Online Therapy or Telehealth

Why telehealth?

Sometimes life gets in the way of getting to therapy - whether because of illness, being on bedrest, or having a newborn to care for. For clients that are used to meeting with me in the office, using telehealth as needed can make it easier to get consistent support. 

For some pregnant and postpartum individuals, finding a therapist trained in perinatal mental health in your area (particularly outside of Seattle) can be a challenge. I started offering telehealth prior to the pandemic for those who are pregnant or in the first "year-ish" postpartum so that you can have access to expert care and if we identify that ongoing long-term support is needed we'll evaluate if continuing with me online or finding a local therapist would best meet your needs.

During the COVID19 pandemic, I moved my entire practice online - offering telehealth therapy to existing clients and new clients to cope with the stressors and challenges brought by the virus, staying at home, schools closing, working from home, unemployment, financial stressors, and balancing needs. Most of my clients have continued to prefer online sessions.

Is it secure? 

To offer telehealth, I use a secure, HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom where they have signed a Business Associate Agreement acknowledging their responsibility for keeping your information secure and reporting security breaches involving personal healthcare information. Zoom does not have access to identifiable health information and protects and encrypts all audio, video, and screen sharing data with complete end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption. You can find more information about Zoom and HIPAA here: https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Zoom-hipaa.pdf

Is it reliable? 

Zoom can be used on a mobile phone, tablet or computer with an Internet connection. If your Internet connection isn't strong, you have a lot of programs or apps running at the same time, or a lot of people are using it at the same time, it can get glitchy like any video conferencing software, but I chose Zoom for sessions because of its ability to provide high quality video conferencing, even in low-bandwidth environments. While it rarely happens, if we're noticing lots of interruptions we have the option of turning off the video and just using audio, or turning off the audio and talking on the phone while we still use the video of Zoom. There are some things you can do to help outlined here: https://personcenteredtech.com/tmh/clients/. 

What do I need for telehealth?

Before the session make sure you have

• already downloaded the Zoom app
• closed background apps, programs, and browser tabs
• a comfortable space that's as private as possible - some place with a door you can close where you won't be overheard or interrupted; using headphones, turning on a fan, or putting a sound machine outside your door can help
• a steady surface to place or prop up your device at eye level--while you can use your phone, sometimes it's helpful to have it as a backup to use for audio if needed
• power cord or a full battery 
  
• good lighting in front of you so you're not backlit
• your water and tissues handy 

Where do I go for online sessions?

You'll always go to https://zoom.us/my/laurieganberglicsw and will enter the "waiting room" and then I'll "admit" you to the meeting at our appointment time. If you run into any problems, please call or text me at 425-434-5594. 

What about kids who are at home, too? 

I'm used to doing therapy with babies in session and I completely understand the challenges of childcare. Infants and mobile babies are welcome - if you need to feed, stand and bounce, or keep an eye on the kiddo, we can make it work. If older children need to be in the room with you, I recommend considering headphones for you and for them to give you a little added privacy. I'm happy to troubleshoot with you to make sure you can get the support you need. 

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header photo by Marta Filipczyk on Unsplash