Online Therapy
Therapy from anywhere on any device
About Online Therapy
Dan moved his practice completely online from March 24 2020 till December 31 2020 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining a safe, supportive space for his clients and their families as well as for himself and his family. Dan has been impressed with how effective working online has been and so he has decided to keep online therapy as an option for clients going forward. However, he does not offer couples counselling online.
What is Online Therapy?
Online therapy is just like in-person talk therapy and counselling, except, instead of meeting together in a room, you meet with Dan online from the comfort of your home or office. This allows the therapy to maintain a sense of physical safety while giving you the option to meet with Dan from your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device.
How does Online Therapy work?
Every practice differs in terms of how they offer online therapy. Dan makes use of Zoom. Zoom is an online communication tool allowing face-to-face video, voice, or text-based chat/dialogue. Zoom is encrypted using HIPAA compliant standards –sufficient for non-government providers— to protect sensitive information. Using Zoom, Dan's clients are able to remotely attend and access therapy online from anywhere on any device.
Therapy sessions run for the same time as in-person sessions and are billed at the same rate. Although you do not need any fancy technology to meet with Dan, it is useful to have a stable internet connection. Wearing headphones is also a good way of increasing privacy. Once you have booked a session with Dan, he'll send you a link to your Zoom session a few minutes before your meeting and you'll need to click on the link to join at the time of your session.
Occasionally there are difficulties with either loadshedding or an unstable internet connection. Not to worry! You can negotiate to use one of the many back-up plans that Dan has learnt from his time working online (turning off the webcam, moving to a whatsapp call, moving to a regular phone call or rescheduling the meeting if necessary).
Frequently Asked Questions about Online Therapy (FAQ's)
I don't have a private place to talk, what should I do?
This is a difficulty that many clients face and it means that we have to become quite creative. Some clients put in their headphones and attend their therapy from inside their car or garage. Others take a walk around the neighborhood while speaking with their therapist.
Are online sessions confidential?
Dan tries to keep online sessions as confidential as possible. Zoom is encrypted and HIPAA compliant which means that it is secured, however, it may be useful to close any open windows on your device to improve the safety of your sessions.
What if I'm worried about being on video chat?
It can often be quite anxiety provoking waiting for your first online meeting with your new therapist. This is completely normal and it generally becomes easier and feels more comfortable over time. If video really doesn't work for you, you can try turning off your video or meeting via whatsapp call. Just be sure to negotiate this with Dan.
What if I try online therapy but it doesn't work for me?
Dan encourages everyone to give online therapy a try as it has proven to be a lot more useful than is often expected. However, if you feel it is not working for you, you can put your therapy on hold until you can meet with Dan in-person, or Dan can refer you to a therapist in his network who may be more comfortable meeting in-person at this time.
What if I have technical issues before or during a session?
If something is not working, please contact Dan as soon as possible and you can try to resolve the issue or try another method of meeting online. If none of these work, Dan will be happy to reschedule your session.
How does the billing work for Online Therapy?
The billing for online therapy works just the same as in-person therapy. Please note that, although Dan is registered with South African medical aids, he is contracted outside of them. This means that you will need to pay upfront and claim back from your medical aid using your invoice.
For bookings and more information please send your inquiry to danrsly@gmail.com
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