Coronavirus
(Covid-19)


The Smart CBT+ Telehealth strategy and guidance to enable ethical access to mental health assessment and treatment remotely:

Following guidance from the government, World Health Organisation, BABCP, the NHS and insurance companies the need has arisen to move temporarily to providing assessment and treatment online or on the telephone.

We understand clients may feel apprehensive about engaging with these alternatives to traditional face-to-face support, however we feel positive about providing telepresence and ongoing support at this challenging time.

Following guidance we have chosen to use the platform ZOOM as a preferred video conferencing software to enable continued face to face contact.

We understand at a time of significant change if you would prefer to use a platform you are familiar with as a team we will try and facilitate this but will need to check individual requests with our insurers and take your written consent for its use due to potential breaching of GDPR. Examples of these platforms are WhatsApp and FaceTime.

 

How to use ZOOM:

To use ZOOM please download the application on a device. This is a free and safe application. Here is our ZOOM guide.

To engage with a ZOOM assessment or treatment session you will be sent an email and or text message containing a link to the meeting with a unique code and password.

At the time of your session, please join the meeting by clicking on the link. There is a useful video guide here.

Please make sure ZOOM has access to your microphone, audio and video/camera.

 

Your environment:

Ensure you are in a comfortable and safe place to engage, ideally without distractions or disturbance. Be aware of background noise, you may need to invest in some earbuds or headphones as this does increase the sound quality. Be aware of lighting.

 

Technical requirements for video therapy:

Please check your internet connection and broadband package.

The bandwidth used by ZOOM will be optimised for the best experience based on the participants network. It will automatically adjust for 3G, WiFi or Wired environments.

Recommended bandwidth for meeting and Webinar Panellists for 1:1 video calling:

  • 600kbps (up/down) for high quality video

  • 1.2 Mbps (up/down) for 720p HD video

  • Receiving 1080p HD video requires 1.3 Mbps (up/down)

  • Sending 1080p HD video requires 2.8 Mbps (up/down)

(kbps – kilobits per second, Mbps – megabits per second)

Please set this up before your session and make sure the device you will be using has up to date security software, is able to support ZOOM and the bandwidth required for a stable web meeting. 

As there is going to be an increase in demand, Plan B is using your phone as a WiFi hotspot or telephone support.

 

EMDR treatment:

We will follow EMDR Europe guidance on using EMDR online.