Here are a few places you can start to make your virtual therapy experience the best possible: 
 

• Confidentiality is important, so make sure you have a private space in your home. Here are some options that can help you do so: 

  • unconventional spaces such as a walk-in closet or laundry room can work quite well if other members of your household will be home at the same time and you don't have a private bedroom, office, or other area with a door you can close

  • using headphones means that the other people in your household will not overhear anything that I am saying 

  • placing noise such as a white noise machine or radio outside of the room you're in will reduce the amount others can over hear you

  • if you have a good wifi connection in your driveway/garage and the weather allows, sitting in your car can provide privacy as well

  • if you feel comfortable doing so, letting the people you share a home with know what you're doing and that you require privacy for an hour can be helpful. Be specific in what you request such as "could you plan to do _____/something outside of the house during that time," "I need you to stay on the other floor of the house for an hour," "I need you to refrain from entering this room or lingering outside of it for the next hour" etc. If you know you will have the house to yourself at certain times, you can also plan your sessions for then if possible.

• Comfort is also important during session. You're welcome to get up and move around as needed, but coming prepared with a comfortable seat, tissues (just in case), and something to drink are helpful.

• Many of my clients like to take notes in session, so having a piece of paper and a pen/pencil can be helpful. This can also be helpful for some strategies we may use.

• Test your internet speed before your first session at the time of day and in the space that you will be completing virtual therapy (details below)

• Test out your camera and mic before your first session to ensure all necessary permissions are enabled for a smooth call (details below)

Internet Speed:

If you are uncertain if your internet speed will be sufficient, you can test it by going to speedtest.net. For the best experience, it is ideal if you have a download speed of 10 - 25 mbps or higher and an upload speed of 1.2 - 10 mbps or higher. Most internet packages currently available should achieve this easily. Because internet speed can vary throughout the day based on usage in your household and area, it is recommended that you test it at a similar time of day to when you will be doing virtual therapy (i,e., Monday - Thursday between 6:00 and 8:00 is when I am typically available).

 

Internet speed can also vary depending on where you are in your house, so checking your internet speed in the space that you intend on completing your virtual sessions will be helpful. If your internet speed is on the slow side, other members of your household doing things like playing video games or watching a streaming platform like Netflix or Youtube could be making it worse. Asking family members to do other things during the hour you are doing therapy might help with the connection. If you are committed to virtual care and a faster/more reliable connection would benefit you in other areas of your life as well, you could also contact your internet provider to troubleshoot if you desire.

Device options:

A computer or laptop is most ideal because the screen is largest, however, a tablet or phone will work as well, with phone being the least convenient but workable option. It is recommended that if you are using your phone that you turn it on to airplane mode with wifi enabled so that phone calls won't come through. Turning it to silent will help reduce distractions as well. 

Testing the virtual platform:

I will be using the Jane App platform for my virtual calls. It will be helpful to make sure you know how to log in and where to find your session, so be sure to have tested it out before our session. For further information on Jane and to see/test out how to access your appointments, click here. You can also see a detailed video of how to access online appointments here.

To test the virtual platform you will receive a link to do so in your reminder email 2 days prior to the appointment as follows: