Are therapists doing unmasked therapy for kids with anxiety about covid stuff yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How quickly this thread has shifted from an apparently reasonable concern voiced by a parent to unsupported ranting about masks, deliberate mischaracterizations of comments, and “alternative facts”.

Here’s an important takeaway: Professionals, particularly those in clinical professions, will do their best to protect their families, their clients, and themselves in these uncertain, challenging and changing times. No amount of ranting on the part of people who want to politicize public health issues will change this. What it will change, is that professionals will increasingly limit their practices, retire, and leave their professions for other options — in the face of the selfish expectations that therapists and other health professionals put themselves at risk for the supposed needs (both actual and imagined) of those who seek their services. In many areas, well trained clinicians, particularly those who specialize in working with children, are at a premium. Look for that to get worse as the many risks associated with working in these types of professions far outweigh any possible benefits, and as the realities of capitalism far outweigh the kinds of values that often lead people to pursue these professions at considerable cost to themselves .

Ok so do you think OP can reasonably ask for an unmasked therapist for her child? Can a parent with a speech delayed child ask for an unmasked therapist? Autism? Or are we not allowed to because this fails to demonstrate our understanding that our kids are just bothers and “risks” and we need to accept whatever we get. (Nevermind that we are usually paying your fees out of pocket, or have a legal right to the services under IDEA.)

Yes, I think OP can reasonably ask for this. I also think that it’s more than reasonable for a therapist to refuse this request— for multiple reasons. While you are “allowed” to seek out services that you feel are appropriate, people providing those services are not only “allowed “ but ethically required to maintain environments that reduce health risks to others as well as to themselves. Clients don’t get to randomly dictate those standards. “Paying out of pocket” doesn’t change this.

While you MAY have “a legal right to services under IDEA”, there are limits to those “rights”. For practical purposes, since so many of the posters maintain that wanting to wear a mask when providing therapy is an anomaly, the simplest thing would be to find a therapist who doesn’t wear a mask. An individual patient has absolutely no right to services from a particular provider, and zero right to forcing an individual provider to alter their standards of care based on a particular client’s personal whims.

Look, if you can’t understand or acknowledge why masking is detrimental to some kids’ therapy, you’re not being honest or ethical. Especially considering that this is an unusual community norm limited to places like DC. And yeah, at a certain point, masked speech therapy violates the IDEA.

Do you not understand the risks of Covid? If you don’t mask, you are risking the therapists health and live hood. If you are not happy find a different one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

HEARD

[Anonymous]

OP good luck in your search. I think you might have better luck with solo practitioners than group practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

Being so incredibly high risk that you can’t send your child in an N95 for a one hour appointment with a therapist in an N95 must be very hard and scary indeed. You are your child both have my sympathy, absolutely. But I truly don’t understand what your point is with regard to this thread. You would be comfortable sending your child if the therapist masked for all appointments? Even though you would have no I did they spent 3 hours in a bar the night before? I am asking honestly here but I can’t imagine that is the case. I really don’t think any is saying therapists should not be allowed to mask if the patient requests it. So generally speaking I feel that information about the interaction that your child’s therapist has with MY child (including whether they are masked or not) is just like information about any interaction the therapist has in their personal life, which you are not entitled to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

Being so incredibly high risk that you can’t send your child in an N95 for a one hour appointment with a therapist in an N95 must be very hard and scary indeed. You are your child both have my sympathy, absolutely. But I truly don’t understand what your point is with regard to this thread. You would be comfortable sending your child if the therapist masked for all appointments? Even though you would have no I did they spent 3 hours in a bar the night before? I am asking honestly here but I can’t imagine that is the case. .therapists should not be allowed to mask if the patient request…... So generally speaking I feel that information about the interaction that your child’s therapist has with MY child (including whether they are masked or not) is just like information about any interaction the therapist has in their personal life, which you are not entitled to.

What some people do seem to be saying, though, is that the parent’s wishes regarding whether or not the therapist wears a mask are the only wishes that matter. Not best practices, not the therapist’s health concerns and professional judgement, and not the well-being of other patients. This combination of entitlement in an effort to control other people to conform with one parent’s demands is chilling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If op has a thoughtful child willing to mask, why would you discourage them or refuse to have them mask. Maybe part of this is parenting.

My thoughtful child knows kids have always been low risk for severe disease, and that adults now have access to vaccines and therapeutics. And that the evidence on masks is really, really flimsy. And that they're uncomfortable to breathe in and that they impede communication and that no one wears them when we visit family out of the area and they're not keeling over or landing in the hospital. She can see through the BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:District Therapy in DC (across from the Cactus Cantina) is great and doesn’t require masks. Ask for Sam!

