So good to be back after quite a hiatus. As our field is rapidly changing due to the Covid 19
Pandemic and therapists all over the world are being forced to work from home, I thought it
would be a great idea to put out a few new episodes. And I couldn’t think of a better guest that
Raymond Barrett. He is the founder of Telehealth Certification Institute and has been training
therapist on TeleMental health for years. He is incredibly knowledgeable about how the
regulations are changing in the last few days and I’m thrilled he could join us and keep us up to
date. And he has put together a huge Online Therapy Summit – a weekend of classes that will
provide continuing education training. The link to his site and to the summit is below:
https://telementalhealthtraining.com/
https://telementalhealthtraining.com/course-offerings/product/summit-2020-full-access
Today we get to talk with Dr. Carly McCord about how she helped develop the
TeleHealth Counseling Clinic at Texas A & M. Seeing that there was a need in rural
Texas for mental health care, but realizing that clients had huge obstacles in
receiving it (digital divide, transportation, etc) and having many qualified doctoral
students at the University – she worked to combine the need with her students and
added in technology – developing a clinic that has provided online therapy to over
800 clients (that’s 8000 sessions!). We talk about tele-supervision and training
tomorrow’s online therapists.
www.telehealthcounseling.org
Forrest Pulley – Co-Founder
Nicholas Fuller – Chief Technical Officer
I am so fortunate to get to talk to Forrest Pulley (co-founder) and Nicholas Fuller
(Chief Technical Officer) of iTherapy. iTherapy is an incredibly robust service that
serves the field of online therapy. They offier HIPAA compliant video, EHR services,
payment gateway, scheduling, notes and other services that are typical in the field.
But they set themselves apart with their customer services and some of their higher
offerings like business coaching, marketing guidance, virtual assistance and tips on
how to jump start your practice as an online therapist. They’ve done a great job of
listening to online therapists about their needs and then creating programs and
services to meet those needs. They have a passion for serving the field and I’m so
happy to get to interview them.
www.itherapy.com
Today’s interview is with Martin Perry who is the founder of Nous Talk. Nous Talk
is a new HIPAA compliant Audio / Video platform built specifically for online
therapists. I’ve tried it out for the last month and am incredibly impressed. They
are super HIPAA compliant – just not offering a BAA, but also addressing levels of
HIPAA that other platforms do not – and they comply with malpractice insurers!
They offer Group sessions, accepting online payments, arranging online scheduling –
it’s a very robust platform and incredibly easy to use.
Synergy ETherapy
Building an online private practice can be hard enough – but what about building a
100% Online GROUP practice? Well Lisa Herman of Synergy ETherapy has done just
that and she has grown this practice to Minnesota and New York and now has 5
therapists in the group. She truly is a Therapy Entrepreneur and we are so lucky to
have her tell us how she did it. In the podcast interview today, we talk about hiring
theraists, managing them, learning and training on the technology part of everything
and MARKETING! She has some great tips on marketing! And even if you aren’t
thinking of creating a group practice, you’re going to get lots of tips from today’s
guest.
www.synergyetherapy.com
Dr. Christopher Quarto is a licensed psychologist and professor in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee and is the founder of the Distance Counseling Community Facebook
Group. He is incredibly active on social media and always has very valuable
information for therapists who have questions about online counseling. He’s very
generous about his time and his comments are always spot on. He has also
developed a framework for educators to use when training new and previously
licensed therapist about online counseling. Today we get to talk about this
framework, social media and some of the bias he has seen with therapists who are
reluctant to add technology to their practices. I’m so happy Chris has had time to
join us!
www.chrisquarto.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/150248505543091/
Marc Lehman has come up with a brilliant approach to reaching college students
and making therapy available to them. Dorm Room Counseling uses online
counseling to help young adults through the very stressful process of adjusting to
college. Transitioning from high school to a college is incredibly difficult and more
so today – when teens are struggling with social norms, societal stress and academic
pressures. Marc meets these college students where they are…online. Using text,
email and audio/visual platforms, he allows them to access counseling in ways that
are familiar to them. Sometimes college campus counseling centers are not the right
fit – so he has developed this incredibly innovative approach of therapy and
coaching to fill a need. So pleased that he has spent time with us today.
www.dormroomcounseling.com
Today we get to know a therapist who was based in Austin, Texas – but wanted to
travel the world with her family. Having a successful private practice, she worked to
transition her face to face clients to begin working online with her. She then began
to build up more online clients. She now lives in Costa Rica with her family and
continues to work with her clients from Austin and is beginning to reach out to the
population of “digital nomads” – people who work from their laptops anywhere in
the world. Step by step she figured out what was needed to make this huge leap,
and today we get to learn how she did it.
