving the value and the positive impact of therapy for all parties involved. Here’s how it works.

Virtual therapy onboarding: a quick overview

Virtual therapy onboarding is a method of online onboarding through which mental health practices and practitioners can prepare incoming clients to benefit as much as possible from therapy; or more accurately, prepare clients to prepare themselves.

When a client signs on to begin therapy, the practice sends them a link to a repository of video resources. These easy-to-understand short videos, created by industry experts, are organized into modules each of which addresses major concepts and areas that clients will need to understand in order to make the most out of their experience of therapy. The practice can instruct clients as to what resources are necessary to view before the first appointment, to make sure the therapy relationship starts off on the right foot.

A good online onboarding solution for therapy clients will contain information on topics such as:

• What a client should expect out of a therapy session
• Appropriate topics of discussion for therapy
• How to set goals and evaluate progress as therapy continues on
• How to stay focused on reaching goals and overcome therapy hurdles
• What constitutes “success,” when to “graduate” from therapy, and what comes after
• Basics about payment and other administrative issues (i.e., cancellation fees)

These are only a few of the numerous topics that virtual therapy onboarding resources cover. All together, the online onboarding videos give a full run through of everything an incoming client needs to know to prepare for the first session and beyond.

The client views the videos and learns, developing a clear understanding of the dos and don’ts of therapy, so at their first appointment any number of common sources of stress and miscommunication are nipped in the bud. The client will get the value they’re looking for out of the session, and the therapist has the pleasure of working with an appropriately engaged, intentional client.

Since access to the content doesn’t expire, clients can review the resources as necessary throughout their therapy journey—if after a few months they have, for example, a foundational disagreement with their therapist about their progress, they can review the video dealing with that topic for expert advice on how to approach the issue. The vendor and the practice can (and should) continually assess and refresh resources to keep them current and make sure they’re in line with the most up-to-date insights on how to maximize therapy’s effectiveness.

A necessary solution for today’s therapy landscape

Clients come to therapists seeking guidance. They recognize the need for help navigating the world, and want to work with a trained expert to find a path forward. But recognizing that need is only a start. Being in therapy means establishing a specific kind of relationship with a practitioner. It’s a relationship that demands work, cultivation, goals, and parameters. Missing that can hinder progress, leaving clients feeling like they’re wasting time and money, and making therapists feel like they’re going in circles.

Virtual therapy onboarding fixes that. It provides content that establishes the most proven-effective approaches to therapy and delivers it in an easy-to-understand format, making quality therapy possible from day one.

Media critics can critique how closely a given on-screen therapist reflects reality. People analyzing social trends can discuss if it’s a net positive or net negative to have the therapy vernacular popping up all over Instagram and TikTok. For the mental health clinician, though, these questions are secondary. What’s of prime importance is that there’s more people than ever seeking guidance for the first time, and it’s the therapist’s duty to provide it. Clients who understand what therapy takes are ones who get the most value from it. Online onboarding with video resources is the way to make sure every client “gets it,” no matter how many new clients are coming in for a helping hand, and no matter what things look like in the world--or on screens large and small.