Therapy is the attempted treatment of a health issue. A network, in contrast, is a series of interrelated things. For instance, a network of computers are all connected together. When the two terms are combined, a therapy network becomes an interrelated group of practitioners aimed at treating various heath issues. However, the type of relationship and the way a therapy network is organized can be very different.
Sometimes, therapy network means a group of independent therapists who belong to a referral service. The service likely extends over a specific geographical area, and the therapists may be limited to practicing certain types of health care, like counseling or psychotherapy. When people use these networks, they’re typically looking for a referral.
The better-designed networks may not only feature the names of the therapists but might also have some biographical information regarding them, or even a statement about the way they conduct therapy. Though the natural fit in these circumstances is for therapists who work in psychology and counseling. Yet there are sometimes networks for other kinds of physicians, different types of therapists (physical, occupational, speech/language), or specific kinds of treatment.
Another therapy network definition may refer to a group of therapists or medical practitioners that practices together. Sometimes these therapists practice the same types of therapy, and other times they might have fields that can relate. A group of physical therapists that practice together could be called a therapy network. Yet the term could apply to a practice that has occupational therapists, speech/language therapists and psychotherapists, who might, through their combined service, work with people with more than one type of disability.
Networks can also be about sharing information for different kinds of therapists of medical practitioners. Instead of being a referral service or a point of service for clients, they might be a way of making sure all network members gain access to the latest research or have an opportunity to interact with each other. There are networks devoted to fetal surgery, for instance, which would be defined as a type of therapy.
Therapy network may get confused with the term network therapy. Network therapy may be used in various settings, most often in drug and alcohol addiction counseling to provide fairly constant support for the person trying to end an addiction. Family members and friends become the network of supporters, and usually are organized together by a mental health counselor or drug and alcohol counselor. They work with this counselor, becoming part of the therapy team, and with the recovering addict to keep offering support.
