I am happy to offer my clients secure telehealth/online therapy! Please review the information on this page to get your space and your tech set up before your first online session (or maybe not your first!). This page also provides instructions on how to launch a telehealth appointment with Dr. Valdes (close to the bottom of the page). Please remember that I will need a completed Telehealth Informed Consent before our first telehealth session.
Can you lock the door? If not, will others who have access to the space respect your request for privacy and not enter the room? Can you/have you had a conversation with them? Were they receptive?
Can others outside the room hear you talking? If so, can you create white noise with a fan or other form of background noise (preferably placed outside the doorway of the room you’re in)?
Consider using headphones or earbuds so that your provider’s voice is kept private and is only hearable by you.
If you have a hard time finding confidential space, here are some examples that others have used. These are not ideal but should be considered secondary choices if an ideal setup is not available. If you use any of these, please make sure that the space is comfortable for you. Being comfortable is also highly important!
Laundry Room
Walk-In-Closet
Basement
Attic
Actual last resort: your car parked in a safe, private spot (I want to emphasize that private does not mean secluded—please do make sure you are in a safe location!)
Technical Setup:
A laptop or desktop computer is ideal — preferably the biggest screen size that you have available to you (that you can also have in a comfortable, confidential space).
If you’re using a tablet or phone, please prop up the device so that it is stable and that the camera is about level with your eyes.
Whatever device you’re using, please make sure that the camera is about level with your eyes. It may require propping up your device or monitor on other items, such as books.
Please make sure that you’re well-lit and don’t have a bright light source directly behind you.
Clear Your Internet (this is really important for a good connection!)
Be sure to move your computer as close as you can to your WiFi router (the box that makes the WiFi) or, better yet, plug your computer into the router with a cable!
After that, you’ll want to close out of any programs you don’t need which use your internet connection (e.g., close all other tabs on your browser, temporarily disable backup programs, etc). This article will explain it.
Instructions to begin a telehealth session: For complete instructions please click here.
Note: While TherapyAppointment.com is now our primary telehealth platform, occasionally, we may have video or audio problems. If we are in a session and these problems are persistent, we can use a platform called Sessions as a backup. Here is the link for my waiting room on that platform:
