Telemental Health
We are ready to serve you
You want to get the help and support you need, but how do you put one more thing into your crazy-busy life?
Telemental health could be the answer.
As with all other TeleMedicine, TeleMental Health requires additional training and specialized HIPAA-compliant internet access for the provider, but you can access it through any web-enabled device. Family Essentials has done the work to provide you with access to care that meets your needs for flexibility and security.
How does it work?
You are sent a link to log into a secure audio/visual chat similar to FaceTime or Skype, but with much higher HIPAA-compliant security. You and your therapist meet together without the extra requirements of getting to a physical appointment. Some clients meet from home, some from work - there are businesses that even have designated space for TeleMental Health in their office building to create better access and promote wellness within their workforce!
TeleMental Health is also a covered medical expense through your health insurance. Beginning January1, 2017 insurance companies in Washington state were required to cover TeleMental Health by trained TeleMental Health providers meeting HIPAA requirements. We are credentialed with all of our listed insurance companies to offer this opportunity and access to you.
Call or email our staff and we will walk you through the process to access this innovative technology to begin your journey toward a happier, healthier you!
How We Help
Counseling for Children
Counseling For Teens
Counseling for Adults
Couples Counseling
Family Counseling
Group Counseling
Online Counseling
So What Is Telemental Health Counseling?
Rather simply, it is a way for you to get the therapeutic help you need and want without having to:
Drive to a distant location through busy traffic
Find a place to park
Find someone to take care of the kids while you are taking care of yourself
Ask for permission to leave work and risk annoying your boss or supervisor
Meet with a therapist only during specific, often inconvenient, times and days of the week
Sit in a waiting room worrying if other people also there are wondering why you are there
Leave your rural community to seek help
Switch to a new therapist (telling your story all over again from the beginning) after a move to a new community
Add your own annoyance here… __________________________
How Does It Work?
It actually works easier than you probably think it does.
Typically, your Telemental Health therapist will inform you about technical aspects involving hardware (computers, smart phones, tablets, cameras, etc.) and software such as video conferencing platforms that allow for two-way connections using encrypted information over the Internet. Your Telemental Health therapist must be licensed in the same state where you are seeking help.
For Telemental Health use, the software has to meet strict privacy requirements that protect your personal health
information (PHI) which means that it will be designated as HIPPA compliant.
Common communication software already in use such as Skype and Face-Time do not meet the rigorous requirements necessary, but the software used by the therapist will meet those requirments, and it is normally free for the patient or client to use on their devices.
Many insurance companies support using video conferencing between client and therapist and allow it as part of their benefit package, and reimburse providers at the same rate as person to person interactions.
You will want to contact your insurance company directly to see if they cover your Telemental Health visits. Typically, you will be responsible for the same copay amounts as if you had gone to the therapist's office.
If you receive benefits through your employer's Employee Assistance Program (EAP), your sessions with their in network Telemental Health therapists cost you nothing, but there are a limited number of free sessions you receive (usually between 3 and 10). Check with your Human Resources (HR) department at work for EAP benefits.
After the EAP session limit has been reached, you will use your insurance to cover additional sessions with usual deductions and copays applicable.
If you elect to use video conferencing as your preference for your therapy, click on the links below to download and complete forms to start the process. I will help you schedule your first telemental health appointment and a determination will be made about whether this form of counseling will best suit both of our needs. For additional questions, you can also contact me directly either through E-mail or by telephone at [email protected] or call (509)951-2210.