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a new episode, but I think this will be worth the wait! Today we speak with Beata Klarowska, who is the co-founder of TheraPlatform.com. She is a speech and language pathologist who saw a need for a tele-therapy platform that provided interactive forms and HIPAA compliant connection for therapists and clients. This platform has tons of great options and is very affordable. And they are designed for all sorts of disciplines, but it is perfect for psychotherapists who want a secure, affordable tele-therapy options. And most exciting: They Offer Group Therapy!!! Their Business Associates Agreement does not cost extra, and they are incredibly secure! I’m so excited for you to learn about TheraPlatform.
www.theraplatform.com
To celebrate episode 50, we answer one of the top questions psychotherapists have
when it comes to starting an online counseling practice: What needs to be in my
informed consent? We all know that there are certain paperwork needs for private
practice, but how do those needs change when we bring technology into the picture?
Today we speak with Katie Lemieux, and Kate Campbell – co-founders of The
Private Practice Startup. They spent a decade developing their paperwork and have
had it reviewed by three different attorneys. And today they share what they have
learned. And be sure to listen to the end for their huge giveaway!
www.theprivatepracticestartup.com
Free give-away: www.ht.gr8.com
And Rob and Roy’s new podcast: www.therapytechrobroy.com
Philippa Weitz and Adrian Rhodes
Face to Face Counseling vs. Online Counseling
Today we have our first panel discussion! And what a distinguished panel it is:
Philippa Weitz is a returning guest, she is the author of Psychotherapy 2.0 and
Managing Director of PW Training, which is a training program for online therapists.
Adrian Rhodes is a past president of European Association for Psychotherapy and
has over 40 years experience in the helping field. Adrian is a recent graduate of
Philippa’s training program and has written an article about looking to Online
Therapy as a distinctly different approach to psychotherapy. We have a lively and
friendly discussion about the differences of online counseling and face to face
counseling and also explore how things are progressing in the UK for Online
Therapy in general.
Resources:
PW Training: www.pwtraining.com
Adrian Rhodes: http://adrianrhodes.net
Blog article: http://pwtacademy.online/blog/
Today we travel to Switzerland to speak with Claudia Pluss, CEO of Perceptiko and
developer of Catch Eye – a plug in technology that adjusts the appearance of our
eyes online to improve eye contact. One of the few problems of doing online
counseling is maintaining good eye contact with our clients. If we are looking at
their image on the screen, we aren’t looking directly into the camera – which can
make it appear that we aren’t making eye contact. It’s a nuanced thing – but as we
all know as therapists, good eye contact is really important to the therapeutic
relationship. This plug in solves the problem – and does so much more! It improves
lighting and can even adjust our background. I think it’s a game changer and I’m so
pleased to have the actual developer of this technology join us to talk about it.
And it’s FREE!
www.catch-eye.com
www.perceptiko.com
Diann is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has taken the leap into Life Coaching.
She has a fascinating story of how she used coaches to grow her Private Practice and
found that the process really resonated with her. As a result, she has gotten
extensive training in Life Coaching and is now embarking on a new phase of her
career – focusing on Women in Mid-Life who also have ADHD. She has extensive
experience with connecting with her clients online and I was captivated by her
story.
www.diannwingertcoaching.com
Once we leave grad school and start out as professional counselors, it is of the
utmost importance to keep learning! My wife once said she wanted to be known as
a “Life Long Learner” and that should be all of us. It’s important to know the latest
developments in our field and to keep abreast of different approaches. But it’s
difficult to do this. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a library of video chats that provides
continuing education for helping professionals? Well John Wilson and his sister
Sandra have done just that. At Online Events, they have over 500 hours of seminars
and interviews with some of the leading professionals in our field – exploring
amazing topics that will help us to continue to ‘sharpen our tools’ and keep us fresh
and up to date on developments across our field. As an online therapist himself,
John is using the power of video connection to bring education to a wide audience
from students all the way up to the seasoned professional. This is a great resource
for all of us!
