Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
Board
State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
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10/23/24  2:32 pm
Commenter: Substance Abuse Counselor in MOUD setting

Virtual sessions
 

As a substance abuse counselor in a very chaotic setting, many of my patients do not come in for neatly scheduled timeslots. Several of my patients have work schedules that make it very difficult to have sessions, or who are worried about their scheduled ride leaving them. There are days where a stable patient who only comes in once a month comes in at the same time as a harm-reduction patient, forcing a choice between a greater need and lesser availability. Virtual sessions provide my patients access to me during hours that work best for them, and often during times when I am more free to engage with them. (After normal in-person hours have ended and things are less chaotic.) It is true that some patients do not show up for scheduled sessions, but for me this offers another measure of stability: do they follow through on their commitments? I have another avenue to discuss things with them in such cases. In summary, the flexibility that virtual sessions offer in my setting is such that I and a number of my patients would have difficulty continuing with the counseling side of their treatment without it.

CommentID: 228204