Online Virtual Therapy Sessions
Therapy sessions across Alberta from the comfort of your couch
Virtual mental health therapy online
Online therapy is also known as virtual therapy, or Telehealth. It is mental health counselling that occurs over a videoconferencing program or over the phone. This therapy delivery works best for clients seeking psychological support outside the office. This can be due to distance or other factors that are unable to make attending in-person appointments in West Edmonton difficult, or would just prefer to access support from home.
At Mendable Psychology, we use the Jane App software to conduct our online therapy appointments. Jane App is a secure online video platform for healthcare providers that ensures privacy and encryption for Canadian users.
Why clients are choosing online 'telehealth' counselling
Clients who are local to the Edmonton area can attend all their therapy sessions online or in-person. Some people prefer having the choice to attend in person or online, depending on their weekly schedule. This flexibility allows them to decide how they want to participate based on their availability.
Attending virtual sessions can also be beneficial to local clients for:
- Saving time by eliminating the need to commute to session
- Avoiding the need to cancel or reschedule if cold experiencing cold symptoms
- The added privacy and comfort of being at home
- Access to comforts of home while engaging in therapy, such as being near pets
Online counselling is also beneficial to clients across Alberta for:
- Accessing support that may be not available locally
- Ability to select the type of treatment approach if not offered locally
- Avoiding dual relationships and conflict of interests in smaller communities
- Avoiding waitlists for therapy services
- Not having to travel and miss work or school to attend therapy appointments
How effective is virtual therapy?
Virtual or online therapy offers many of the same benefits as in-person therapy. Many evidence-based therapies have been studied through both in-person and online delivery.
Things to consider when choosing online counselling
The main concern with online psychological services is the risk to confidential information. An accidental breach of your confidential health information could occur if someone is close by and can hear your therapy session or if devices are recording the session. Having a secure and private location to complete your sessions is crucial for success with virtual therapy.
The second consideration is the connection! Virtual counselling may be different from in-person sessions as some body language cues are harder to see online. This makes the connection that you have to your internet or wifi especially important. Slow or unreliable internet can limit online counselling. Without high-speed internet, you may not get the full benefit from the counselling session.
Who might not be a good candidate for online therapy
- Clients located outside of Alberta. Psychologists follow provincial rules, so they can only treat clients in the province(s) where they are registered. These rules generally also include if you are out of province travelling. If you have questions are specific circumstances please discuss this with your therapist.
- If safety issues require in-person treatment, online therapy may not be suitable. For instance, dangers linked to domestic abuse or suicidal thoughts, or severe mental health issues or difficulties in handling strong emotions. Decisions are made individually. You can ask your therapist or the organization you want to get treatment from any questions.
- Clients without access to a private and secure location or high speed internet may not a good fit for virtual counselling. You also cannot be driving at the time of an appointment as this poses a safety risk.
- Finally, if you are easily distracted or uncomfortable with the idea of an online appointment, Telehealth may not the best fit for you.
How our online platform software works
Prior to your session the Jane App will send a link to the appointment to the email address you included on file. You can use a computer, tablet, or phone for the appointment. If you are using a computer, you will need to use the Google Chrome browser. If you use a tablet or phone, you can download the Jane Online Appointments App for iOs or android.
At or just before the time of your session you can click the link to take you to the online therapy appointment. A “waiting room” screen will appear and your therapist will admit you into the videoconference at the time of the session.
If you have any difficulties just send us an email or give us a call and we can help troubleshoot! Occasionally, like any software, the video can freeze briefly, if this happens you can log out and then click the link back in which usually helps to resolve the problem.
