Telehealth Video Conference Instructions

Telehealth Video Conference Instructions for Gearing Up Clients

In response to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Gearing Up is moving all clinical services to telehealth video conference sessions to ensure the safety of our clients, administrative staff, and clinicians. During this state of emergency and due to government requests for self-quarantine and social distancing, almost all insurance companies and plans are now covering telehealth and video conference sessions. Many insurance plans are even making exceptions for telephone sessions due to the overwhelming need for mental health care during this time of high anxiety and fear. Please contact our office to confirm your telehealth coverage or discuss options for telehealth during this temporary coronavirus crisis.

The good news is that modern technology makes telehealth easy to use and accessible to everyone whether you have a computer, tablet, smart phone, or even a regular telephone. Here is a general description of how the process works:

1.) First, please confirm with our staff that we have the correct email address on file for your account. We will be sending all the information to access your telehealth session to your email address on file before each appointment.
2.) A few minutes before the session is scheduled to begin, our office will send you an email to the email address we have on file with multiple ways to access the telehealth session. If you do not receive the email by five (5) minutes into your session time, please call our office immediately.
3.) The first option is to click a link to join the live video conference with full video and audio interaction. Video conference is the preferred option for our office so we can fully understand and interact with each client not only verbally but with all of the essential non-verbal cues of a therapy session. For children and teens, please make sure a parent or guardian is present to establish the video connection, troubleshoot any technical issues, and be available for emotional support if needed.
4.) If there is a technical issue or the video conference options is not accessible for some reason, the telehealth email will also have multiple toll-free phone numbers listed to call in and join the meeting over the phone. Please have the “Meeting ID” number ready as you will need to type it into the phone to join the session.
5.) If both options fail, please contact our office immediately for more options. We may retry the process to connect one more time, complete the session by phone, or reschedule if all other options fail.
6.) If the appointment is after hours or the office phones are busy, please respond to the email with the telehealth instructions or join the “Zoom chat” with the clinician to troubleshoot the technical issues if possible. If you are unable to speak with anyone at the office when you call, please leave a voicemail with information regarding your technical issue, inability to connect, etc. to avoid potential No Show fees.

Thank you for your understanding and patience with this fundamental change in how we deliver mental health services to our clients. Gearing Up is dedicated to safely continuing to deliver mental health counseling services to our clients during this time of crisis. Please contact our office with any questions or concerns regarding telehealth services or treatment plans during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.