STILL MEADOW COUNSELING LLC RESPONSE TO COVID-19

At this time,  Still Meadow Counseling, LLC will continue to see clients via Teletherapy indefinitely.

Most insurances have continued to cover Teletherapy sessions and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. All the insurance companies that I am in network with continue to cover the cost of Teletherapy at the same rate as in-person sessions. I am in network with Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Medical Mutual, United Health Care and Medicare.

The below information supports my (owner of this private practive) decision to continue with Teletherapy indefinitely: 

1. John Hopkins Public Health risk analysis calculator and flow chart shows that in office sessions are a “moderate” risk of infection transmission. With Telehealth, there is zero risk of transmission.
   If you’d like more information on this, here is a link: https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2020/200506-business-RA-worksheet.pdf

2. When it comes to droplet transmission, the 6 foot social distance rule only applies to interactions that are less than 10 minutes long. Since we meet for 60 minutes, there is no way for me to reasonably reduce risk with social distancing in my office. Masks do reduce risk, however, I have not found any clear research on the duration of mask wearing that is reasonably effective in an enclosed space. ​

3.  The CDC, State of Ohio, and the American Psychological Association (APA) all say to utilize teletherapy whenever possible. They have come to this decision based on health considerations.

4.  When I contacted my liability insurance company, they informed me that they will not cover COVID-19 related issues for in-person sessions. I am not willing to accept this level of risk.

5.  For me to return to in person sessions, I would require you to wear a mask for the entirety of your session. Because of this, it would be necessary for me to be able to provide masks, sanitizer, cleaning products, etc. This does not even mention the issue of ventilation and ensuring that you and I are breathing uncontaminated air.

6.  The State of Ohio and CDC have listed the rigorous cleaning protocols expected of in-person interactions. Sanitizing couches, chairs, surfaces, hand fidgets, pens, etc, would be an enormous undertaking in between each session.

7. A major concern of mine is Contact Tracing. In the event that a client would test positive for COVID-19 soon after being in my office, I would have to participate in Contact Tracing. This would require:

   1. Breaching client confidentiality to provide The Health Department with a list of clients who were potentially exposed in my office.

   2. Keeping detailed logs of who has entered and exited my building and at what times to provide to The Health Department.

   3. If exposed, the therapists/other workers and clients who were in the building will need to quarantine for 14 days.

   4. From an ethical client-focused perspective, I understand that my office is often one of the few truly safe places for many of you to feel safe. Therapeutic rapport is critically important, I realize. However, my office should not be a place that can create a traumatic experience for you. It is incredibly important to me that you continue to feel safe with me.

I want to be clear that I have done my research, have sought out support and guidance, and have really thought through the issue of rendering safe and effective therapy. I am comfortable with my decision and can hope that you are too. It has been my experience and the experience of many of my clients that teletherapy can be highly effective. It is convenient, provides for greater flexibility for office hours, does not require travel and with technological advances, almost all my sessions are problem free of annoying interruptions in service.