During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown, Counseling Works is still offering therapy sessions for existing and new clients. To protect the health of our clients and therapists, we are exclusively offering sessions via our telehealth (virtual online appointment) platform. Our team knows how stressful and frightening the current situation is, but we are here to help you take a breath and find the silver lining when it comes to having a bit more time to take a closer look at your life and experience personal growth. In this blog post, we’re going to walk through the telehealth therapy process and provide some tips to keep your online session secure. Please don’t hesitate to call our office at (630) 281-2496 or reach out to your therapist directly for more information.
What to Expect During Your Telehealth Session
If you’re already a client at Counseling Works, our goal is to offer the same comfortable talk space you’ve come to expect in our office translated into a virtual setting. We encourage you to find an area in your home where you’ll feel comfortable chatting with your therapist. Go into a quiet, private space with a strong Wi-Fi connection. Then, get comfortable and start talking.
If you’re new to our practice or therapy in general, your therapist will likely start the process with a phone consultation to discuss your goals and explain the telehealth process. Your session time will be spent discussing how you’re doing, what goals you have, and developing actionable skills to help you increase self-awareness, handle big emotions, and lead a more satisfying life (now and after COVID-19 lockdown). These conversations with our clinicians will be like talking to a friend who just happens to very knowledgeable about how to access and process big feelings and difficult thought patterns, so you can be you – only the version of yourself you’ve always wanted to be.
The Doxy.me System
We use the Doxy.me system because it meets or exceeds HIPAA standards of privacy and security to ensure your personal information is protected during telehealth sessions. In addition to the privacy and security of the Doxy.me system, it is also very user friendly. There’s nothing to download or sign up for. Simply click on your therapist’s unique Doxy.me link, type your name when prompted, and you’ll enter the virtual waiting room. Once your clinician is available, you’ll enter the telehealth session, and you can begin chatting. You can access your Doxy.me session from any computer, smartphone, or other internet-capable devices with a microphone and camera.
Flexible Telehealth Solutions to Meet Your Needs
We want to be prepared for ANY eventuality in these unprecedented times, so we’re trying to stay flexible. We know that Doxy.me offers the security necessary to protect our clients’ private information, but if for any reason, this system experiences delays or does not work, we will do our utmost to be available for sessions using other video conferencing tools (Zoom, Facetime, etc.) or over the phone. We take every precaution to protect you during these telehealth sessions, but we want to make sure those who need to talk can get access to their therapist.
Staying Safe & Secure
Whether we’re using the Doxy.me system or any other video conferencing technology online, we recommend our clients take the following steps to protect their information:
- Conduct the session in a private location where you feel comfortable talking openly (bedroom, office, etc. with a closed-door)
- Ensure the device that you use for sessions is password protected
- Set strong passwords and log out of any software after each use
- Clear history, cookies, and cache after each session
Schedule Your Telehealth Session Now
When you’re ready to schedule your telehealth session, the Counseling Works team makes it easy. Simply fill out our request form, using our patient portal. You can also call the office at (630) 281-2496 or reach out to your therapist via phone or email.
