Читать книгу Distance Counseling and Supervision - Группа авторов - Страница 15

Emotional Stability, Safety, and Emergency Risk Management

Оглавление

It is important to assess the emotional and psychological stability of the client to ensure that virtual counseling services are appropriate. In situations in which involuntary commitment might become a necessity, technology-assisted therapy might not be the best choice. It might be important to assess for suicidal or homicidal ideation, hallucinations, or delusions prior to engaging in virtual services. This assessment for appropriateness of services should be ongoing and continue throughout treatment. For safety purposes, it is important to verify the client’s location at the beginning of each session and maintain a safety plan (AMFTRB, 2016). A safety plan should be proactive in considering the potential risks and potential needs of each individual client. It is recommended that an emergency contact (an adult older than age 18 who is able to respond) be identified who resides within 10 minutes of the client during scheduled sessions. Informed consent should provide permission for the counselor to speak with emergency contacts in case of an emergency. Local law enforcement, medical personnel/emergency medical services, and fire services in the client’s location should be identified as well. This safety plan should be kept current and up-to-date as the client moves or travels or as emergency contacts become unavailable. In addition, there should be a plan in place in case the technology fails. Counselors should be aware that state laws, liability insurance companies, supervision laws, and other governing and regulatory bodies do not view all technologies in the same manner. The counselor must be aware that if synchronous videoconferencing software fails, a phone call might address the client’s welfare, but it might not be bill-able or count toward counseling hours. Counselors and supervisors should identify the various technological methods that both serve clients’ needs and meet the expectations of insurance providers. Please see a sample Readiness for Online Counseling checklist in Appendix A.

Distance Counseling and Supervision

Подняться наверх