What do these mean, exactly?: “Telehealth,” “Telemedicine” or “Virtual Sessions”?
These are terms for meeting with health and mental health professionals using telephone (“audio only”) or video conference calls such as professional, HIPAA compatible/secure platforms (web sites).
If I work with you using the telephone or with video conference calls, how do I complete the intake forms to get started?
I have secure online pdf forms that you can fill out and also enter your signature. After I have your email address, you will get an email with a link that takes you to the forms to fill out and sign. When you are finished and hit “Send,” we both will get a copy.
What are some of the things I need to know about my privacy and other differences between home-based, clinic, and office sessions and “Telehealth/Telemedicine/Virtual Sessions”?
The forms I send to new clients answer this question in detail. If you would like more information right away, please feel free to call me and we can go over the basics. For now, rest assured that these types of sessions are secure. Talking on the telephone is private unless someone is near you etc., and, for video sessions, I use a HIPAA compatible, secure video platform.
Also, for either telephone or video sessions, if I notice that there might be someone near you, I will ask you if you have privacy etc. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to make sure you feel comfortable and that you have privacy. If that suddenly changes–for example, a family member unexpectedly enters the room you’re in, we can simply pause the session until they leave and/or you move to a different room.