Health Watch: Brattleboro Retreat expands online group therapy
WCAX
Mental health care is not always easily accessible living in rural parts of our region. That’s why places like the Brattleboro Retreat are offering more therapy alternatives online.
Asking for help isn’t always easy. Just ask Lynn Levine.
“The places that I connect with, what I learned here were acceptance, trying to accept who I was,” said the Dummerston woman.
Levine has suffered from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder for years. She says some weeks are better than others and that after joining a therapy group at the Brattleboro Retreat, she doesn’t feel so alone anymore. “Community, making a difference. That I could help other people in the group by providing some of my experiences. And if I share with other people, I get more support,” Levine said.
The group therapy sessions -- known as “virtual intensive outpatient & partial hospitalization” -- went online during the pandemic. The four to six-week program allows patients to have their own therapist and psychiatrist.
Julie Tracy, clinical director of outpatient programs, says because the therapy is online, they are reaching more people in rural areas. “Oftentimes, they don’t have to travel. So, it allows them greater ease of care. They feel safer in their home setting. They feel like they can control privacy better. It also creates this visual, virtual dynamic that they are connected with people outside of their local community,” She said.