Safety Net – Technology

In this demonstration, the therapist (Anjuynia) is conducting an intake interview session with a new client (LoneStarTexasTornado). The client is an Army Veteran who has previously been diagnosed with PTSD and had been set up with weekly appointments at her local VA. Unfortunately, local in her case is relative as the VA is an hour away from her work. This means that she was missing at least 3 hours of work a week between her appointment time and drive time, putting strain on her co-workers, and ultimately forcing her to cancel many of her appointments and drop to a single monthly visit with a mental health provider.

Luckily, LoneStarTexasTornado has been selected for a new VA Safety Net trial, for online therapeutic treatment. In this program, LoneStarTexasTornado is able to meet anonymously with a therapist and receive weekly sessions at a mutually scheduled time. To help compensate for the non-verbal cues lost in the absence of traditional face-to-face therapeutic interactions, LoneStarTexasTornado received a smartwatch device that helps (along with the software) to provide her therapist with critical information to her emotional and physiological state during their sessions, ensuring that the interaction is safe and that LoneStarTexasTornado has the proper care.

By meeting with Anjuynia online through SafetyNet, LoneStarTexasTornado is able to meet more frequently and miss less work, allowing her to better support her co-workers, while making her own mental health a priority!