How To Series: Design Your Home Office for Online Therapy Success
Introduction
Are you a new therapist or expanding yourpractice online and not sure where to begin?
You’re not the only one. Many of today’stherapists are opting to provide online therapy instead of starting a privatepractice or joining a group therapy practice.
Freedom and flexibility are the two of themain drivers causing more therapists to choose online practice. Once you’vemade the decision to practice online, the first step on the road to success isto make sure you have a functional workspace to manage your online practice. Inthis article, we talk about how to set up your home office for success.
Organization Is Key
Have you ever tried meeting with a clientwithout being fully prepared? The experience can be emotionally taxing andstressful for you and your client. The goal of providing therapy is to be anoutlet where mental health clients can find relief and solutions. The best wayto begin setting up your home office is to decide what kind of organizationalstructure you will use.
If you’re a therapist transitioning from anoffline practice, will you adopt the same strategies you used in your privatepractice or therapy group, or will you create an entirely new system? Considerwhat has worked for you in your offline practice. In most cases, it makes senseto incorporate successful practices like appointment scheduling andrecordkeeping into your home office environment.
New therapists or those practicingindependently for the first time have to decide how to handle scheduling,administrative tasks, and client sessions in order to set up a home office forsuccess.
ChoosingThe Right Software and Applications
Now that you’re practicing on your own, it’simportant to choose the best software and applications that support yourdistance therapy goals. There are hundreds of free and paid apps available thathelp new and transitioning therapists with important tasks like appointmentscheduling, time management, and session management.
Take the time to read critical and positivereviews on new apps and software before incorporating them into your practice.Once you’ve chosen the best apps and software for your online practice, be sureto test drive the important features to make sure there aren’t any bugs orglitches when the time comes to meet with clients online.
Use Online Therapy Resource Websites
Therapists practicing independently for thefirst time can easily become overwhelmed with the everyday tasks required tomanage an online practice. Using available resources can help reduce some ofthe stress and anxiety associated with managing a remote practice online.Counseling and therapy organizations like BetterHelp, Therapist Aid, andTheranest provide free and paid access to online therapy and mentalhealth-related resources that help new and transitioning therapists to succeedonline.
Using resource sites, new and transitioningtherapists can find printable worksheets, audio, and visual aids that maketherapy sessions easier to manage. Streamlining your process using availableresources can make your therapy sessions easier to navigate and more fulfillingfor both you and your therapy clients. Online therapy resource sites likeBetterHelp provide alternatives for new and transitioning therapists who maynot be digitally inclined.
Many therapists are opting to provide therapyservices by joining secure online therapy platforms like BetterHelp that takethe guesswork out of setting up your home office for therapy. Therapists whojoin online networks like BetterHelp have the benefit of partnering withthousands of other licensed clinical mental health professionals nationwide.The BetterHelp platform provides at-home therapists with an out-of-the-boxsolution for getting your therapy practice online and running in no time.
The benefits of practicing therapy online areendless for both therapists and their distance therapy clients. Therapists whoopt to join popular online therapy providers get access to an instant networkof like-minded professionals and mentors that can help guide you through theprocess of building your online practice.
Therapists who practice online get to be theirown boss, set their own hours, and make all of the important decisions abouthow their online practice will run. While some therapists like the freedom ofcompletely managing their own online practice from start to finish, others maybenefit from partnering with existing online therapy platforms to save time andmoney on paperwork, malpractice insurance, business licensing, and other costs(plus fees that can have a direct impact on your therapy income).
Consider all of your options including how youwork best, your preferred work environment, and your willingness to take onadministrative tasks alone before you decide to go it alone. If you’re not surehow to begin on your own, joining an online therapy group is a great way toprepare to operate and manage your own thriving online therapy practice.