13 Apr How To Set Up My Telehealth Space at home?

Telehealth: Online with a Melbourne Psychologist

With the rise in online therapy, it is important to discuss setting up a suitable telehealth space within your home. Especially since telehealth has been found to be beneficial for specific uses and client populations. A large volume of research found that clinical outcomes with telehealth are as good as or better than usual care and that telehealth improves intermediate outcomes and satisfaction. Positive Wellbeing Psychology wants to help you set up your telehealth home set-up. To get it right, several factors need to be considered. Below are a few that we wanted to share with you today!

• The right device – Choosing the right technology that is available and will work best for you is so important. We highly recommend using laptops and iPads – this is because they give flexibility and can easily be positioned to suit a task or location.
• Positioning – Finding the right position for your device can make a difference in the level of comfort and ambience set for the session. You may wish to consider factors such as the lighting, background and whether a table or floor space will be needed. Positive Wellbeing Psychology recommends getting super comfy – have a little table close by with a warm tea or coffee present. If you feel that you lose focus in the session and need to be grounded in the present moment – simply wrap your hands around your warm cup of tea! Bring yourself back to the present moment, then continue. Choose an environment that has good lighting so you have a clear vision of the psychologist. Do not forget to consider the background in the location you have chosen because it may be visible to the psychologist.
• Location – Determine the best location to suit the goals you are working on, for example, home, school, workplace or community location. Regardless of the location you choose, you need to make sure minimal to no disruptions will take place once the session commences. Therefore, letting your partner, children or colleague know that you are on a private (or important!) call is best practice!
• Be prepared – Positive Wellbeing Psychology will ensure you feel comfortable and prepared to take the initial session in your preferred space, well before the day. However, we still recommend plenty of time before the session to prepare. You may want to consider what resources you need before the session. These may resources may include any ‘between-session tasks such as thought diaries, food monitoring records, worksheets or journals!
• Technical Difficulties – Unfortunately, whilst rare with our expert psychologists as we ensure our wi-fi is well connected, technical and other difficulties can happen so take a deep breath and don’t panic. Your psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology will make sure the session runs smoothly. If the video conference drops out then you will receive a phone call on your mobile number (via a private number).
• Digital resources – Positive Wellbeing Psychology finds telehealth via video conference useful as we can use our digital resources during the session. Using screen-share, you can easily share our PDFs, videos, apps and webpages on your screen. Ask your psychologist to screen-share in your session if you’re a visual learner – our clients have provided positive feedback with this functionality and love to use this during their sessions!
• Minimise Disruption – Choose an environment for the telehealth consultation where you are not likely to be distracted or interrupted. It is important to avoid having children or other people requiring attention during the therapy consultation, turn off phones or other devices not being used for therapy, and choose a location that has minimal noise disturbance. Discuss your concerns and plan openly with your psychologist on how to handle any situation where you might be interrupted.
• Make time Afterwards – Plan for some brief quiet time after each session before returning to your usual tasks,
• For children and/or young persons – Psychologists will need to consider the potential presence of an adult/parent/carer and how the child’s privacy is to be managed. This may require a discussion with the young person and their parent/carer during the initial session. Confidentiality limitations will be discussed with the young person and their parent/carer.
  
  Many of our clients find the telehealth video conference session, held in the comfort of their own home, discrete and preferable. We’d love to hear about your experience! Comment below if you have any tips to share that made your telehealth video conference a particularly pleasant experience.

How Positive Wellbeing Psychology can help?

At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we offer both telehealth and in person consultations at our Malvern location. In Australia, individuals can access professional mental health support through telehealth psychologists. Telehealth psychologists provide remote counseling services, ensuring that people can receive therapy from the comfort of their homes. With the increasing demand for online mental health services, telehealth psychologists in Australia offer convenient and accessible support to those in need. These qualified psychologists are experienced in providing telehealth services, providing effective therapy sessions through virtual platforms, catering to the diverse needs of their clients.

You can reach out to send an online enquiry here.