Online Therapy and Help with using Zoom
The benefits of online therapy
Online therapy offers quick and easy access to mental health advice and therapy. It has become the treatment of choice during the covid-19 pandemic due to the consequent restrictions on social contact. You may also find it helpful if you:-
Live in a remote area
Are struggling to access therapy due to an underlying physical health condition or disability
Wish to receive therapy in the comfort of your own home
Are trying to manage a busy schedule
Why use Zoom?
Zoom is a relatively easy solution for the delivery of online therapy and the British Psychological Society recommends its use for independent practitioners.
The system offers free unlimited video communication for one to one meetings and is available on a wide range of devices such as laptops, personal computers, tablets and smartphones.
Is Zoom safe and secure?
Zoom is a safe tool to use for therapy. The data transmitted during sessions are encrypted and secure. Zoom is compliant with the EU-US Privacy Shield agreement. For further information please read the zoom GDPR compliance statement on their website. GDPR Compliance (zoom.us)
What happens if the connection fails?
It is unusual for a connection to fail but if it does, I offer the option of rescheduling the session or continuing by telephone.
Preparing for your zoom therapy session.
Please contact me by phone to discuss any concerns or practical issues you have with setting up the Zoom video link and I will be happy to talk you through the necessary steps
I will ask you to provide your consent for us to conduct therapy via a zoom video link and keep it documented
Find a comfortable and private space in your home to use for the therapy session
Make sure you will not be disturbed or overheard in order to protect your confidentiality
Try not to seat yourself in front of a window as this may create glare on the screen
You may wish to have a glass of water at hand during the session
Getting started with Zoom
Using Zoom on a computer or laptop
There are two ways of accessing Zoom on your computer or laptop.
A - without downloading the app.
Your computer or laptop requires a working microphone and camera
An internet connection or mobile data is also required
Open your computer browser. This might be Chrome, Firefox, Internet explorer or Safari
Visit the Zoom website.
Type https://zoom.us/ into your computer browser
Click on SIGN UP, IT’S FREE
You can now sign up
B - downloading the app
Open your computer browser. This might be Chrome, Firefox, Internet explorer or Safari
Visit the Zoom website
TYPE https://zoom.us/ in your computer browser
Scroll down to the bottom of the page
Click on ‘Download’
Then click on the BLUE download button
It will start downloading in the bottom left hand corner of our screen
Click on ‘Zoominstaller.exe’
Click ‘Run’
Zoom will commence installing on your computer
Signing up to your account
Select ‘Sign up’
Fill in your date of birth and then select ‘confirm’
Fill in your first name and surname
Confirm your email address
Tick that you agree to the Terms of Service
Zoom will send you an email to activate your account; click ok
Open your email and click the ‘Activate Account’ button
Next you will be asked if you are signing up on behalf of a school; select NO
Select ‘continue’
Choose a password for your account – your password must have eight characters and contain at least one letter, one number and both upper and lower case letters
Fill in your password twice
Select continue
Zoom will ask you if you want to invite friends. You do not need to take this step
You might be asked if you are a robot
Tick I am not a robot
You might be asked additional questions about whether you want to share your e-mail. You can click ‘skip this step’
You have completed your sign up
The Actual Session
In preparation for a therapy session please check your e-mail. You will find an e-mail sent from myself with a link, which if you click ‘on’ will admit you to the meeting. At this point we can ensure that you are comfortable with the system and feeling relaxed.
If you think it would be helpful to make use of instructions with diagrams to set up your zoom account please click on the following link.