Online Events
http://octia.org.uk/
Association for Counselling and Therapy Online
http://acto-org.uk/
Annual Online Counselling Conference
http://octia.org.uk/
Catherine is a LCSW and certified coach, working online using Energy Psychology /
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)and other modalities to help her clients heal
from past wounds – particularly doing trauma work. She has been a life long
advocate for women and minorities. Her journey to the online world is fascinating –
she even created Tele-Summits to highlight the expertise of 21 different health
professionals – and this was back in 2008. She is an inspiration for all of us to
embrace the technology of our time and think outside of the box, while listening to
our inner wisdom.
www.sacredheartalchemy.com
Two heads are better than one, goes the old saying. And when starting a business,
especially a private practice, maybe it’s better not to go it alone – especially when
you and your partner complement each other’s skill sets. This is the story of
Jennifer Labanowski and Shelly Smith – two Marriage and Family Therapists who
have come together to launch a team private practice – serving clients online in four
different states! As they and their family prepare to move, they are adjusting their
already successful practice to go online – increasing their reach and impact and they
are inspiring professionals. They have surrounded themselves with a team of web
designers, social media experts and marketing folks who are helping them make
their dream of a successful practice come true. Why go it alone when you can have a
partner share the burden and inspire you to keep going in when the struggle can
seem too much?
www.unitedcounselingwellness.com
Today we continue our series of exploration into HIPAA compliant platforms that
are available to psychotherapists when connecting with our clients. One of the
biggest questions we get about online therapy is: If I can’t use skype or FaceTime,
what services should I use? So we are trying to answer that question by
interviewing the leading platforms that are encrypted and HIPAA compliant. Zoom
is a leading provider of audio / visual connection and they are particularly popular
outside the US, but have a strong following here as well. In only a few short years,
they have over 600,000 businesses that use their program and they are growing
every day. Their application, which must be downloaded onto your computer, is
designed to make the connection seamless and clear. Their basic program is free,
but if you want the BAA you must upgrade to a higher level which allows up to 10
sign-in accounts and a fee of $200 a month. Derek is incredibly informed on all of
the offerings of this growing company and I am very grateful that he was able to
spend some time with us!
Zoom.US
Derek’s email: Derek.pando@zoom.us
I love when we get to interview successful online therapists so we can
learn from them. Today, we talk with Viktoria Ivanova, who began her
online therapy practice 1 year ago after deciding to move from Canada
to The Philippines. Having a love of the ex-pat lifestyle, she needed a
way to make her therapy practice mobile, and she has done just that.
She talks about her journey in finding the right platform for her and
how she is learning social media and networking to grow her practice.
Lots of great information for all of us!
www.globaltherapy.online
Resources:
www.fliffr.com
www.buffer.com
www.ring.md
www.internationaltherapistdirectory.com
Every day I find talented and entrepreneurial therapists who are using technology
to reach their clients in powerful and unique ways. Recently I was introduced to
Megan Peterson who is the founder of 2 nd Chance Counseling Service. They are an
Addictions Counseling Service that uses tele-medicine to help clients in their
recovery process. They work both with initial contact clients and with clients who
are stepping down from inpatient facilities – offering membership in a program that
will take them through the steps of recovery with support and counseling from
certified therapists from around the country. 2 nd Chance is all about simplicity and
flexibility – truly meeting the client where they are! Today we get to talk with
Megan about her services and how she created an online membership program with
over 42 therapists!
www.2ndchancecounselingservice.com
When therapists find out they shouldn’t be using Skype or Face Time for
their therapy sessions, their first question is: Then what can I use? Well,
today marks the beginning of a series of podcasts where we go and talk
to the leading platforms and explore all their bells and whistles –
benefits and challenges. And I’m thrilled to have Andrew Livingston, co-
founder of Doxy Me. Doxy Me is a conferencing platform that is
designed specifically for tele-health. It is encrypted and compliant with
HIPAA (providing a free Business Associates Agreement) and it’s simple
to use with no download required. It’s incredibly versatile for all of
your online counseling needs – and it’s FREE!
