Over the years working as a psychologist, there have been many times in which telehealth has been utilised, mostly for supporting individuals in remote communities. I have personally always appreciated the mode of online therapy and found it to be very effective. Online therapy is time saving, you are able to be in the comfort of your own home and it provides flexibility (say you are travelling etc). When COVID struck it gave the majority of people an opportunity to try Telehealth and see for themselves how comfortable and practical online counseling can be. Since then many individuals (both children and adults) have elected to continue using online therapy for ongoing appointments.

Here are some facts that can help you understand Telehealth and relieve any concerns you might have.

Therapy through Telehealth is effective

Telehealth has been shown to be an effective way of delivering therapy. Under the current COVID 19 circumstances, it helps us all to maintain social distancing, while continuing to stay connected and take care of our mental health and well-being.

Our clinicians are experienced in using Telehealth and have been using it for some time to provide therapy. We assure you we will help you to feel comfortable in the virtual therapy environment.

 

Benefits

• Easy access with a range of devices (with data available). You don’t need to download any apps, we use a secure link that will be emailed with your confirmation email, simply click the link, join the call and we appear in your browser (you can choose to have your video on or off and have the ability to mute your microphone if required, you may need to attend to another matter briefly).
• You can choose the location to access your therapy. All you need to do is find a comfortable and private space of your choosing (home, car, park, on your daily walk – the choice is yours).
• It saves you time, as you don’t need to travel to or from your appointment.
• You can continue with therapy, no matter where you are.
• During this challenging time, you can continue to take care of your mental health and well-being.
• Safe ‘social distancing’ is a given!

Common concerns

I won’t have the same connection online or on the phone as in person

Many people worry about this, but we have found that most people’s experience is that they quickly adapt to online therapy sessions, and feel comfortable and supported using this method of therapy. After the first session or two, many people report that they no longer notice the difference. In fact, some people even prefer it! If you find that it is taking time to adapt, discuss this with your therapist, and we can help you to work through adapting to this new way of working together.

I’m not good with technology and it will be complicated

We assure you, the process is simple to navigate. We can offer a test run before your first appointment if that assists to ease the anxiety. Should any concerns arise on the day, we will simply call you on the telephone and support you in either connecting to the video link, or we can continue therapy over the phone.