Sixteen times as many islanders with mental health conditions are being given online treatment by the Government’s psychological therapy service compared to when the pandemic began, Express has learned.
In 2020, just 3% of Jersey Talking Therapy appointments were conducted wholly or partially online – but that figure rose to 54% last year.
The figures were revealed in response to a request made by Express under the Freedom of Information Law.
In response, Mental Health Director Andy Weir said: “There are around 300 people this year that have accessed therapy through Xyla.
“Covid has shown us that online therapy can be delivered very well with little differential outcome, for some people in some circumstances.
“In other stuff, we would prefer people to be seen face-to-face.”
He added: “There’s a challenge, isn’t there, about whether or not that’s a choice.
“Because actually, if we can only deliver X amount of therapy face-to-face, but we can deliver other therapy through different modes, then that’s what we need to do.”
When asked by Express about whether he expects the number of islanders accessing therapy online to continue to grow, Mr Weir said he did not know.
Increase in support and availability
Matt Falla – who founded peer support group Man Club after his own struggles with mental illness – explained that the most important thing with regards to individuals that require the support of Jersey Talking Therapies is that they can access that support at the point they need it.
He acknowledged some of the benefits of online therapy.
“The ability to move some appointments online will have increased not only the availability of sessions, but also the number of therapists that are able to provide support, who don’t necessarily need to be on island,” he said.
“Jersey is a tight knit community and the chances of someone seeker help knowing the locally based therapist allocated, unaware of the nuances of island life and events might be beneficial.”
He added: “It may also provide a more empathetic way for individuals to access counselling, with physical encounters in an unfamiliar location possibly being a blocker.”
“The medium didn’t work for me”
However, Mr Falla raised concerns that online therapy can often struggle to match the personal relationship developed through in-person treatment.
He said: “Studies have shown that about 65% of the social meaning of a situation is derived from non-verbal cues.
“Not all non-verbal information is completely lost in video, but it is lower that face-to-face.”
Mr Falla explained that factors like the strength and stability of your internet connection, the choice of location to speak from, and what you are exposed to in that environment can affect the impact of online sessions.
He said: “I personally struggled when trying to maintain an online relationship with my Jersey therapist whilst in Guernsey and found a local therapist instead.
“It was nothing to do with the individual, just the medium didn’t work for me.”
He added: “In my opinion and experience, face-to-face sessions have helped me more than online.
“However, there are benefits to both and if someone that is suffering can find solace with therapy we shouldn’t be overly concerned with the ‘how’.”
“It can be a first step to accessing help”
Michelle Buckles, a registered psychotherapist in Jersey, explained that there are many reasons why somebody may choose to access therapy online.
“Post-Covid, many people and businesses have seen the benefits of working from home online and a whole new world opened up where ‘in person’ appointments were not as necessary due to video technology,” she explained.
Ms Buckles said that online therapy can be a way of accessing support immediately, and bridge the gap of logistics and cost of travel.
“For some it can be a first step to accessing help and part of the goal setting of therapy, when they may not be able to meet in person to begin with, is giving the client some control and a goal to work towards meeting face-to-face,” she said.
She added that, in Jersey, online therapy can be helpful for people travelling off-island for work it can often be a means to continuing therapy without interruption which some prefer.
Ms Buckles explained that she also has online clients who are not based in Jersey as local services in their area do not provide the support they need.
“In this way, online therapy can be of great help for geographically hard-to-reach locations where the support is unavailable,” she said.
But overall, Ms Buckles’ caseload is weighted more towards in-person clients than online – which she said she would expect on a small island such as Jersey where travel is not so much of a barrier.
“In terms of outcome measures, I use a variety of standardised questionnaires measuring elements of psychological distress and have found that there is no significant difference between the outcome results of online versus in-person therapy with reductions across both in-person and online,” she explained.
“However, it really depends on the circumstances of the client and their needs at that time. There are some clients and situations where in-person therapy would certainly be preferable to online, and most clinicians would be aware of these presentations and advise accordingly to ensure the best mental health support is given.”
“The therapist-client relationship is a key element”
She continued: “The therapist-client relationship is a key element to therapy being successful and how this is conducted online should always be done with professional care and consideration.
“Full training on how to conduct online therapy should be undertaken first to ensure that confidentiality, safety and client rapport is maintained.”
Ms Buckles also called for more measurable outcomes across all mental health practitioners in Jersey to allow data to highlight any differences between in-person and online therapy.
“From my perspective, it would be good to have a universal outcome measure agreed and in place across all mental health practitioners in Jersey so that results can be shared and we can view the data in line with how it is conducted to give more depth to the argument and to draw any real conclusions,” she explained.