Special deal: To get the EXTRA 2 months free (thats a total of 3 Months free) of the Professional Level of Doxy Me, just send an email to: Andrew@doxy.me with the word Extend in the subject line.
www.drmonag.com
Dr. Mona Ghosheh has created a 100% online therapy practice based in
Texas. In just over a year, she has transitioned from her job as
counselor in a college counseling center to her own private practice that
is completely online. Due to family needs, she has to travel between
Austin and Houston and Dallas and is able to take her practice with her!
Today she talks about how she built this business – the ups an downs,
benefits and challenges. We talk about it all – from setting up your
office and getting the lighting right to the choice of platforms and
marketing your practice. She is incredibly helpful and there is a ton of
great information here for all of us – newbies or seasoned therapists-
we all can learn a lot from Dr. Ghosheh.
Many of you are familiar with many of the ‘online clinics’ that are available out there. Talk Space, BetterHelp, and Breakthrough are just a few of the leaders in the field. They can be an easy entry point for a therapist who is considering doing online counseling, as they do all of the marketing for you and they offer the technology (Text, IM, Email or video) that you would use to connect. They also sometimes act as an ‘intake coordinator’ and match clients with the best therapist for their needs. Ken Fields who operates from Hawaii and is the founder of Open Mind Counseling has been using these clinics to build his practice since almost the beginning of their creation – back in 2006. He has incredible experience from the inside on how they have developed and how they have grown and improved over the years. They can be a wonderful source for a client who wishes a certain level of anonymity. I’ve heard many of you express concerns about their business models – so here is a chance to hear from someone who has used them extensively.
Today is maybe our best episode ever. We get to talk with Nicole Hind, founder of Unveiled Stories – a 100% online counseling practice that focuses on women, singles and those with disabilities. She lives in Australia and is currently in Amsterdam on an extended vacation – but still working with her clients remotely. One of the benefits of having an online counseling practice is travel! And she is taking advantage of that. We get to talk about how she started her practice how she grew it. We explore her marketing approach, how her clients find her, what platforms she likes, her insurance – all the nitty gritty that is involved with having an online therapy practice. We also get to talk about Australia and the mental health mindset there – as well as the lack of regulations for online therapy. And that big announcement I’ve been talking about…well, don’t skip the intro! We have big news!
One of the top questions I get from therapists who are interested in Online Therapy is: What does my Informed Consent form need to include? And along those lines – is it a separate form or can I just add specific language to my face to face informed consent? It’s a great question, because all along I’ve been an advocate for an ethical approach to tele-mental health and the informed consent form / process is an important consideration. So as always, when faced with a question – we go to the experts. Maelisa Hall is the founder of QA Prep – which is an incredibly valuable site that educates therapists about documentation requirements and the latest developments. She has tons of free information on her blog and she has a paperwork packet for sale that has templates and guidelines – that is totally worth the price. She has a passion for helping therapists do their paperwork and fully understands that we don’t really like doing it! She even has group support to help us catch up when we get behind. She is wonderful guest and I’m so thrilled to have her on the show to talk about how we can have great informed consents forms for our online therapy practices.
www.qaprep.com
Jeffrey Frank, LCSW
Today is the beginning of a new series for the podcast. I will be interviewing current members of the Online Counselling Directory – to highlight their journey to and experience with online therapy and how they are using technology in their practices and how they are growing their practices. My goal is to highlight our members so that we can continue to get to know one another, learn from one another, and continue to grow what is becoming a very supportive community. I’m very honored that our first guest is Jeffrey Frank in Sarasota Florida. Jeffrey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who recently moved to Florida from Washington DC, and via Online Therapy, he was able to take his DC practice with him to Florida. His approach on moving his practice was brilliant, as he gradually worked with his face to face clients to transition them to online counseling. Jeffrey also specializes in Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and offers classes and teaching to other therapists who want to learn this incredibly focused approach. He was a great first guest in this series and I look forward to supporting him in any way I can.