Youth Ambassador Meke, provides useful tips for integrating
technology into a clinical setting from her personal experience
with healthcare professionals.
What does technology mean to you?
Technology is the way I stay connected with people in my life
(except my grandparents, lol). It means freedom and connection in
the sense that I can be connected from anywhere, anytime to anyone.
It also makes life so much easier and means I have access to an
answer to any question I might ever want to know (except big
questions like the meaning of life!!), at my fingertips.
What types of technology do you use in your day to day
life?
I use my laptop with wireless internet or a desktop computer. I
use my phone for pretty much everything (GPS, internet, calls,
music, videos, calendar etc.). Sometimes I use an ipod if I want to
go jogging.
Have you sought treatment for any type of mental health
difficulties?
I have had a lot of help over the past nine years to deal with
various mental health difficulties - from some really amazing
people!
Would you tell me a little about them?
Most of the help I have received has been to assist me to deal
with the consequences of childhood trauma. I have had help to deal
with PTSD, anxiety, depression and eating issues as well as
self-harm and suicidal ideation. Sounds kind of depressing when you
say it like that, but I think I am pretty lucky to have had support
for so many things when I was still an adolescent - before life
went along too far!
What were your experiences with health care professionals
like?
I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience in my contact
with mental health professional like counsellors and psychologists.
I have had a number of people support me long-term along the
journey (due to accessing different services for different issues
etc.). My experience with GPs and with a Psychiatrist has been less
helpful - not negative but just very medical, removed, clinical
etc. I have recently found a GP though, who is really amazing!
What types of technology were used in your
sessions?
I actually first used technology to seek help when I was 14, by
contacting Kids Helpline - it was the first time I ever spoke to a
counsellor or anyone else for that matter about my childhood
experiences. For a number of years I used the phone, email and wed
based counselling services through Kids Helpline to access support.
This was free and I didn't have to get permission from my parents.
With my face-to-face services the only real use of technology has
been to schedule appointments (phone or texting) but occasionally I
have sent an email to my counsellor as she has invited me to do so
if I want to.
How do you think it would have/or did make a difference to your
treatment?
I think it really changed my experience in the sense that I
reached out for help a lot sooner (it was less daunting and
overwhelming). I was able to seek help in a way that felt
comfortable for me and met me where I was at. I was able to 'say'
things I could not say aloud by writing them down in an email.
Often I would write an email when I was having a tough time and
just the process of doing that helped me to feel better. I also
found that using web based counselling (like instant messaging)
really helped me to work on my relationship with my counsellor. It
was instant interaction but a little bit more removed so I could
say things that were really hard to say (e.g. if I had felt hurt by
her) and then she would respond right away and we could resolve it.
I wasn't at a place to do this out loud until further into the
process of therapy. It helped me to verbalise my deeper beliefs
about myself (not just surface stuff) to be able to write it
down.
I have to admit though, that I really needed face-to-face support
for some issues, particularly my eating issues - so technology can
have its limitations.
What advice would you give a health care professional
wanting to use technology in their practice, including some
practical examples?
I don't think the use of technology should replace face to face
contact but I think it is a great asset and can really enhance it!
I also think it is possible to 'do' therapy via the internet or
phone if someone is unable to attend standard services for whatever
reason. In my opinion, a combination of as many media as possible
is the best and most helpful! I feel like I have lost something
working with counsellors face to face without email - I often can't
sort my thoughts out fast enough to really communicate what I need
to say in session.
One way to use emails in practice is to invite people to send
the emails between sessions, knowing that you will not read them
until the actual session (so it's not cutting into your time - but
is part of the session). The email can highlight patterns and be a
starting point for conversations that otherwise may never have
happened (due to shame, difficulty verbalising or just simply
forgetting what it is really like in those times when one is really
in a bad, or a good place).
Another idea is to get the young person (YP) to do homework
online or via email. For example if you are doing mood diaries or
ABCs - or wanting them to monitor certain behaviours, then you
could have them complete this online (if you have this set up) or
to email it through the updated form each night, for example. Makes
it a bit more fun! Also if you wanted YP to try mindfulness
practice or progressive muscle relaxation you could have the
recordings for these on your website for them to download and try
at home - rather than giving them a CD. Or if this isn't possible
then even just email MP3 files to the YP so that they can put them
onto their ipod straight away! You need to have both options
though, because there are some YP who can't afford all the latest
technology (and I was definitely one of them when I was
younger).
If you want to get really keen, you could try using an instant
messaging service to facilitate conversations with individuals who
may have some sort of reason why they can't or don't want to talk
on the phone or be seen face-to-face (some obvious examples being
severe anxiety or hearing impairment). You can set it up so that
there is a planned session time where you are both online from
wherever you are and can have a session. Emotion can be introduced
by being creative - for example using emoticons (:-), :-P, :-( etc)
or by putting up a shared drawing board where you can scribble
things to demonstrate what you are talking about. It is slower this
way though, so sessions might need to be an extra half hour longer
to cover the same ground (depending on typing speed!).
If you are working with young people who are geographically
isolated, or might have difficulty getting out of the house (e.g.
some YP with disabilities, terminal illness or chronic pain or
young carers) use of technology such as a combination or phone,
email and web counselling might be possible. It depends on the
phone if they are worried about someone listening in, which is why
the internet is a good option.
I think texting is a great way to confirm appointments or even
to remind young people about homework (if they are ok with this!).
I even got a text one time from a counsellor right before she knew
I had to face a really anxiety provoking experience - it came out
of the blue and was a once off thing to remind me of what we had
talked about and let me know she was thinking of me and believed in
me. It made SUCH a difference!
Another simple idea would be to have an ipod dock in your room
so that YP can share music that is meaningful to them in the
sessions, and then tell you why! Not to mention this would be fun
and funky!
One really important thing as well, is to make sure you have a
decent website. It's pretty likely that YP who are looking for
services are going to check them out online first…so this is a
really important first impression. I remember I nearly got scared
off a service that had a really alternative and full-on website -
but has turned out to be a really awesome place when you actually
get there!
What would you say to a health care professional to
convince them or to sway them into including technologies in their
treatment of young people?
I think health care professionals worry that if they introduce
the use of technology they might find themselves flooded with
crisis emails, texts or generally having difficulty managing the
services. When it comes down to it though, like anything else there
just needs to be clear communication to the young person the
boundaries around the service (the same as face to face support).
You can even have them sign a contract if that is what is
needed.
I think health care professionals working with young people
should try to embrace the use of technology as a way of making help
seeking more relevant and accessible to young people. Like, when I
went and saw a Psychiatrist, and sat on her floral couch in her
medical room - I felt like I was stepping back in time and it made
me automatically awkward. When I chatted online or wrote an email
to a counsellor I felt like I was in my own world and could be
myself and I think that really helped me!
Technology plays such a huge role in the lives of young people -
and I don't think it's about the health care professional even
being a pro at using technology because it's constantly changing. I
used to help my counsellors learn chat lingo and it made me feel
like I had something to offer and communicated to me that they were
interested in my world (not just my problems).