We Are Adapting Our Services to Respond to the Coronavirus Crisis…

We’re experiencing unprecedented times here in Louisiana and in the United States as a whole right now as COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, spreads across it. It’s at a time like this that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended for us all to engage in “social distancing”.

This doesn’t mean that we all need to stop interacting with one another altogether right now. That’s generally not good for anyone. We, as humans, are social creatures after all. It’s at a time like this when many individuals are holed in their homes here in greater New Orleans trying to stay safe that we all need to use the technology that is available to us to stay in touch with our loved ones and the professionals that we regularly interact with- including our therapists. We’re prepared to help you do just that here at Magnolia Family Counseling!

What is changing?

All of our therapists are currently offering telehealth sessions via our secure online portal as we all weather the coronavirus. The state’s licensing boards have lifted restrictions on the use of telehealth so that all therapists are able to continue providing services to their clients while we practice social distancing and self-quarantine. BCBS of Louisiana has also lifted restrictions on coverage for telehealth therapy sessions. At this time telehealth sessions will be covered the same as in-person sessions would be despite your plan’s typical coverage.

What is telehealth?

Not sure what telehealth is? It’s a nuanced healthcare delivery method whereby doctors, dentists and therapists/counselors meet with their clients via a HIPAA-compliant, secure video platform instead of face-to-face. This is an approach that many medical practitioners use to see patients or clients when they’re ill/infectious, have transportation obstacles or are experiencing any number of other impediments to making it into a physical office. This delivery method allows clients and their therapists an opportunity to maintain a continuity of care and particularly ideal as a way to maintain the CDC’s “social distancing” recommendation. Government officials note that this is necessary to stop the spread of this potentially deadly coronavirus.

It’s understandable that you may feel that it’s more personal, intimate or private to converse with your therapist in the confines of a private office. The truth is that many clients who give teletherapy a try find it convenient and that being in the comfort of their own home allows them to feel more comfortable and thus open up more easily.

Many technological advances in recent years have made it possible for healthcare professionals such as therapists to interact with clients with the technology that they already have- whether it’s a laptop or a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet- through an internet connection. Via email our therapists provide you with a link to click on to join your secure video session at your pre-scheduled session time. There’s nothing to download, you just simply click and interact with your therapist face-to-face in real time via a secure online connection.

And yes,once all this coronavirus passes, we’ll be more than happy to return to our standard face-to-face sessions at our physical location here in Metairie. We are simply trying to do our part to keep everyone safe and well while also ensuring continuity of care to our valued clients.  More FAQs on Telehealth can be found here.

As a mental health practice, our counselors understand how being forced to distance oneself from others and a lack of control over outcomes can cause a client to become increasingly depressed or to be crippled by anxiety. Let our therapists here at Magnolia Family Counseling continue working with you to improve upon any pressing concerns in your life so that when this pandemic passes, you’ll be able to return to your many different obligations as a better version of yourself!

Sincerely,

Magnolia Family Counseling