Telehealth is answer for those needing counseling

May 14, 2020

By Christine Bordelon

Since the COVID-19 crisis began in mid-March and social distancing became the norm, Catholic Counseling Service (CCS) quickly switched to telehealth services provided by phone or video conferencing to reach individuals, couples and families while protecting their mental and physical health.

“We’ve been rocking and rolling since the beginning,” said CCS director Joey Pistorius, a licensed professional counselor. “We’ve been pretty consistent on how we’ve been doing telehealth during this coronavirus pandemic.”

Pistorius says he’s seen a healthy mix of phone and video conferencing since the crisis.

“People are definitely getting used to the concept of telehealth or distancing conferencing,” Pistorius said. “At first, people may have felt uncomfortable not having used it before. … They were uncomfortable talking in their own house. But, people have figured it out – created that safe space to talk in their home. We’ve been seeing more recurring clients and increased new clients.”

The common theme heard most often about the impact of the coronavirus is finances, he said.

“If a family was already experiencing a financial strain, as this drags out, it becomes more financially significant for families,” Pistorius said.

Can now help more

Through the generosity of a donor, CCS has received a grant to help those affected financially by the coronavirus with the cost of counseling, especially those who can’t afford counseling even on a sliding scale.

“The grant is going to significantly increase the amount of financial assistance for counseling as well as increase the amount of pro-bono (free of charge) clients we work with,” Pistorius said.

The donation opens the door to care for those who would never have sought mental health care previously, thus removing one of the biggest obstacles clients have for not receiving mental health services – not having the ability to afford it, Pistorius said.

CCS’s mission has always been to supply affordable counseling on a sliding-pay scale. Catholic Counseling Service offers $50 a session counseling to anyone looking for help.

While some may have security or privacy concerns associated with telehealth, Pistorius said no system is infallible.

“But, we’re working with encrypted platforms that allow for security,” Pistorius said. “We are doing everything we can to be diligent about cyber security, when it comes to people’s confidentiality and privacy.”

Those needing counseling can call (504) 861-6245 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and speak to the intake coordinator. If there is no answer, leave a message with your name and preferred contact phone number so that the person returning the call within the next business day will know the best way to reach you to complete the intake and schedule an appointment. All calls are confidential.

Interested individuals can hear Pistorius live May 14 at 10 a.m. as a guest on a Zoom conference call with Dominican Father Dave Caron. They will discuss how to manage COVID-related stress to make us all “stronger, healthier and holier.” For details, contact the Office of Evangelization at evangelization@arch-no.org.

Christine Bordelon can be reached at cbordelon@clarionherald.org.