Telehealth
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, GIFTs has utilized telehealth to provide increased access to care. Telehealth includes video and audio only mental health services with licensed clinicians and those they supervise. We stay current on trends in telehealth to provide high quality care.
GIFTS uses Doxy.me, an online HIPAA compliant platform to connect with current clients. See below for tips, policies, and video links of how the platform works or contact our office for details.
Using Telehealth at GIFTS
The link to your clinician’s room remains active so you can use it at the time of your next appointment. Your clinician is not available via Doxy.me at any other time outside your scheduled appointment time and will not respond if you attempt to join their virtual room at another time or after your session.
If possible, choose a place for your session that is quiet, confidential and free of distractions.
Check your internet connection, your battery life of your device before your session time. Call the office immediately if you have connection issues at the time of the appointment.
Do not operate a moving vehicle while on a telehealth session. This is dangerous and your session will be canceled by your therapist if you are driving a car.
Do not consume intoxicating substances while in a telehealth session.
Dress as if you were in our office for an appointment.
Notify your clinician if anyone else is in the room with you doing your session.
If asked, please provide your location. This is to assure we can alert authorities in the event of an emergency, though otherwise your location is confidential. Failure to provide a location could result in your appointment being canceled due to our desire to protect your safety in an unforeseen event.
Clinicians may use clinical judgment to determine if a client is not eligible for telehealth based on the individual's symptoms or circumstances. For example, if a 4 year-old client with ADHD Hyperactive Type is unable to sit and engage in telehealth or a client who hangs up or does not respond to electronic invites to session.
Face-to-face sessions may be changed to telehealth but only within the 15 minute window for late arrival. This is due to adherence to the schedule, as therapist device availability or connection issues might require additional time that could impact session time and execution.
Switching from telehealth to face-to-face within an hour of the appointment may not be possible depending on the location of the therapist; clients should always contact the office first to inquire about changing the session type.