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

Being so incredibly high risk that you can’t send your child in an N95 for a one hour appointment with a therapist in an N95 must be very hard and scary indeed. You are your child both have my sympathy, absolutely. But I truly don’t understand what your point is with regard to this thread. You would be comfortable sending your child if the therapist masked for all appointments? Even though you would have no I did they spent 3 hours in a bar the night before? I am asking honestly here but I can’t imagine that is the case. .therapists should not be allowed to mask if the patient request…... So generally speaking I feel that information about the interaction that your child’s therapist has with MY child (including whether they are masked or not) is just like information about any interaction the therapist has in their personal life, which you are not entitled to.

What some people do seem to be saying, though, is that the parent’s wishes regarding whether or not the therapist wears a mask are the only wishes that matter. Not best practices, not the therapist’s health concerns and professional judgement, and not the well-being of other patients. This combination of entitlement in an effort to control other people to conform with one parent’s demands is chilling.

Wearing a mask isn’t normal and isn’t something that was done pre-covid. You’re going to have more and more of a problem trying to get the general population to mask for eternity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If op has a thoughtful child willing to mask, why would you discourage them or refuse to have them mask. Maybe part of this is parenting.

My thoughtful child knows kids have always been low risk for severe disease, and that adults now have access to vaccines and therapeutics. And that the evidence on masks is really, really flimsy. And that they're uncomfortable to breathe in and that they impede communication and that no one wears them when we visit family out of the area and they're not keeling over or landing in the hospital. She can see through the BS.

Anyone with common sense can see through the BS. Covid spread rapidly despite people masking. Even if we did require 24-7 masking when not at home, covid would still spread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

Being so incredibly high risk that you can’t send your child in an N95 for a one hour appointment with a therapist in an N95 must be very hard and scary indeed. You are your child both have my sympathy, absolutely. But I truly don’t understand what your point is with regard to this thread. You would be comfortable sending your child if the therapist masked for all appointments? Even though you would have no I did they spent 3 hours in a bar the night before? I am asking honestly here but I can’t imagine that is the case. .therapists should not be allowed to mask if the patient request…... So generally speaking I feel that information about the interaction that your child’s therapist has with MY child (including whether they are masked or not) is just like information about any interaction the therapist has in their personal life, which you are not entitled to.

What some people do seem to be saying, though, is that the parent’s wishes regarding whether or not the therapist wears a mask are the only wishes that matter. Not best practices, not the therapist’s health concerns and professional judgement, and not the well-being of other patients. This combination of entitlement in an effort to control other people to conform with one parent’s demands is chilling.

Wearing a mask isn’t normal and isn’t something that was done pre-covid. You’re going to have more and more of a problem trying to get the general population to mask for eternity.

It’s the new normal. Time for you to adapt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If op has a thoughtful child willing to mask, why would you discourage them or refuse to have them mask. Maybe part of this is parenting.

My thoughtful child knows kids have always been low risk for severe disease, and that adults now have access to vaccines and therapeutics. And that the evidence on masks is really, really flimsy. And that they're uncomfortable to breathe in and that they impede communication and that no one wears them when we visit family out of the area and they're not keeling over or landing in the hospital. She can see through the BS.

Actually no, when I got Covid with health issues I was told no to the medications. Masking has been shown to help. It’s not just about your child but the other kids and families they interact with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How quickly this thread has shifted from an apparently reasonable concern voiced by a parent to unsupported ranting about masks, deliberate mischaracterizations of comments, and “alternative facts”.

Here’s an important takeaway: Professionals, particularly those in clinical professions, will do their best to protect their families, their clients, and themselves in these uncertain, challenging and changing times. No amount of ranting on the part of people who want to politicize public health issues will change this. What it will change, is that professionals will increasingly limit their practices, retire, and leave their professions for other options — in the face of the selfish expectations that therapists and other health professionals put themselves at risk for the supposed needs (both actual and imagined) of those who seek their services. In many areas, well trained clinicians, particularly those who specialize in working with children, are at a premium. Look for that to get worse as the many risks associated with working in these types of professions far outweigh any possible benefits, and as the realities of capitalism far outweigh the kinds of values that often lead people to pursue these professions at considerable cost to themselves .

Ok so do you think OP can reasonably ask for an unmasked therapist for her child? Can a parent with a speech delayed child ask for an unmasked therapist? Autism? Or are we not allowed to because this fails to demonstrate our understanding that our kids are just bothers and “risks” and we need to accept whatever we get. (Nevermind that we are usually paying your fees out of pocket, or have a legal right to the services under IDEA.)

Yes, I think OP can reasonably ask for this. I also think that it’s more than reasonable for a therapist to refuse this request— for multiple reasons. While you are “allowed” to seek out services that you feel are appropriate, people providing those services are not only “allowed “ but ethically required to maintain environments that reduce health risks to others as well as to themselves. Clients don’t get to randomly dictate those standards. “Paying out of pocket” doesn’t change this.

While you MAY have “a legal right to services under IDEA”, there are limits to those “rights”. For practical purposes, since so many of the posters maintain that wanting to wear a mask when providing therapy is an anomaly, the simplest thing would be to find a therapist who doesn’t wear a mask. An individual patient has absolutely no right to services from a particular provider, and zero right to forcing an individual provider to alter their standards of care based on a particular client’s personal whims.

