Video conferencing technology has proven itself to be an excellent way to keep us connected. For mental health services, this means more appointments are becoming virtual so it’s important to ensure your home office is set up right for video therapy.
While video therapy is here to stay, not all of these services live up to the standards required for video therapy sessions. That’s where Owl Practice comes in! Our video therapy features allow mental health professionals across the country to connect with their clients in a professional, simple, and—most importantly— secure way.
Though we aim to provide you with the most reliable service possible, if you’re not using appropriate equipment, then you aren’t going to be giving your clients their money’s worth. Here are some tips to help you set up your home office for video therapy, improving the picture, sound, and overall client experience!
Webcam
While most laptops have a built-in webcam, they can be of varying quality. Until recently, built-in webcams were added to computers as an afterthought, offering lower video quality with an inability to adapt to different lighting conditions.
Fortunately, many external webcams can offer you a fantastic quality image for a reasonable price. You likely don’t need to purchase a webcam that provides 4K video quality, but one that can handle 720p at 30 frames per second for live video calling is good, while 1080p is preferable.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative that can still offer you a great-quality image, we would suggest looking no further than your smartphone or iPad. After all, our video therapy services are available on most modern devices! There are also many programs available that can turn your smartphone into a webcam that’s compatible with either Mac or Windows.
Sound
The only aspect of a virtual call that’s more important than the video is the audio, especially for online therapy sessions. If a video is a little choppy and blurry, that can be a big distraction, but if your clients can’t hear a word you’re saying, then there’s no way they can receive their therapy at all.
Don’t rely on your devices’ internal microphones. Instead, invest in a decent-quality external mic or headset. This will improve the overall quality of your sound and minimize background noise, thereby helping avoid miscommunications with your clients. A solid USB microphone can be a fantastic addition to any home office, providing you with high-quality audio at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for some recommendations, here’s a list of The Best USB Microphones for 2022.
Office
Once you have the proper equipment, you need to make sure you have the perfect home office setup to match.
First, consider what’s behind you for your video calls. After all, your clients will be looking at more than just you! You don’t want anything distracting behind you, like moving screens or super bright colors. Instead, try to pick a background or create an environment behind you that is both neutral and static.
You should also keep the webcam away from the office door. We’ve all seen videos of people being upstaged by their small children sneaking into their offices behind them. Trying to create a distraction-free environment is a great idea for your office anyway, but it’s essential when you’re in the middle of a private therapy session.
You also need to make sure that your office has enough light for the conference call. While a solid webcam can moderately compensate for poor lighting, nothing beats having proper lighting. Don’t have any light sources directly behind you, as that backlights you and can make you appear shadowy. Natural light from a window is preferable so long as you’re being lit from the front or sides, but if there’s no window available, consider putting a lamp behind your monitor or webcam so the light will be hitting your front side.
Security
While Owl Practice handles most of the security when it comes to video therapy, there are some steps you need to take to secure your clients’ information.
Ensure that you’re always holding your video therapy sessions in a secure location, such as your office. Having a video therapy session in your living room could invite distractions and compromise your confidence with your clients. Likewise, you should never hold a video therapy session in a public place, as you never know who might be listening.
On our end, we have your data fully protected. All video traffic is run through our own servers, which ensures full HIPAA and Professional compliance. We use bank-level encryption (SSL) to encrypt all data that moves between our servers and your device. And with our secure login features, there’s no chance of any random strangers “accidentally” popping into the middle of a client session!
In the future, we believe video therapy will continue to be a vital part of any mental health professional’s practice. If you’d like to learn more about our Video Therapy features, or would like to explore everything else Owl Practice has to offer, make sure to sign up for a free trial. Or, if you have any questions or comments about our services, please contact us at support@owlpractice.com.
As Always,
Practice Wisely
