Telehealth
You want the best person to meet your needs…
And that isn’t always the person right down the street. This is especially true for people who live in rural areas or places where there aren’t many resources.
As the client, you should speak with various practitioners, shop around, interview providers, and find the best fit for you. It’s YOUR care. You should be the one in charge of who you work with.
Unfortunately, the system is structured in a way that doesn’t always make this possible. With telehealth, you interact with providers without being limited to who is around you or who takes your insurance. You get to be in charge of your search instead of geography and your healthcare benefits.
If you live in a remote area, if you don’t have many options for mental health providers in your area, or if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for around you, telehealth is the way to go.
Telehealth has become vital to continuing to receive the care you need…
Here’s what it is…
Telehealth simply means meeting virtually. Sessions are conducted online instead of in an office or at a physical location. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I can conduct therapy services through video sessions just as if we were meeting face-to-face.
While telephone sessions are an option in emergencies, while traveling, or if the video isn’t working, I prefer to see you and interact with you through video conferencing.
Here’s why it works…
Clients o prefer online sessions because it eliminates the need for travel. They don’t have to leave work early to make an appointment. They don’t have to plan out two hours of their day for an hour appointment.
It has also left clients feeling like help is closer to them, more accessible. Most of my clients use their smartphones for sessions, so they feel like a therapist is always available to them, right in their pocket.
One of the other benefits is that clients can be in the comfort of their own homes and often rarely feel the pressure to open up from their ‘therapist’s office.’ They go at their own pace more easily. You can also choose whatever location you want to do your sessions from.
The park
The beach
The lake
Your living room
Your car
Your bedroom
Watching a beautiful sunset
Taking a stroll through your neighborhood
You have complete say over what’s around you and where you are. The more comfortable you are in sessions, the easier it will be to work through our treatment targets.
I can still send handouts through a client portal, and you can upload documents and homework assignments. I can also share my screen, and we can go through papers together.
With the therapy and interventions I use, I can conduct all of my therapy appointments online just as effectively as in the office.
Here’s why it’s safe…
Everything is HIPAA-compliant. This means it protects your information in an online world. It’s so safe and useful that you can even schedule and cancel appointments, pay balances, and send me secure messages.
I am always in a secure and private location and password-protect all information.
I am a sole practitioner, and the only person who has access to my scheduling and payment systems is me. You won’t be dealing with a secretary or other professionals, so your information won’t be passed around.
Here’s what you’ll need…
All you need to get started is an internet connection, a camera, and audio. This can be done on a computer or a smartphone.
I’ll send a secure link before the sessions that you click and take you to the video. If you’re using your smartphone, you will be prompted to download an app the first time you log into a session.
Other Recommendations:
Go somewhere you have complete privacy
I encourage wearing headphones if you’re unable to ensure your privacy
Try to eliminate any background noise
Try to remove any distractions that may be around you
A stand or something to stabilize your smartphone/computer
A printer or journal
So many of my clients like telehealth. I think you will, too.
“I prefer it because it doesn’t take as much time out of my schedule since there isn’t a commute.”
Being able to meet online removes the added stress of driving to and from the appointments. It also frees up time afterward to decompress and not have to go right from processing heavy emotions to driving in traffic.
“I actually feel like you’re more accessible. You’re just on my phone in my pocket.”
This has been a nice surprise. Clients have reported feeling better supported between sessions as they have grown to associate their phones and computers with help instead of just stress.
“I’m actually on time for my appointments.”
I hate it when I pay for something time-limited and lose part of my investment because I hit the train on the way to my appointment. You’ll get reminders as your appointment nears, and instead of having to get across town, you just have to simply step out and find a comfy place to sit for the next hour.
“I like that I can do it in places I feel safe and comfortable. And wear pajamas if I want to.”
Research has shown that when clients feel safe and comfortable, they benefit so much more from therapy. Being able to dictate their surroundings has helped my clients engage in deeper work, open up quicker, shortens the length of time in therapy, and dress more comfortably and authentically. Heck, eat your lunch or have your cup of coffee with me if you want!
So what does online therapy look like?
All of the modalities I use can be delivered through video sessions, and you can access any necessary paperwork and homework assignments through a secure portal.
I don’t work with issues such as extensive trauma, severe addiction, or intense eating disorders that would require in-person sessions to assess and treat effectively.
Through telehealth, I can still process with clients through talk therapy and can still use meditations, grounding techniques, and skills in sessions when needed.
We will first talk over the phone during a free consultation, which can help make the first video session a little more comfortable. Then we will talk as if we were sitting across from each other in a room. If I want to go through a handout with you, I can share my screen, and we can review it together.
If there is ever something we discussed in therapy that I want you to read more on, I will upload the document(s) to your client portal, and you will get an email to go in and review it when it’s ready. The process is quite seamless and can be done at your convenience.
While it may be helpful to have a printer, all you need is a journal. You can take notes between sessions and complete homework assignments either by printing the pages or answering the questions in a journal. Anything that you write out or jot down is ultimately for your benefit and to help you raise awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns.
Once you’re done, you can share in session or upload it to the client portal, and I can go in and read it before our next session. Clients seem to love this option so that my reading doesn’t cut into our processing time.
Help is just a click away.
As long as you live anywhere in Florida or Vermont, we can do telehealth together.
With telehealth, you can look all over the state.
With telehealth, your search can end here.
Schedule a free consultation, and let’s work virtually on your complicated reality: (561) 578-3058.