Online Counseling

Here are some questions to consider when making the decision to schedule online counseling sessions:

Do you experience social anxiety, fear, or panic that prevents you from scheduling and attending appointments in office?
Are you a mother with a busy day that makes it difficult to attend in office appointments?
Do you have a work schedule that conflicts with your ability to schedule in office appointments before or after work?
Have you been suffering from chronic illness and/or chronic pain making it physically difficult to attend appointments away from home?
Do you live in a rural town where it is difficult to locate a therapist or make the commute?
Do you have difficulty keeping appointments due to transportation issues?
Are you a college student with limited time needing to schedule an appointment but finding it hard to attend in office sessions?

Online counseling, also known as telehealth, is a convenient way to attend therapy that allows clients to meet with their therapist at home or anywhere they feel comfortable and have privacy to do so. All the client needs is a device such as a laptop, cell phone, or iPad that contains a camera. It is a great alternative for people who are busy, having difficulty attending appointments, do not have means of transportation, are enduring physical and emotional limitations, or have responsibilities that makes scheduling in office visits challenging. When meeting with a therapist online you must be in a location where your therapist is licensed. Ray of Light Wellness LLC has therapists who are licensed in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Please let us know where you are located and we will match you with a therapist who can help.

What to expect when beginning online counseling at Ray of Light Wellness?

Kerry Duarte will contact all interested clients and obtain basic contact information to get started. Each new client will be sent practice policy forms, HIPAA forms, a telehealth consent form as well as an insurance consent form to be electronically signed. Once signed telehealth consent is given, each new client's email will be entered into Thera-Platform, the site this practice uses to meet with clients for sessions. Thera-Platform will send each new client an email explaining how to set up a username and password. Once a username and password is set up for Thera-Platform, the site will notify Kerry Duarte. She will then enter into Thera-Platform the time and day of the appointment the new client has agreed to set up with the assigned therapist. The client will basically be all set after this and will receive reminder emails about all scheduled appointments. On the day of the appointment the client will log on to Thera- Platform and click join where the appointment shows up on their dashboard. A virtual waiting room will show up if the client is early or if the therapist is running behind. The client will also be asked to enter

a debit or credit card payment when joining an appointment with costs depending on your insurance coverage, co-payment or if there is an insurance deductible. In addition, Thera-Platform has many great features that clients can utilize to help facilitate contact with therapists between sessions. It is extremely convenient!