Telehealth Tips for Providers
Are you providing mental healthcare or social services remotely? Refer to guidance from city and state agencies – then see the tips below, created with providers and advocates, on delivering quality telehealth to New York City families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How do I transition to virtual sessions?
Set up your space.
Assess the visual and audio background noise where you’ll be conducting sessions. Consider a privacy screen and/or headphones if there will be background distractions. If possible, work in a space that you can leave at the end of the day.
Practice telehealth strategies.
Deepen your online therapy skills through virtual role-playing sessions with colleagues. Test your internet connectivity and identify preferred devices. Review application accessibility features such as closed-captioning and screen reading to support family members with disabilities, if needed. An accessibility menu for this website can be enabled by clicking the icon that appears in the bottom right corner.
Prepare to talk about the pandemic and the ongoing racial justice movement.
Common stress reactions to disease outbreaks and traumatic events include changes in sleep, appetite, and somatic symptoms. Be ready to talk about coping strategies and how to maintain emotional wellbeing during uncertainty and unrest. These concerns may be ongoing and the focus of several sessions.
How do I help families get ready for their appointment?
Reach out to the family about telehealth.
When scheduling the appointment, explain how your agency’s services have shifted to virtual delivery and offer to share our Telehealth Tips for Families. Make sure you have connected with the family member about their access to technology and the type of device they will be using. If needed, support them with getting the necessary devices.
Share the link to Telehealth Tips for Families.
Ask the family member if they would prefer to receive the tips link via text or email, and plan to send it at least a day before the call. All information on this website is available in New York City’s 11 official languages and can be found here. Share a link to the appropriate translation.
Feel free to use this language when sharing the website with families:
Hi [NAME],
Before our call tomorrow, here is some information about telehealth. If you have questions about how to prepare, this website (familypathways.nyc/telehealth-tips-for-families) contains helpful information about how to get ready and what will happen on the call. We can go over the website together when we talk. If you have questions before then or need support setting up your technology, please let me know.
Explain why you are sharing the website.
When you share the link, explain to the family member why you are sending it. You can send a link to a specific section (i.e. “What are my rights?”) by right-clicking the name of the section in the table of contents at the top of the page, and selecting “copy link address.”
Review the website together.
If the family member has questions about setting up or logging into the session, encourage them to ask for further instruction beforehand. Then, take time during the meeting to review the content together.
How should I structure the appointment?
Start with boundaries.
Make sure the family members receiving services know what to expect. Set clear boundaries about who talks when and how to minimize distractions (like muting notifications). Take note of who else is in the room.
Make sure you can hear and see each other.
If you notice technical difficulties, mention them right away. For example, if there is an audio lag that causes you to talk over each other, suggest adding a small pause after each statement. If it’s hard to hear a family member because of background noise, ask that they find a quieter space to talk. To improve accessibility for people with disabilities, use the closed-caption feature or other accessibility tools.
Make use of multiple platforms.
Families may need to use different applications or contact methods from session to session. To ease family members into video calling, try starting a session on the phone and transitioning to video later in the session. If you feel comfortable, offer the option of texting to coordinate logistics between sessions.
Adapt the plan.
Acknowledge the importance of the original service plan. Work together to discuss which of the service plan goals are still feasible. Ask the family what their current needs are to inform new goals.
End with reflection.
Leave time to ask the family how they thought the session went, and if they have feedback on how the session could be improved. Mindfulness and somatic methods, such as breathing and physical exercises, are often a good way to end.
How do I create successful engagement through telehealth?
How can I establish trust and empathy over video?
Build trust through body language and good communication. To make video calls more personal, try sitting a few feet away from your keyboard so that the family member can observe your body language, rather than just your face. Tell family members that you will work with them to ease into the new session format.
The same techniques for establishing trust in-person apply to virtual settings as well. Ask questions about their week at the beginning of the call. Provide affirmational support and be flexible with their circumstances.
What are some specific tips for engaging multiple family members at once?
Actively listen and reflect back what each family member is saying. If you lose their attention, you can use virtual high fives, thumbs-ups, and exaggerated gestures. Be ready to adapt your style and speed of speech based on the family’s needs.
How can I best engage children?
Talk to the family about where their child is most comfortable having the session. Have props ready to demonstrate ideas, like a rubber band to demonstrate resilience. Incorporate games, drawing, and movement breaks. Try a feelings-based scavenger hunt for objects that make the child feel happy or angry. Offer a reward video to encourage engagement during the session.
How can I engage teens through telehealth?
Be aware of their remote learning schedule to support their academic goals and avoid potential screen fatigue. Utilize the screenshare and annotation features on your video platform. Ask if they have art, journaling, or music they’d like to share with you. If they express discomfort with video, you can incorporate chat functions into the session.
How can I help the family after the appointment?
Check in more frequently.
Many families need extra support during this time. Check in with the family by phone or text to see how they're doing.
Set expectations.
Let families know how they can contact you and how quickly you will respond. Communicate about what content is appropriate to share over text, email, and phone.
Provide extra resources.
Work with colleagues to create a repository of tools and activities. Incorporate evidence-informed self-care facts, including tips for increasing social support, maintaining optimism, and setting goals. Send these resources to families between appointments. Discuss how they used them during your next call.