There is up to date evidence indicating the outcomes of telehealth is similar to in-person delivery. In fact, the research indicates the working alliance (therapeutic relationship between the client and psychologist) can be adequately established in therapy delivered via telehealth with a psychologist online in Australia (read this article here).

In line with these findings, a systematic review indicated that video conferencing technology, which allows audio and video information to be shared concurrently across geographical distances, is feasible, has been used in a variety of therapeutic formats and with diverse populations, is generally associated with good user satisfaction, and is found to have similar clinical outcomes to traditional face-to-face psychotherapy (read more on this article here).

Discreet and Convenient

A experienced telehealth psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychologist delivers support to individuals Australia wide. We aim to provide flexibility and convenience to clients that experience difficulty to prioritise their own needs due to work long hours, shift work, childcare, busy lifestyles, geographical barriers, or just because they wish to remove the waiting room experience.

Our discreet consulting practice provides telehealth by a registered psychologist in Australia (video consultation or phone) designed to empower you to live a better life and create change. We support you in the comfort and confidential setting of your own home, office, hotel or hired space.

Reducing the risk of COVID-19 

Our sessions are conducted via telehealth by a psychologist in Australia, with an objective to help reduce the risk of spread at this uncertain time and to make sure we are putting your health first. Our role as psychologists is to assess risk of harm to self, and others. With this in mind, we are implementing all measures to reduce risk to clients and psychologists, by reducing risk of being exposed to the virus.

Telehealth is a psychological therapy service available at Positive Wellbeing Psychology, delivered by registered psychologists. This services is delivered via video conference (Zoom) where both a visual and audio link have been established between a client and their psychologist. We consider all measures to ensure clients experience high quality video and audio for the clinical service being provided whilst meeting all privacy obligations.

Positive Wellbeing Psychology want to help you set up your telehealth at home set-up. To get it right, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Below are a few that we wanted to share with you today:

1. The Right Device – Choosing the right technology that is available and will work best for you it 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.
2. Finding Correct Positioning – Finding the right position for your device can make a difference to 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 recommend 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 to 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 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.
3. A Good 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!
4. Being 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 for before the session. These may resources may include any ‘between’ session tasks such as thought diaries, food monitoring records, worksheets or journals!
5. Technical Difficulties – Unfortunely, 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 our then you will receive a phone call on your mobile number (via a private number).
6. Digital Resources – Positive Wellbeing Psychology find telehealth via video conference really 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!
7. 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 how to handle any situation where you might be interrupted.
8. Make Time Afterwards – Plan for some brief quiet time after each session before returning to your usual tasks,
   For child 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 to in-person.