Iris clinicians facilitate top-quality behavioral health care – averaging 2.3M patient encounters every year. We are proud of the work our providers do every day to fill care gaps and support healthcare organizations across the country by providing their communities with timely access to exceptional care.
Every month, we sit down with one of our providers to spotlight the amazing work they’re doing every day and the impact they’re making on the communities they serve. This month, we’re sitting down to talk with Dr. Sean Hawkins!
Q. How does telehealth compare to in-person work?
A. The first thing on the top of the list is the contrast from where I was over a year ago – which was commuting probably an hour and a half a day. Then, there’s the extra 20 or 30 minutes you tack on to either end to make sure you’re not going to be late – accounting for traffic and accidents.
I really don’t miss the commute and I’m grateful to have more control over my day. I can customize more of my day and have more flexibility with my schedule. If I start my day an hour or two before my workday starts, I know exactly when I can sit down and when I can be there for my family. All those things are nice.
Q. How does telehealth support holistic care?
A. I have a nurse that’s present 90% of the time and a medical assistant that’s available other times. We see them at the beginning of every shift and in between every patient. We keep in regular contact. We also develop relationships with most of the employees.
There are behavioral health techs or care assistants present 24 hours a day. There are certainly people that I haven’t met that are overnight, but I do get to meet a large majority of the day shift employees, and I have some amount of communication with different people, even if I haven’t met them.
We review notes together. It feels like being part of a team with eight therapists – our nurse, a few medical assistants, and the leadership team. We have regular communication with that whole team, which I really enjoy.
At the top of the list is the other Iris psychiatrist – I get to see them face-to-face in a team meeting each week. We’re frequently talking on this side about different issues that come up.
Q. How does telehealth foster connection with patients virtually?
A. Telehealth helps patients in expected and unexpected ways. We do some outpatient visits – I think everybody learned a bit about that during the COVID-19 pandemic. But for me, it’s always a surprise when I’m introduced to somebody’s significant other, their family, dogs or the area where they live in a way that I never would’ve seen previously.
Additionally there are a lot of people who have been through traumatic events with men where they wouldn’t want to be in a closed room with a male practitioner and would not feel comfortable.
In fact, a lot of people I worked with in-person, would come in for a first visit and then back out the door and say, “I didn’t realize you were going to be a man. I can’t do this.”
I think that has been a lot better virtually to the extent that part of my first conversation with people is letting them know about boundaries, and if they’re not feeling safe or comfortable, I let them know they can always leave the room, and I’ll disappear. But if they’re not comfortable doing that, they could close the laptop.
There’s always that level of comfort for some people who have been through really difficult things like abuse and don’t feel as comfortable sharing a physical space with someone.
People who receive dialectical behavioral therapy can struggle with boundaries. It can be uncomfortable being a male provider in a small, closed room with no windows with a client who may have trouble with boundaries. There’s comfort on both ends knowing there’s no concern about some of the obvious things – where I might otherwise feel the need to have a chaperone present just for everybody’s comfort.
Q. What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A. The most rewarding parts are the same things that would be rewarding in person – seeing people make changes in their lives that are important to them over time. And feeling like I have some part of that is always nice. It’s mostly about an overwhelming sense of gratitude that someone opens up a part of their life where they’re vulnerable and where they’re trying to change or can change while I’m present.
Q. Why do you think telehealth is the future of mental health care?
A. The first thing that occurs to me is the geographical barriers. There are parts of the country where it’s hard to recruit psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Telehealth helps cut out a two-hour commute or help patients overcome cost prohibitive transportation.
A lot of patients are working long days, and the last thing I want to do is tack my visit onto the to the end of that and have them drive an unsafe two hours. I think for some people it’s safety in a literal sense.
Telehealth creates greater comfort than patients would have if they came into a public setting. There’s also stigma and shame that can come along with in-person care. I think it’s a lower energy barrier for people and there’s a ton of reasons why telehealth is here to stay and I’m glad to be a part of it.
Q. Anything you’d like to share about your experience with Iris?
A. I’m really glad to be here. This is a dream job for me in a lot of ways.
At Iris, we believe our providers should be respected, valued, and applauded for the work they do, and we couldn’t be prouder to say, “thank you” to our very own Dr. Hawkins. If you’d like to learn more about working for Iris Telehealth, contact us today.
