The unexpected blessing of Doctor On Demand
This #thankyouthursday, I am grateful for the unexpected blessing of Doctor On Demand.
I’ve written before about my appreciation for telehealth, but my previous experience was with a physical affliction and tied to a clinic’s website.
This time, my health insurance company emailed to let us know about an app called Doctor on Demand. Our insurance is currently covering telehealth through the app at 100%, including mental health services.
I say “us” and “our” because if it had only been “me” and “my,” I probably would not have received the unexpected blessing of Doctor on Demand. But since my partner and I both get emails about our insurance benefits, even though I ignored the message about Doctor on Demand, he brought up the opportunity and suggested we both take advantage of it.
I confess I was not enthused. I think therapy is great, and it’s helped me a lot in the past. But starting therapy can be a fraught endeavor—you have to not only find someone who takes your insurance, but who also has availability to see you. That process typically involves a lot of awkward phone calls and emails, basically making you say “hi I need help” over and over again.
And after all that, once you finally get an appointment, you have to actually show up and hope you can feel safe enough to share personal information with a relative stranger.
Granted, Doctor on Demand didn’t take away the apprehension of sharing personal information with a relative stranger. But the app did remove the other challenges—all I had to do was log in, and a minute later I was scrolling through a list of insurance-approved therapists whose bios and calendars were clearly visible. A few clicks to confirm an appointment, and then at the scheduled time, the app facilitated a video chat.
I am so grateful I showed up for a therapy appointment this week. The therapist told me things I needed to hear, and I’ve been thinking about our conversation ever since.* A conversation I would not have had without Doctor on Demand.
I once would have balked at connecting with a therapist over a screen, but the Zoom/pandemic era seems to have changed my perspective, and I’m so glad. Because having easy access to insurance-approved mental health professionals is an unexpected blessing I am grateful to receive.
Love > fear,
Christina
*And even more important than thinking about the conversation with the therapist, I’ve been doing some things differently and feeling better as a result. Amazing what taking some actions can do! 💯💯💯