Guidelines For Remote Therapy
What You Will Need:
1.) A high speed internet connection.
2.) A computer, tablet or smartphone that may require a very small software application to be downloaded. Larger screens are better, and smart phones are not ideal for remote therapy sessions.
3.) A quiet, private place where you can participate in tele-therapy without being interrupted. Please take precautions to ensure your privacy. We cannot be responsible for someone in your environment, hearing your tele-therapy session. Please do NOT have anyone in the room with you during your session.
4.) Remote therapy sessions are not safe if the client or anyone participating in the session is operating a motor vehicle, and therefore, CANNOT occur. If client(s) attempt to have their session in a moving vehicle, their therapist will request that they pull over for the duration of the session. If the client cannot stop driving for the allotted session time, the therapist will be required to end the session. This session fee will not be refunded unless the reason for being in the car is a true emergency. In that case and at the Therapist's discretion, they may choose to waive the charge and reschedule the session to a time when the client will be available.
5.) Remote therapy sessions must occur while the client is within the state of NC or Arizona, where Liza Shaw holds her state licenses to practice Marriage and Family Therapy. Your therapist will confirm at the start of your therapy session, that you are, in fact, within one of these states. If you are outside of them, the appointment will need to be rescheduled and the fee will not be reimbursed unless the reason for being out of state is deemed a true emergency by your therapist.
6.) Optional but a very good idea: earbuds or headphones. These help eliminate background noise/echoing problems, and also assist with privacy (since both sides of the conversation cannot be heard in your environment).
Process for Accessing Your Remote Therapy Sessions:
(See link below for information on how to become a new client of Marriage and Family Therapy Services)
1.) In general, the way to connect with your tele-therapy session is through your patient portal. Log in and you will see a button that says "Join This Meeting." Click on this button just before your appointed time. You can also access the meeting via a link sent in optional text and/or email reminders.
2.) When you log in to your meeting at the appointed time, please keep in mind that your therapist may be in another session just before yours, and it could run over by a few minutes. We always ask that you leave about 15-20 minutes on the other end of an appointment, in case your appointment time starts a few minutes late due to the previous client needing extra time. We ask for your understanding, considering that it could be you, at some later date, who needs the occasional extra time. We want clients to receive the full allotted time for their sessions so if you book something too close to your appointment time, you could miss out on receiving all of the time you are paying for.
3.) In order to participate in remote therapy, you must be willing to keep a credit or debit card stored in our encrypted electronic medical records system. Please have this credit/debit card ready to give your therapist at your first appointment. Alternatively, you can input this card number into your portal prior to your first appointment. At any time, you can pre-pay for sessions in the portal. We take VISA, M/C and Discover. We do not accept American Express.
4.) Understand that technical problems can happen! Please familiarize yourself with the patient portal and download the Zoom app to your device prior to your initial appointment. If you have technical difficulties, please contact us at 828-302-2978 so we can assist you. We may have to reschedule your appointment if the issues are not able to be resolved at the time of your appointment, and of course there is no charge for appointments that cannot occur due to unforeseen technical problems.