Online Therapy/Telehealth

TELEPSYCHOLOGY

On March 23, 2020, I am moved my practice to video conferencing in order to follow CDC guidelines for the protection of your health and mine due to the COVID19 pandemic.   Most of my colleagues have done the same.  I hope to return to meeting in person in the office when it is safe to do so.

The benefit to video conferencing is that therapy can happen during the pandemic, no on has to leave their home, but we can see and hear each other in real time.  It is, of course, different because we will not be sitting in the same room, but most therapist who are using telehealth are finding that deep emotional work can still be done in this format.

Confidentiality still applies for telepsychology services. You will need to find a quiet private place for your meetings, and I ask that you set things up so you will not be interrupted or overheard.  A sound machine outside the door might be helpful if there are others in your home at the time of your sessions.

We will be using Zoom Video Conferencing.  I have a HIPPA Compliant Pro version of Zoom, so your privacy is protected.  You will need to download the Zoom program, which is free, and use a computer that has a camera so we can see each other.  Please use a secure internet connection, not a public or free Wi-Fi.  If you need to work with me on how to use Zoom, please let me know and we can do that before our scheduled sessions.

For your first meeting, I will send you a link that will take you into our meeting.  For subsequent meetings, you can start the Zoom program, go to the join a meeting tab and use the meeting ID that is unique to you.

We will need a back-up plan (e.g., phone number where you can be reached) to restart the session or to reschedule it, in the event of technical problems.

During the COVID-19 crisis, insurance companies are required to reimburse video sessions, and I will be writing up your bills with the place of service as a teletherapy session.

For couple sessions, I will want you to be in the same room so you can see and hear each other and me.  Please set up your computer camera so it is far enough away so that I can see both of you.

Thank you for making this adjustment with me.  We are living in unprecedented times.