What Is Telehealth?

Remote Therapy

We all remember the pandemic. Lots of businesses were shut down. Many of us were sheltering in place, scrubbing our produce, and learning how to make sourdough bread.

Me? I was working through my first internship at an outpatient mental health facility. I had adults and kids as young as seven on my roster and I had to find a way to do sessions with all of them. At this point, I had completed a grand total of twenty in-person client sessions before lockdown. So I - a freshly minted intern - was using video conferencing for most of my sessions. For clients who didn’t meet the technical requirements for a teleconference, I used the phone. It was absolutely baptism by fire, but I prepared myself as best I could and learned a lot in the process.

Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Now I’m pretty comfortable doing remote sessions. For the foreseeable future, this practice will be 100% telehealth. I use HIPAA compliant video teleconference software to meet with clients. In rare circumstances where we run into technical issues we can’t resolve, I’ll resort to my HIPAA compliant phone line. I won’t use the phone on a continual basis because it limits the effectiveness of sessions too much. Here is what you’ll need to meet with me through telehealth:

Requirements

  • Internet Connection: An internet connection stable enough to provide smooth and uninterrupted audio and video.

  • Device: A computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone that has a web browser, camera, speakers, and microphone.

  • Privacy: The closer you can get to being alone, the better. Cars work great in a pinch if you have access to one.

  • Quiet Environment: To make sure background noise doesn’t cause a distraction while we work.

Strongly Recommended

  • Headphones: To ensure that at least my part of the conversation isn’t overheard by others.

  • Good Lighting: To make sure the video quality is clear.

  • Test Before Each Session: To ensure the internet speed, audio, and video are working before we meet.

What About Face to Face Sessions?

At some point, I’d like nothing more than to have an office. I hope to have one eventually. But even once I have an office, there are reasons I’ll continue to offer telehealth:

  • People who are home-bound, live a long distance away, or have limited transportation options could still work with me through telehealth.

  • People who would normally skip the office because they have a cold or other minor illness could meet with me using telehealth instead.

  • Many people prefer the convenience of telehealth.

Get started today.