[alexalvarado]

Thanks for the push, this is something we think about a lot.

I'll start by saying that we look to data to drive our perspective here. The the evidence suggests that telepsychiatry is as effective as in person therapy for adolescents (article link below), and our data actually shows that it is more engaging as measured by session attendance and number of weekly engagements than traditional therapy benchmarks. The way teens engage with the world is changing (to more digital), and rather than try to swim against the current, we hope to reach the most teens by meeting them where they are, and then changing their behavior in ways that matter. Our programs do focus on the importance of things like limiting screen time and developing healthy relationships.

Ultimately I won't disagree with you -- in-person is at least as effective and for many people can be more effective. However, what we are hoping to do is increase access to those people for whom going to an in person session might present to high a barrier, whether it be geographically, financially, or from a stigma perspective.

Article on efficacy of telepsych: https://togetherthevoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AACA...

[toomim]

Actually, online therapy can be more effective than in-person:

[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5...

[2] https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/news-events/news/news-article/...