The purpose of this document is to inform you about many aspects of online counseling services: the process, the counseling, the potential risks and benefits of services, safeguards against those risks. Online therapy has the same purpose or intention as psychotherapy or psychological treatment sessions that are conducted in person. However, due to the nature of the technology used, online therapy may be experienced somewhat differently than face-to-face treatment sessions.
My primary concern is your privacy. To understand how I conduct myself on the Internet as a mental health professional and how you can expect me to respond to various interactions that may occur between us on the Internet, in order to provide you consistent care and best practices, please, read carefully this entire document.
Video therapy is ideal if you want an experience comparable to seeing a therapist in person. We will be able to see and to hear each other. Attending sessions with an online therapist is both easy and convenient.
You don’t waste time on your commute. Privacy, is an important concern for many when it comes to mental health care. With online session, you have no risk of bumping into someone you know, having someone see you pull up to the therapist's office.
But, if there are potential benefits, there are also risks or drawbacks to online counseling that differ from in-person sessions and should be considered.
Alternatives: As your psychologist, I may determine that due to certain circumstances, telepsychology is not or no longer appropriate. In particular, online counseling is not recommended for those struggling with more serious mental health concerns such as psychosis, drug/alcohol dependence, violent behavior, suicidal thoughts or for those who are experiencing active manic/psychotic symptoms.
Since counseling may also involve discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may also experience uncomfortable feelings. There are no guarantees of what you will experience. Despite your efforts and the efforts of your counsellor, your condition may not improve.
Emergency: If you are in a state of crisis or emergency, please go to your local trusted hospital. I do not provide emergency services.
Eligibility: You must be at least 18-year old.
Scope of practice: I am only offering online video therapy (via the free Zoom platform) and telephone sessions. As well. No chat, no mails exchanging…
Session organization: It is important to be on time and in a quiet, private space that is free of distractions (including cell phone or other devices) during the session.
Payment: Online counseling appointments require pre-payment, regardless the insurance status. Payment of fees is expected at the time of appointment confirmation where the full payment of the session is processed. If you need to cancel or change your tele-appointment, you are invited to reschedule it at least 24 hours in advance, otherwise the payment is due. A session lasts 55 minutes and costs 150 SGD, by bank transfer.
Insurance: You should confirm with your insurance company that the video sessions will be reimbursed.
Interacting: Since they are not secure, please do not use SMS (mobile phone text messaging) or messaging on Social Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to contact me.
Confidentiality: Maintaining patient confidentiality is extremely important to me. I will take care and consideration to prevent unnecessary disclosure. Any information provided to me will remain confidential and will not be given to a third party unless you give me specific permission to release the information. No recording (audio or video) will occur without the permission of each other. The notes I draft during the sessions are stored in a safe way and immediately destroyed at the end of the treatment.
Possible misunderstandings: With video software, misunderstandings may occur due to connection problems causing image delays or less than optimal image quality. A Counselor observes the human behavior and gathers much information from non-verbal cues such as body language, vocal inflection… Please have patience with the process and clarify information if you think I have not understood you well. Also, please be patient if I ask for clarification.
Potential risks: Here are various risks related to electronic provision of counseling services related to the technology used, the distance between counselor and patient, and issues related to timeliness. Potential risks could include confidentiality being breached in transit by hackers or Internet service providers or at either end by others with access to your account or computer (additional safeguards when the computer may be accessed by others). It is important to use a secure internet connection rather than public/free Wi-Fi. If accessing the internet from public locations such as a library, computer lab, or café, you should consider the visibility of your screen to people around you. Position yourself to avoid others’ ability to read your screen or to hear you. Using cell phones can also be risky in that signals are scrambled but rarely encrypted.
Disconnection of Services: If there is ever a disruption of services on the internet then we will discuss how to proceed with the session. We will arrange a back-up plan (e.g., phone number where you can be reached) to restart the session or to reschedule it, in the event of technical problems.
Terminating: When you will be no longer in need of my service, or if the therapy is causing harm or is unlikely to benefit you, I will inform you about the termination of the therapy and will provide you with a clear explanation and measures to safeguard your welfare or alternative treatment if necessary.
You understand that you have the freedom to choose to have counseling online by distance-counseling or teletherapy. If you have questions or concerns about any of these items or regarding our potential interactions on the Internet, do bring them to my attention so that we can discuss them. If you decide we are not a good fit, I urge you to bring your feelings and reactions to our work directly into the therapy process.
By signing this consent, you agree to abide by its content. Please, sign, and return prior to any online services.
If I do update this document, I will notify you in writing of any policy changes and make sure you have a copy of the updated version.