waderoush writes “Is the digital age sending the old therapist’s couch the way of the reference librarian, the CD, and the travel agent? Could be: several recent studies have found that therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment. But it’s taken online therapy startup Breakthrough about four years to convince venture investors and insurance companies that online therapy can remove many of the road blocks to mental health care, including the high cost, the social stigma, and the difficulty of access. So far, Breakthrough has partnered with 100 licensed psychiatrists and psychologists in Texas, California, Virginia, and Maryland; every provider on the site has a profile and a welcome video that allows potential clients to evaluate them before they even talk online. ‘Now we have greater research supporting telemedicine, and people are more comfortable digitally,’ says co-founder and CEO Mark Goldenson. ‘I think the market is ready for it.'”… waderoush writes “Is the digital age sending the old therapist’s couch the way of the reference librarian, the CD, and the travel agent? Could be: several recent studies have found that therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment. But it’s taken online therapy startup Breakthrough about four years to convince venture investors and insurance companies that online therapy can remove many of the road blocks to mental health care, including the high cost, the social stigma, and the difficulty of access. So far, Breakthrough has partnered with 100 licensed psychiatrists and psychologists in Texas, California, Virginia, and Maryland; every provider on the site has a profile and a welcome video that allows potential clients to evaluate them before they even talk online. ‘Now we have greater research supporting telemedicine, and people are more comfortable digitally,’ says co-founder and CEO Mark Goldenson. ‘I think the market is ready for it.'”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read more http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/2-E4rN7SY2c/story01.htm