Tele-Health Software
Phone: 720-244-0201
Fax 720-643-5885
Dr. Massa-Carroll
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Provide psychotherapy services targeting the interplay between mental and physical health. The goal of these services is to increase functioning by targeting whole-person health care and illness prevention. Services are provided to individuals who might have a mental health condition secondary to (or exacerbated by) a medical condition or injury. Therapy is done using a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment modality as well Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness. Services are provided in English and Spanish using a culturally and linguistically patient-centered approach. Most of the psychotherapy services provided are under Workers-Compensation services. We take ALL Workers Compensation Insurances. Please note that you do need to be referred directly by your medical provider. DURING YOUR VISIT, YOU MUST BE AT HOME IN A SECURED/PRIVATE SPACE (NOT AT WORK OR IN YOUR CAR).
INFORMATION ABOUT MY PRACTICE OF TELEPSYCHOLOGY
Benefits and Risks of Telepsychology: Telepsychology refers to providing psychotherapy services remotely using telecommunications technologies, such as video conferencing or telephone. One of the benefits of telepsychology is that the client and clinician can engage in services without being in the same physical location. This can be helpful in ensuring continuity of care if the client or clinician moves to a different location, takes an extended vacation, or is otherwise unable to continue to meet in person. It is also more convenient and takes less time. I can provide services in English and Spanish to individuals in rural area of Colorado and Utah, individuals with physical disabilities, limited mobility or access to reliable transportation, pre-post surgery patients, etc. Telepsychology, however, requires technical competence on both our parts to be helpful. Although there are benefits of telepsychology, there are some differences between in-person psychotherapy and telepsychology, as well as some risks. For example:
- Risks to confidentiality. Because telepsychology sessions take place outside of the therapist’s private office, there is potential for other people to overhear sessions if you are not in a private place during the session. On my end I will take reasonable steps to ensure your privacy. But it is important for you to make sure you find a private place for our session where you will not be interrupted. It is also important for you to protect the privacy of our session on your cell phone or other device. You should participate in therapy only while in a room or area where other people are not present and cannot overhear the conversation.
- Issues related to technology. There are many ways that technology issues might impact telepsychology. For example, technology may stop working during a session, other people might be able to get access to our private conversation, or stored data could be accessed by unauthorized people or companies.
- Crisis management and intervention. Usually, I will not engage in telepsychology with clients who are currently in a crisis situation and/or requiring high levels of support and intervention. Before engaging in telepsychology, we will develop an emergency response plan to address potential crisis situations that may arise during the course of our telepsychology work.
- Efficacy. Most research shows that telepsychology is about as effective as in-person psychotherapy. However, some therapists believe that something is lost by not being in the same room. For example, there is debate about a therapist’s ability to fully understand non-verbal information when working remotely. (Please visit the Resources section on this website for more information about the research in TelePsychology.
Electronic Communications: We will use video-conference software that is HIPAA and Hi-Tech compliance. For communication between sessions, I only use email communication and text messaging (provided by the EMR) with your permission and only for administrative purposes unless we have made another agreement. This means that email exchanges and text messages with my office should be limited to administrative matters. This includes things like setting and changing appointments, billing matters, and other related issues. You should be aware that I cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any information communicated by email or text. Therefore, I will not discuss any clinical information by email or text and prefer that you do not either. Also, I do not regularly check my email or texts, nor do I respond immediately, so these methods should not be used if there is an emergency. Treatment is most effective when clinical discussions occur at your regularly scheduled sessions. But if an urgent issue arises, you should feel free to attempt to reach me by phone. I will try to return your call within 24 hours except on weekends and holidays. If you are unable to reach me and feel that you cannot wait for me to return your call, contact your family physician or the nearest emergency room and ask for the psychologist or psychiatrist on call. If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact in my absence if necessary.
Confidentiality: I have a legal and ethical responsibility to make my best efforts to protect all communications that are a part of our telepsychology. However, the nature of electronic communications technologies is such that I cannot guarantee that our communications will be kept confidential or that other people may not gain access to our communications. I will try to use updated encryption methods, firewalls, and back-up systems to help keep your information private, but there is a risk that our electronic communications may be compromised, unsecured, or accessed by others. You should also take reasonable steps to ensure the security of our communications (for example, only using secure networks for telepsychology sessions and having passwords to protect the device you use for telepsychology). Under workers compensation, progress notes from our sessions will be automatically shared with your workers compensation insurance company (for billing purposes) as well as the physician who initiated the referral to us (to integrate behavioral health care).
Appropriateness of Telepsychology: I will let you know if telepsychology is no longer the most appropriate form of treatment for you. We will discuss options of engaging in in-person counseling or referrals to another professional in your location who can provide appropriate services. In general I do not use tele-psychology to treat conditions that required a higher level of care (e.g., psychosis, suicidal ideation or attempt, self-harm, substance abuse, step-down from inpatient, just to name a few).
Emergencies and Technology: Assessing and evaluating threats and other emergencies can be more difficult when conducting telepsychology than in traditional in-person therapy. To address some of these difficulties, we will create an emergency plan before engaging in telepsychology services. I will ask you to identify an emergency contact person who is near your location and who I will contact in the event of a crisis or emergency to assist in addressing the situation. I will ask that you sign an authorization form allowing me to contact your emergency contact person as needed during such a crisis or emergency. If the session is interrupted for any reason, such as the technological connection fails, and you are having an emergency, do not call me back; instead, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. Call me back after you have called or obtained emergency services. If the session is interrupted and you are not having an emergency, disconnect from the session and I will wait two (2) minutes and then re-contact you via the telepsychology platform on which we agreed to conduct therapy. If you do not receive a call back within two (2) minutes, then call me on the phone number I provided you.
Fees: I provide services under Workers-Compensation and I will bill the WC company directly. Please be ready to provide the claim number and contact information for the WC company. I follow the State of Colorado Fee Schedule for Tele-Health Services.
Records: The telepsychology sessions shall not be recorded in any way unless agreed to in writing by mutual consent. I will maintain a record of our session in the same way I maintain records of in-person sessions in accordance with my policies.