Helping kids Engage in Telehealth Therapy

Helping kids Engage in Telehealth Therapy

Thursday 26 Nov 2020

Telehealth has been integral part of ACTT service delivery in 2020, allowing continuous service delivery to clients, especially during COVID-19 when our face-to-face therapy sessions were suspended.

Engaging kids in telehealth therapy has proven a challenging process for ACTT clients, as we moved from face-to-face appointments to providing services over the internet and phone. To support clients and families in therapy sessions ACTT created therapy packs. These packs are designed to be used during therapy sessions with children and their family.

During a face-to-face therapy, a therapist can entice the child to interact in a therapy session by having toys, games, and activities that they know children like. In telehealth the families support the children to engage in sessions. Packs are tailored to children’s interests in order to integrate therapy resources into sessions. For example, children can mould the ‘theraputty’ to help them identify how they are feeling, or build strength in their hands to support with hand writing and fine motor skill development. The therapist can read a book with the child or draw together. In addition, therapists have begun to use screen sharing games to support therapy goals.

Therapy Packs have have been well received by clients and their families. Parents report that children loved receiving their own parcel and all the things inside and therapists feel that the packs have helped to build rapport with the child and family during sessions.

When a block of therapy finishes, our Aboriginal Community and Therapy Support Workers prepare an “end of therapy pack”. This pack contains ideas to keep working on at home, such as sound cards, a summary of therapy goals and strategies.

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