What is Telehealth or Online Counseling?
Hey There Mamas!
I wanted to write this blog post to give you an idea of what telehealth or online counseling (both terms are used interchangeably) is like. Counseling online is similar to counseling in the office, you get to talk with a therapist about things you're dealing with, problems you're having and ways to reach your goals. This is done through a secure platform online that keeps your data and your counseling sessions safe and encrypted. It's like a super-secure version of facetime or google hangouts.
At Fulfilled Motherhood Counseling we use a program called Theranest. How it works is when you schedule a session you will receive an email that will have a link inside of it. At the time of your appointment, you click the link on your phone or your computer and a screen will pop up. This screen is where the video appointment will take place. If you choose to do phone sessions instead of video sessions we use a secure phone program called Iplum that is HIPPA compliant as well - basically this means that there are special things put in place to keep the phone call and your data secure.
Another feature we offer that is different than traditional office-based therapy is unlimited secure messaging between you and your therapist. This means that if you have a session on Tuesday of that week and something comes up on Thursday you'd like to discuss with your therapist, you can send a message through our secure platform and your therapist will read and respond to the message within 48/hours M-F. How cool is that?
Benefits of Online Counseling/Telehealth
You get to do counseling where you are most comfortable - in your home, in your car, in your private office space on your lunch hour.
You do not have to worry about travel time - cut out those 30 minutes to an hour you spend driving back and forth from the appointment. Give yourself extra time in the day.
You can do counseling while wearing your pajama pants! Let's be real, you could do this anyway, but how likely are you to actually wear those pajama pants outside of the house?
Many people report feeling more comfortable and more willing to open up with online counseling due to being in their own space. This allows for quicker progress and could end up saving you some money longterm.
If you're still feeling uncertain, I offer a free 15-minute consultation where you get to try out the telehealth platform for yourself and see if it will be a good fit. Use the contact page or link at the bottom of this page to book your free consultation!