We are talking with Megan Peterson of 2nd Chance Counseling. 2nd Chance is an internet-based addiction treatment provider. They have therapists in every state working to make treatment accessible, flexible, and cost-effective. Duane and Megan talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this new treatment model, who it’s for, and how it came to be.
2nd Chance conducts therapy by video chat. The flexibility this offers creates new possibilities for treatment that is impossible for traditional outpatient clinics. Patients can communicate with their therapist earlier and later. Appointments can be any length the patient and therapist agree on. The flexibility and relative ease of meeting by video instead of in-person mean that appointments can often be set on shorter notice. Patients can utilize their therapist when difficulty arises, instead of waiting until the next scheduled appointment. Most of all, being able to access therapy without traveling eliminates the barriers that prevent people from getting the help they need. Digital communication is a bigger part of our culture than ever, and much of human connection today is digitally enabled.
In this episode we also discuss:
- Megan’s story as an addiction counselor and how 2nd Chance Counseling came to be
- How therapy will continue to evolve on these new platforms
- The algorithm 2nd Chance uses to pair patients and therapists with similar communication styles
- Some of the nuts and bolts differences in how treatment changes when it is done via video chat
- Ways in which addiction is treated differently from other medical disorders
- The importance of pointing a patient’s strengths early on in therapy
