Therapists can use HIPAA compliant emails to explore clients’ deep emotional and psychological issues while maintaining clients’ privacy.
The National Library of Medicine’s book on Brief Interventions and Brief Therapies for Substance Abuse explains, “Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in the client's present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are client self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior.”
Ultimately, “a psychodynamic approach [allows] the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves in the need and desire to abuse substances.”
“Different forms of communication allow patient and therapist to establish different relationships and therapeutic possibilities,” as evidenced by a study on the psychodynamic perspective on a systematic review of online psychotherapy for adults.
More specifically, the study identifies emails as one of the “main online psychotherapy modalities identified [for] self-therapy programs…”
However, when therapists use emails to augment psychodynamic therapy, they must use a HIPAA compliant platform, like Paubox, to safeguard individuals’ protected health information (PHI) during these communications.
Psychodynamic therapy techniques encourage clients to investigate their unconscious thoughts and reactions. Therapists can incorporate these techniques into their HIPAA compliant emails to track patient progress, enhance patient engagement, and maintain client confidentiality outside of sessions.
According to Psychology.org’s blog on psychodynamic therapy, “[The technique] uses free association to encourage clients to explore their thoughts and emotions. By allowing clients to direct the process, therapists encourage them to identify patterns and reflect on their feelings."
HIPAA compliant emails can facilitate clients sharing reflections between sessions, helping them maintain continuity in their self-exploration. Clients who struggle with verbalizing their thoughts might also find writing their reflections to be a helpful alternative.
Moreover, by reviewing these reflections before a session, therapists can better understand their clients' concerns and guide them toward deeper self-awareness while maintaining their privacy.
"Psychodynamic therapists may use techniques [like] word association or inkblot tests to identify subconscious thoughts and feelings. Interpreting a client’s reaction to Rorschach tests, for example, is a common technique in psychodynamic therapy."
So, a therapist can use HIPAA compliant emails to send a client a word association list or an interpretation of an inkblot test, allowing the client to process their responses at their own pace. Secure email also allows therapists to document their findings systematically, creating a digital record that can be referenced throughout the therapeutic process.
"Clients unlock their unconscious thoughts through dream analysis, where a therapist guides them through dreams to understand hidden meanings and fears. While this is a subjective technique, it can help clients identify areas for growth."
Dream analysis can help clients uncover repressed emotions and unconscious fears, giving insight into their psychological state. Since dreams can fade quickly from memory, clients often need a way to record them immediately.
HIPAA compliant emails can be a convenient platform for clients to document their dreams and send them to their therapists before their next session. Therapists can view this content beforehand, making it easier to identify potential patterns.
Additionally, these emails can help therapists explore recurring symbols or unresolved conflicts while maintaining the confidentiality of their client’s personal reflections.
HIPAA sets standards for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI), including mental health records.
Patients have the right to access, request corrections, and obtain a copy of their mental health information.
Yes, HIPAA compliant emailing platforms, like Paubox, use encryption and other security measures, so only authorized individuals can access the information.