What Is Teletherapy?
Teletherapy is a way to conduct therapy in your own home when in-person therapy is not an option. Teletherpay can be operated out of any web-browser either on your personal computer or on your smartphone. We use a HIPAA-compliant platform called Doxy.me which allows for a secure channel to be used during your session. All sessions are not stored on the server, so this is the most secure way to engage in a video therapy option. In some cases where video sessions are unavailable or are “glitchy,” a phone session may also be used.
What Do I Need for Teletherapy?
You will want to find a relatively quiet and private place in your home to conduct your session.
Audio and video quality are greatly improved if you are on a computer with headphones. It is strongly recommended that you use a laptop or desktop computer to conduct your session as phone-based web browsers tend to drop these video calls on occasion.
If your video call does not work properly, your therapist can also conduct a session via phone as our phone lines are all HIPAA compliant. A video session is preferred, but we will roll with the technological punches, so to speak.
We are offering our teletherapy sessions through a site called Doxy.me (if you aren’t familiar with it, it’s like a HIPAA compliant Skype or FaceTime platform.) You will need to go onto Doxy.me and create a free account with them. At no point will you be charged to use this website. Your therapist has a unique link that they will send you so you can access the “virtual waiting room” within the site. You will need to be logged into the website in order to conduct your session.
Will There Be Couple and Family Teletherapy?
While it is strongly preferable to conduct couples and family sessions in person, we will make exceptions during these extenuating circumstances. Please contact us to to discuss how we can best make couples sessions work in this capacity.
Can Teletherapy Be Covered By My Insurance?
If you use insurance for your session (either directly or through out of network reimbursements), please note that all major insurance providers in California have agreed to authorize teletherapy during this period. However, in the rare case that your insurance plan does not cover teletherapy services (we all know how annoying insurance companies can be), you will ultimately be financially responsible for your session fees.
Contact Us
For general questions, please email us at Info@cottonwoodpsychology.com or call us at (657) 214-8500.
Cottonwood Psychology Center is proud to offer in-office & online cognitive-behavioral and strengths-based therapy in Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Villa Park, Tustin, Santa Ana, Irvine, Orange and surrounding areas.