PREPARING FOR YOUR TELETHERAPY SESSION
What Equipment Do I Need?
You will need a smartphone, tablet, desktop computer, or laptop computer that has a microphone and a camera, as well as an internet connection and a quiet space to have your teletherapy session. You may also want headphones, but they are not necessary.
How Should I Prepare For My Teletherapy Session?
I recommend giving yourself a few moments of quiet time before your session, just as if you were sitting in a waiting room. This will give you a chance to make the shift from your life into therapy and help your prepare mentally and emotionally for your session.
Preparing Your Space
Pick A Quiet, Private Space. Identify a suitable room that is quiet, private, and free of distractions. This may be in a bedroom, home office, basement, or even in your parked car.
Minimize Background Noise. To keep background noise to a minimum, make sure you close any doors, shut windows, turn off the television, and keep loud pets in another room, if possible.
Limit Interruptions. If you live with others, ask that they don’t disturb you during your session time or consider hanging a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door to prevent interruptions. You may also want to silence your devices, turn them off completely, or turn on the “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Make Sure Your Have Good Lighting. Choose a space that is well-lit and adjust your lighting. If your space has natural light, make sure your light source is in front of your face and not behind you. I also recommend that you try placing a lamp behind your monitor or device, pointed toward you, to brighten up your face.
Preparing Your Technology
Before your first teletherapy session, I encourage you to get your technology ready in advance. You may also want to join the video appointment a few minutes early to test your settings and make sure everything is operating properly.
Test Your Internet Connection Speed. I encourage you to check to make sure that your device is set up for successful WiFi connection and quality audio and video.
To test your internet connection speed, I recommend using either the Ookla Speed Test or the SimplePractice Internet Connection Test. Having a bandwidth speed of at least 10 mpbs will minimize connection issues and provide the best experience.
Another way to gauge the quality of your internet connection is to try using other applications that require internet speed. if you can hold a conversation on FaceTime or Skype, play a YouTube video, or stream Netflix, that’s a good sign that you have a good internet connection speed.
Find The Best Spot For WiFi. It might be helpful to move around with your device to see where you get the best reception to maintain an hour-long video call. If you experience issues when using WiFi, I suggest moving closer to your router to see if that helps.
Keep Your Computer Updated. I recommend that you keep your software and operating system up to date. This may mean installing recommended updates only form sources your trust, or restarting your computer for it to run as efficiently as possible.
Close Other Programs. Try closing any unnecessary programs and applications on your device before joining the video call. If you have several programs running in the background, closing them will improve the quality of the call as they are likely taking away from resources needed for your device to run efficiently. Also, make sure you’re not downloading any large files.
Turn Off Your Video Stream. When your video camera is turned on, there is more strain on your internet connection and this can impact the audio quality during a teletherapy session. If your audio becomes choppy, your connection may not be strong enough to support a live video stream. Turning off your camera may help to improve the audio quality of the call.
Use Wired Ethernet Instead Of WiFi Whenever Possible. WiFi will work, but you may experience a lag and interference, which can make your video and audio choppy. Using wired internet will give you a much smoother, more consistent experience.
How Do I Access My Telehealth Appointment?
Using a Desktop or Laptop Computer
If you plan to use a desktop or laptop computer, there is nothing to download prior to your appointment. Here are the steps to join:
Approximately 10 minutes before your appointment, you should receive an email or text appointment reminder.
Open the reminder email or text on your device and click the unique one-time link. Your video call screen will now open in a new tab. NOTE: You may have to copy and paste the link into your web browser if clicking the link does not work.
If I have already joined the call, you will see my face on the screen. If I have not joined yet, you will see yourself on the screen, as shown below.
You will also see the Welcome prompt. Click Play Test Sound to test your camera and microphone settings.
When you are ready, click the Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call.
NOTE: There may be a slight delay for me to join the appointment if I am finishing up with a previous appointment. Please be patient and I will join momentarily.
TIP: Telehealth is built to run in your web browser so you can access my video office by simply clicking a link; there’s no need to download any applications. However, your browser needs to have permission to use your camera and microphone. If there are issues with the video or audio, your browser might not be allowed to use your camera or microphone. For more information about enabling camera and microphone access, please see: How to Enable Camera and Microphone Access for Telehealth.
Using a Smartphone or Tablet
If you plan to use a mobile device, including a smartphone or tablet, here are the steps to join:
Download the Telehealth by SimplePractice app available in the app store for iOS or Android.
Approximately 10 minutes before your appointment, you should receive an email or text appointment reminder.
Open the reminder email on your device and click the unique one-time link. This will open the Telehealth by SimplePractice app.
If I have already joined the call, you will see my face on the screen. If I have not, joined yet, you will see yourself on the screen.
When you are ready, click the Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call.
NOTE: There may be a slight delay for me to join the appointment if I am finishing up with a previous appointment. Please be patient and I will join momentarily.
TIP: Although you can have teletherapy sessions using mobile data, I recommend WiFI instead since it provides a more stable connection. The quality of telehealth on mobile data can fluctuate significantly depending on your geographical location.
What Should I Do If I Didn’t Get The Link?
Please contact me if you did not get the link so I can send it to you.
What If Technology Issues Happen During My Teletherapy Session?
It is important to remember that technology can be inconsistent at times and issues may arise. I would anticipate having some connection challenges during the first session or two. Sometimes you need to figure out where you get the best reception to maintain an hour-long video call or experiment with different web browsers to see what works best.
If your teletherapy session is interrupted, I will call you on your preferred telephone number and we will work together to reconnect to the teletherapy platform. In the event that technology issues persist, we will adjust as needed.