Please Note:  During the COVID-19 Crisis, we will be providing tele-mental health primarily, unless face to face is requested.  We will not require an in-office evaluation during this time.  Please make sure to review the following prior to the first session.

​

Sherian Waite, LCSW is a Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider and Clinical Director for the entire team.

 

What to expect:

 

You may choose to receive services via tele-mental health.  This is offered through a HIPAA Secure Platform.  Not everyone is appropriate for tele-mental health services.  If you are not comfortable with technology or do not have a safe and comfortable space, you may want to consider seeing your therapist in the office.  Also, not all insurance plans cover tele-mental health services.  Please check with your insurance provider to see if this is an option.

​

Prior to your tele-mental health session, make sure to:

​

• Check for internet speed.

• For additional security, use a VPN and change your router password to your own password and not the factory or service provider password given at installation.

• Make sure you are in a private room.  Children and pets should be cared for to prevent interruption during the session.  If you are calling from your office, you may want to consider an after-hours call when you are alone, or make sure you are in a spot where you will not be interrupted.  If your walls are thin, you may want to consider an in-person appointment.

• Set up your computer before the session.  Make sure you are not back-lit.  Your head should be centered on your screen.

 

Some potential concerns:

​

• Pixilation and video or voice lag.

• Technical setup issues

• Computer not working correctly

• No internet or poor internet speeds

​

These concerns can happen both at the client location and at the therapists’ location.  If these concerns happen, we will attempt to correct the issue, but if we are unable to correct the issue within five minutes, we will continue the session via telephone.

​

​

While on the video, your therapist will be utilizing a headpiece with a microphone in order to reduce background noise and to help with your privacy.   We would recommend the same for clients.  The office location has a white noise machine to help protect your privacy.  We use software with multiple layers of encryption to help protect your privacy.  We do not have control of privacy on your end.  We would recommend not sharing your client portal password with anyone and would suggest changing it every couple of months.  Also – you are in charge of your location and making sure it is safe and private.  If your therapist feel that you are in danger of sharing protected health information based on observations, he/she will request that they end the session and meet in person.

​

While we do everything possible to reduce the risk of a data breach, unfortunately, these things still happen.   Whenever data is transmitted over the internet, there is a risk.  To help minimize this risk, don’t share your passwords with anyone.  If multiple people use your computer, have your own login.  Sign out of your email.  Update your security when asked.  On our end, our computers are only used for telehealth and electronic records. We have contracted with Therapy Notes which, has bank-level multiple layers of encryption to help protect your data.  All client information is stored through them in a HIPAA secure cloud-based service and never on my computer.  To help maintain client confidentiality, Renewed Mental Health has a no recording policy and we ask for all clients to respect this by not recording their sessions.

​

About the session:

​

At the start of your session:

​

• Your therapist will as for a driver’s license or another photo ID to verify your identity at the initial session.

• Your therapist will ask for your location at the start of each session.  This is necessary in case of an emergency so we can make appropriate contacts.  Also – we are licensed in the state of Georgia and other states. If you are out-of-state for the regions we are currently licensed in, we may not be able to provide services as we will need to follow the state laws in your physical location.

• Your therapist will ask for a release of information for an emergency contact/physical support person.  This is a support person over the age of 18 that we can contact in case of an emergency and who can physically be with you if needed.  We will only disclose information to this person during an emergency crisis situation.