Virtual Care
An effective, convenient and safe approach to accessing support for your mental health.
At the start of the pandemic, our practice, like many others, opted to shift to virtual care to safeguard the health of both our clients and our clinical team. We have continued to deliver therapy in this way since then and for good reason.
Benefits of Virtual Care
Virtual care not only works, but in some instances, it can facilitate treatment progress. Research demonstrates that therapy offered through video conference is effective for a range of mental health concerns. Virtual care also allows the client-therapist team to work on overcoming obstacles that may be challenging to address in the therapy room. For example, exposure practices which are a common part of treatment for anxiety and trauma, may require that a client gradually approach a feared object or environment in their home, workplace or community, with the support of a therapist. Interventions such as these are easy to coordinate when meeting virtually, but are at times logistically challenging when meeting in-person.
There are many practical benefits to virtual care as well. For instance, virtual care allows clients to save time and money that would otherwise be spent commuting to in-person meetings. Virtual care also benefits clients who are not in geographic proximity to the clinician of their choosing. In fact, virtual care has allowed our practice to provide services to clients located across the province of Ontario.
Anecdotally, many of our clients have shared their preference for virtual meetings. Individuals working full-time are more readily able to attend a therapy session while on break at work or between meetings. Parents unable to access childcare, may still be able to meet with their therapist, a task which would be made quite difficult if meeting in person. Post-secondary students having to relocate to another city for part of the year are now able to remain connected to a single therapist throughout their academic career. A good number of our clients have even opted to take a walk outside during sessions, allowing them to optimize their time in support of both their physical and mental well-being.
How Does It Work?
Clients at our practice have the option to connect by video or phone. In either case, clients should select a space where they will feel comfortable speaking openly to their therapist.
Connecting By Video
Clients who opt to meet by video are encouraged to use a secure internet connection, instead of public wi-fi which may pose a risk to confidentiality. Each client will be given access to a private videoconferencing platform, that offers end-to-end encryption and adheres to the requirements set out in the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Sessions are not recorded (unless permission from all parties is obtained beforehand in writing). Discussions occurring in session remain confidential (with some exceptions), in the same way that one would expect from in-person meetings.
Connecting By Phone
Some clients prefer to connect with their therapist by phone. If this is your preference, please let your therapist know during your consultation call or before your first session.
Billing
At the end of every session, your session fee will be charged to the credit card on file, and a receipt will be emailed to you as a password protected document. Clients may also choose to pay by other means, including e-transfer.
What If Virtual Care Is Not For Me?
Virtual therapy is but one of many options available to clients seeking support for their mental health, and it is not well suited to everyone. Some clients do not have access to a space where they can comfortably speak with their therapist. Other clients may be experiencing symptoms that require in-person intervention. Others still may have tried virtual therapy before and concluded that they simply feel more comfortable connecting with their therapist in person.
Fortunately, there are other options. In the recent past, some psychology practices have re-opened their doors to clients interested in meeting in person. Depending on your needs, a support group, community program or a meeting with your physician may also be helpful. Empowering a person in their growth and well-being can take many forms. It’s important that you access the support that is best suited to you.
If you are curious about virtual therapy but are not sure if it is well suited to you, please feel free to connect with us. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our services and virtual care specifically. We can also direct you to providers offering in-person therapy in your community if you would like.