The Effectiveness of Online Therapy
It is common to be hesitant about online therapy whether due to being unfamiliar with the process or feeling concerned that it won’t be as effective as in-person therapy. We experience the effectiveness of online therapy to be comparable and, in some instances of trauma therapy, to surpass the effectiveness of in-person treatment.
Online therapy in California provides more access to treatment than ever before. No longer do you need to live near the physical location of your therapist’s office. The only prerequisite for online therapy is that your clinician be actively licensed in the State where you reside. All of Marin Family Recovery therapists are licensed in the State of California to provide these services to residents statewide.
Important Facts about Online therapy
Therapy sessions, whether in person or online, are considered protected health information under federal HIPAA laws. The confidentiality measures required to protect your privacy apply even more so to online conferencing platforms. Marin Family Recovery uses the VSee platform, which is certified HIPAA compliant.
This means that your online therapy sessions will be as secure as your online banking information, having extra layers of protection from hackers, meeting bombers, or leaks of your health information. With these added layers logging on to VSee is still as easy as logging into your mobile banking account.
How to Use the VSee Online Therapy Platform
VSee is a very simple and user-friendly online therapy platform that makes virtual sessions easy for individuals, couples, and families in recovery. In fact, you can get started in three quick steps:
- Access the app store on your computer, tablet, or smartphone
- Search for and download the free VSee Messenger (look for the green and white icon)
- Create an account, using an email address and password of your choice
On the day of your online counseling appointment, using the VSee Messenger app for your call is just as simple as setting up your account. To ensure the call goes smoothly:
- Use a personal device with a microphone, camera, and speakers or headphones
- Use a strong Wi-Fi or cellular data signal
- Find a quiet, private spot to conduct your call
- Log into the app no more than 10 minutes before the call (if you log in earlier, you may be automatically logged out)
- Your therapist will initiate the call when ready to begin your session
Maintaining Privacy and Security With Online Therapy
We understand the significance of helping our clients maintain their privacy and security when conducting online therapy sessions. Our team members take every precaution to ensure your information remains secure, including using password-protected devices and private wireless networks. In addition to our HIPAA compliant platform, we recommend that clients:
- Use a personal, password-protected device
- Use a strong password, change passwords regularly, and don’t share passwords with other people
- Use a private internet network and not public Wi-Fi whenever possible
- Log out of the app between sessions
- Find a quiet, safe, and private location to conduct the calls