Precisely. There is autonomy in both directions at the individual level.

Your “autonomy” entails failing to do an important part of your job. As a therapist your autonomy does not entitle you to deliver bad services.

When the professional organization that provides certification for your specialty is at odds with an anonymous person on a discussion forum as to what constitutes best practices, I'm sorry to say the judgment of the DCUM poster does not hold the trump card.

Nobody is entitled to services from a particular provider, and you say this practice out of the norm. It should be simple to find another practitioner in line with your views. I have every faith you can and will, and I wish you well with it.

ASHA needs to reconsider its guidance and actually consider the obvious problems with masked speech therapy. And no its not simple to find new providers who unmask particularly if mask policies are set by the practice owners and not therapists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one’s pretending it doesn’t matter. The whole thing sucks. We’ve been struggling with this for years now. All of us. (Even those that think covid is not a big deal now or ever).

Actually many are pretending and it’s not the ones like the posters who are screaming no masks suffering, it’s kids like mine who cannot do in person school or therapies due to the health risks of a parent getting Covid.

Being so incredibly high risk that you can’t send your child in an N95 for a one hour appointment with a therapist in an N95 must be very hard and scary indeed. You are your child both have my sympathy, absolutely. But I truly don’t understand what your point is with regard to this thread. You would be comfortable sending your child if the therapist masked for all appointments? Even though you would have no I did they spent 3 hours in a bar the night before? I am asking honestly here but I can’t imagine that is the case. I really don’t think any is saying therapists should not be allowed to mask if the patient requests it. So generally speaking I feel that information about the interaction that your child’s therapist has with MY child (including whether they are masked or not) is just like information about any interaction the therapist has in their personal life, which you are not entitled to.

We do everything virtually. Yes, mine wear good N95 when they need to go places but if they are the only ones masked it only does so much good. Your personal life outside the therapy session is risky for Covid and therefore puts others you interact with at risk. Other families in the clinic can have health issues. Their needs matter just as much as your wishes and if anything the clinic has the duty to protect their staff and at risk families. I would not want my kid in the room following your kids session.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How quickly this thread has shifted from an apparently reasonable concern voiced by a parent to unsupported ranting about masks, deliberate mischaracterizations of comments, and “alternative facts”.

Here’s an important takeaway: Professionals, particularly those in clinical professions, will do their best to protect their families, their clients, and themselves in these uncertain, challenging and changing times. No amount of ranting on the part of people who want to politicize public health issues will change this. What it will change, is that professionals will increasingly limit their practices, retire, and leave their professions for other options — in the face of the selfish expectations that therapists and other health professionals put themselves at risk for the supposed needs (both actual and imagined) of those who seek their services. In many areas, well trained clinicians, particularly those who specialize in working with children, are at a premium. Look for that to get worse as the many risks associated with working in these types of professions far outweigh any possible benefits, and as the realities of capitalism far outweigh the kinds of values that often lead people to pursue these professions at considerable cost to themselves .

They can set guidance but therapists need to do what is best for them and their families. Many work with high risk kids and families and they also deserve safe therapies.

Ok so do you think OP can reasonably ask for an unmasked therapist for her child? Can a parent with a speech delayed child ask for an unmasked therapist? Autism? Or are we not allowed to because this fails to demonstrate our understanding that our kids are just bothers and “risks” and we need to accept whatever we get. (Nevermind that we are usually paying your fees out of pocket, or have a legal right to the services under IDEA.)

Yes, I think OP can reasonably ask for this. I also think that it’s more than reasonable for a therapist to refuse this request— for multiple reasons. While you are “allowed” to seek out services that you feel are appropriate, people providing those services are not only “allowed “ but ethically required to maintain environments that reduce health risks to others as well as to themselves. Clients don’t get to randomly dictate those standards. “Paying out of pocket” doesn’t change this.

While you MAY have “a legal right to services under IDEA”, there are limits to those “rights”. For practical purposes, since so many of the posters maintain that wanting to wear a mask when providing therapy is an anomaly, the simplest thing would be to find a therapist who doesn’t wear a mask. An individual patient has absolutely no right to services from a particular provider, and zero right to forcing an individual provider to alter their standards of care based on a particular client’s personal whims.

Precisely. There is autonomy in both directions at the individual level.

Your “autonomy” entails failing to do an important part of your job. As a therapist your autonomy does not entitle you to deliver bad services.

When the professional organization that provides certification for your specialty is at odds with an anonymous person on a discussion forum as to what constitutes best practices, I'm sorry to say the judgment of the DCUM poster does not hold the trump card.

Nobody is entitled to services from a particular provider, and you say this practice out of the norm. It should be simple to find another practitioner in line with your views. I have every faith you can and will, and I wish you well with it.

ASHA needs to reconsider its guidance and actually consider the obvious problems with masked speech therapy. And no its not simple to find new providers who unmask particularly if mask policies are set by the practice owners and not therapists.