Steven Levenkron, M.S., one of our alumni, is a ground breaking and well-known psychotherapist  specializing in anorexia, self-mutilation, OCD and sexual abuse. He is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books which provide theoretical analyses in his areas of expertise. In a career that began in 1970,  Levenkron has provided over sixty-thousand hours (and counting) of therapy, and boasts a 90% recovery rate for his patients.

Ray Barrett of Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC recently sat with Steven Levenkron to discuss his years of experience and the success he has experienced when using technology in his treatment of patients.  Levenkron has found that abuse victims are more open when care is provided at a distance. When those clients find themselves alone and in a secure environment and at no physical risk from others, they tend to open more quickly and disclose to the provider - hence, care and treatment begin much faster. For abuse victims, non-verbal communication (such as email) is the most effective for opening up, followed by audio (telephone), and video conferencing. The least effective style of meetings for this clientele is same-location sessions.

The process of billing can be a great hassle for providers, and risky business. Often telehealth providers do not know how to correctly bill for their services and sometimes create legal and ethical issues by billing incorrectly. Debbie Duran the owner of Mental Health Billing & Consulting in Louisiana shares from her 28+ years of experience billing for mental health providers.