The Felix & Sage Psychology Telehealth Informed Consent is to be used in conjunction with our service consent which can be found here.
Telehealth General Information
It is important to be in a quiet, private space that is free of distractions during the session. Clients are encouraged to choose an environment with good lighting and where they will not be interrupted or overheard.
Requirement to provide contact details and location
As your consultations will take place via telehealth, your practitioner may need to be able to contact support people in your locality should any issues arise. You will be required to provide the name and contact details of at least one person known to you before commencing treatment.
Because you may be in varied locations for each of our videoconferences, your practitioner will require you to confirm your location at the commencement of each session.
Privacy in online communications
The privacy of any form of communication via the internet or a mobile device is potentially vulnerable and limited by the security of the technology.
Clients are responsible for understanding the potential risks of confidentiality being breached through unencrypted email, in transit by hackers or internet service providers, lack of password protection or leaving information on a public access computer.
Felix & Sage Psychology makes every effort to keep all information confidential and takes privacy and confidentiality extremely seriously. Telehealth sessions with Felix & Sage Psychology are conducted using the secure platform, Zoom, which provides end-to-end encryption for data security. You can find out more about Zoom’s security guide at;
https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Zoom-Security-White-Paper.pdf
Additional information to help you protect your own online privacy for our sessions can be found on The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) website https://www.cyber.gov.au/
Confidentiality applies to telehealth services, neither the client nor the practitioner is to record the session without written permission from the other party.
Telehealth Technology
Telehealth services require clients and practitioners to have a secure Wifi or Internet Connection, a working webcam, and audio on their device. The client is responsible for all costs incurred in relation to the provision of their own software, hardware and data usage associated with telehealth services.
Zoom has a free account for clients and it can be accessed by several operating systems including Windows & Mac computers, Tablets and Smartphones.
Clients should be aware that misunderstandings may occur due to connection problems which can cause delayed audio and/or images or less than optimal quality of audio and/or images. Clients and practitioners need to be mindful of these delays and seek clarification from each other as required.
Record Keeping and Storage of your health records
It is a requirement that your practitioner takes notes of any consultations and as such they may be required to look down to record these during your telehealth session. In accordance with legislative requirements, electronic records and paper records are kept in secure storage.
Technical Difficulties or Service Disruptions
Where internet or technical difficulties occur, your practitioner will attempt to contact you via alternative means e.g. telephone, to discuss how to proceed with the session. If re-connection is not possible, the session may need to be rescheduled to a new time.
Your treating practitioner may determine that due to certain circumstances, telepsychology is no longer appropriate and that sessions will need to be resumed in-person. This will be discussed with you by your practitioner at an appropriate time.