We are offering therapy via telehealth as well as in person. If you decide to do therapy in person, below are the precautionary measures we will be taking as recommended by the American Psychological Association:
To obtain services in person, you agree to take certain precautions which will help keep everyone (you, me, and our families, [my other staff] and other patients) safer from exposure, sickness and possible death. If you do not adhere to these safeguards, it may result in our starting / returning to a telehealth arrangement.
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You will only keep your in-person appointment if you are symptom free.
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If you are experiencing any symptoms prior to your scheduled appointment, you agree to cancel the appointment or proceed using telehealth. If you wish to cancel for this reason, you will not be charged our normal cancellation fee.
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We will take your temperature upon entering the building. If it is elevated (100 Fahrenheit or more), you will be asked to reschedule your appointment.
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You will wait in your car or outside [in a designated safe waiting area] until no earlier than 5 minutes before our appointment time.
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You will wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you enter the building.
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You will adhere to the safe distancing precautions we have set up in the waiting room and testing/therapy room.
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You will wear a mask in all areas of the office (I [and my staff] will too).
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You will keep a distance of 6 feet and there will be no physical contact (e.g. no shaking hands) with me [or staff].
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If you are bringing your child, you will make sure that your child follows all of these sanitation and distancing protocols.
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You will take steps between appointments to minimize your exposure to COVID.
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If you have a job that exposes you to other people who are infected, you will immediately let me [and my staff] know.
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If your commute or other responsibilities or activities put you in close contact with others (beyond your family), you will let me [and my staff] know.
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If a resident of your home tests positive for the infection, you will immediately let me [and my staff] know and we will then resume therapy via telehealth.
Protea may change the above precautions if additional local, state or federal orders or guidelines are published. If that happens, we will talk about any necessary changes.
Our Commitment to Minimize Exposure
Our practice has taken steps to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus within the office and we have posted our efforts on our website and in the office. Please let me know if you have questions about these efforts.
If You or a Therapist is Sick
You understand that we are committed to keeping you, us therapists, and all of our families safe from the spread of this virus. If you show up for an appointment and your therapist believes that you have a fever or other symptoms, or believe you have been exposed, we will have to require you to leave the office immediately. We can follow up with services by telehealth as appropriate. If any therapist in our office tests positive for the coronavirus, we will notify you so that you can take appropriate precautions.
Your Confidentiality in the Case of Infection
If you have tested positive for the coronavirus, we may be required to notify local health authorities that you have been in the office. If we have to report this, we will only provide the minimum information necessary for their data collection and will not go into any details about the reason(s) for our visits.