Consent to Telehealth Services
You are requesting mental health services be delivered to you via online audio & visual connectivity: which is legally described as Telehealth. As such, we must share the follow rules for all our Telehealth meetings:
1. According to Business and Professions Code Section Section 4980.43, a Registered Associate Clinician must always be supervised by a licensed clinician. Therefore, we provide supervision details on the website page of all therapists.
2. According to Business and Professions Code Section 2290.5, each time you meet via telehealth you must be informed about “risks” of using telehealth and obtain written consent from you to use telehealth. Therefore, your session will always begin with a consent form to document your current location.
3. According to Business and Professions Code Section 2290.5, all laws regarding the confidentiality of healthcare information and a patient's right to his or her medical information shall apply to telehealth interactions. Therefore, your therapist will confirm you are in a confidential space each session.
4. According to Business and Professions Code Section 2290.5, each time we meet via telehealth I must assess whether telehealth is appropriate given my observations, including my observation and interpretation of your physical and emotional situation. Therefore, if your therapist believes you are in crisis they must end the session and follow the protocol for protecting your safety.
5. According to Business and Professions Code Section 2290.5, each time we meet online I must ensure confidentiality and the security of our communication. Our sessions will always take place via [Doxy.me, Zoom, or What’s App - IDENTIFY WHICH ONE], OUR STATIC MEETING LINK is: [insert your static link]. This is a secure encrypted platform for video conferences and does require reliable connections to Wifi. Therefore, if your therapist believes you are not in a confidential space they must end the session and follow the protocol for protecting your confidentiality.
Your therapist will go over this set of expectations with you again in therapy to be sure you understand expectations and obligations.