What Do You Need For an online therapy Session?

What are the main things a client needs for an online therapy session to run smoothly?

While I have little doubt you have had a video call before, like FaceTime, Skype or Zoom, sometimes attaching the word “therapy” makes it sound really foreign and like it’s a whole new, scary thing.

I’m here to tell you that its not. I use a HIPAA compliant (encrypted end to end, super confidential) video platform called Simple Practice that is built for online medical and mental health professionals. I send a 48 hour reminder email and/or text with the link and you get an email/text reminder 15 minutes before your session as well. All you do is click the link. Easy peasy.

If, for some reason, my Simple Practice video platform is glitchy or not working well, I have a professional Zoom account as well that we can use a back up.

With that said, there are some components that you may appreciate I’ve written out so you feel more familiar when the day arrives for your first session.

What kind of Device or Computer do I need for therapy? Can I use my phone for therapy?

The rule is, if you can stream Netflix or YouTube from your device or computer, that device or computer, most likely, can support the video application we’ll use for therapy. So cell phones, tablets, lap tops and desktop computers are all possibilities :)

With cell phones, be aware that video calls use a lot of battery. A 50-minute video call may use up to 50% of your battery, in my experience. Also, phones can get hot. I recommend not having a phone case or having your phone plugged in as both of these things can heat up your phone. Like clockwork, when I’ve had client phones overheat, it was around 40 minutes into video call, and their phones were either plugged in or had a heavy case on, or both. The case may need to be removed for the call.

Additionally, with cell phones, when you click the link to open the video session, it will immediately direct you to download the Simple Practice Telehealth app. Don’t worry, once you’ve been redirected and it begins downloading, it takes you right to the session. It takes about 30 seconds from first click to video session.

do i need Headphones for online therapy?

This is not a requirement at all. If it helps you focus on the conversation, please use them! A lot of clients use headphones as it also provides a little more privacy. If a family member or roommate happened to walk by your door, they may not hear you, but if the volume on the device or computer is up, they might hear your therapist. This may not be a terrible thing for your specific situation, but this leads to the next point…

therapy must be in a Private setting

If you are going to have therapy while others are at home, make sure they know that you’ll be in a meeting/therapy/unavailable for that amount of time. If you are uncomfortable with certain members of your household being home while you have therapy but there is no other available time to meet, you can ask these members to wear headphones, watch TV or maybe even be out of the house for the duration of your session. I can usually tell if someone is holding back in session if there is a lack of privacy. We can work around this, but I’m sure you would appreciate the full benefit of an open and honest session, so lets try for that.

What can help make therapy more private when you’re at home?

Privacy and feeling comfortable sharing openly is so important to therapy. You can use white noise to help muffle the sounds. Fans, white noise machines, or even setting up your phone or tablet to play white noise from a YouTube channel and placing it by your door can help you feel more comfortable and able to share more freely. I like the YouTube channel White Noise Black Screen, but there are a ton of options out there.

For your knowledge, I use all of these options. I have two doors that I close to my office, I have sound panels on one of them, a white noise machine on the other door and I always use headphones. The funny thing is, it’s so hard to hear conversation in this room from other places in the home. I do these extra steps for privacy both for increased security and comfort and to support my own focus in the session.

what Video capability do i need for online therapy

As I mentioned, if you are able to stream Netflix or YouTube then you can, very likely, use your device.

This may seem like it goes without saying, but with the way I deliver therapy, I’ve found that seeing you and how you are responding to therapy is a critical piece of diagnostic and clinical information. Often, I’ll point out to clients if I notice they are holding their breath, or if their shoulders are collapsed in, and it brings this to their attention.

I hope that helps alleviate any questions you may have about online therapy!