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E-THERAPY
Welcome to the e-Therapy section of DrJulieAnn.com.
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If you wish to schedule an e-Therapy session for the first time, please read all sections below
before you may submit your e-Therapy question or issue.
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If you have already qualified for an e-Therapy session and are returning
for additional sessions, you may proceed directly to the
Payment page to begin your next
session.
Please select from the topics below or simple scroll down the page for
information on e-Therapy:
What is
e-Therapy?
e-Therapy offers
personal private counseling through the speed and convenience of the
Internet. The main difference in e-Therapy is that you do not go to the
therapist’s office. Instead, you and therapist use the Internet to
exchange information.
Benefits to e-Therapy for the
client:
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You
only need access to a computer.
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No
matter what the weather or if you are feeling sick does not stop
e-Therapy.
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You
can e-mail to the therapist at your own convenience and speed.
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You
can think, re-think, and rewrite the email as many times as you wish.
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There
is a total freedom in being able to control what is sent to the
therapist.
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You
determine how much time or money you want to spend.
Benefits for the therapist in
e-Therapy:
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I don’t
have to be tied to a certain time frame and can give the e-mail full
attention at a time that is convenient for me.
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I also
have more time to make sure that my response answers your questions and
is a thoughtful response.
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I do
not have to come up with a quick answer off the top of my head as I do
in face-to-face therapy.
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You get
a response that you can reread as many times as you wish which makes it
even more valuable.
How does e-Therapy work?
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You email to the
therapist the issues and questions that you want explored.
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The therapist,
myself in this instance, reads the material and then responds to your
email.
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I try to respond
as soon as possible, usually within 24-72 hours.
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If requests are
received on the weekend the response time might be longer.
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If I am going to be
away or unavailable for a period of time I will notify my e-Therapy
clients the same as I would notify my office clients.
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e-Therapy does not
allow for personal contact thus all visual body language clues are
missing in the treatment process.
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You do not need to
make appointments with me. You can email on your own time frame.
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If you are
uncomfortable making an appointment with a professional or do not have
a professional that is convenient to you can get help online.
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The Internet also
allows for many individuals who would be alone to make contact with
other people and thus find solace in that communication.
Terms and Conditions
What
is required to qualify for an e-Therapy session?
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Clients requesting
e-Therapy must be at least 18 years of age.
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You must have
access to a computer, e-mail and be able to put your thoughts down in
writing.
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e-Therapy is not
for individuals who are in crisis or with serious mental health
problems.
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e-Therapy IS NOT
for individuals who are suicidal or homicidal.
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Individuals needing
immediate help should contact a professional in their immediate
community or crisis intervention.
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As the professional
I reserve the right to make the final decision whether or not I feel
that my services are appropriate for the client seeking my services.
Please read the
privacy policy and
confidentiality information before signing up
for e-Therapy counseling. It will be assumed that you have understood, read and
agreed to these terms and policies upon signing up for my services.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Both the client and myself are
responsible for maintaining confidentially in the e-Therapy session the
same as with personal in-office counseling. Due to the potential
security risks associated with e-mail communications and the Internet in
general, the following precautions, exercised by the client, are
required to insure that the communications are as secure as possible.
Remember that using e-mail is
never 100% secure.
1.
Protect others from
gaining access to your computer by using a password to protect your
files. The computer automatically files a record of every e-mail message
sent and received and therefore protecting the data is essential for
maintaining confidentially. Know
who else has access to your computer.
2.
Do not
use a computer at someone else’s place of residence or business.
3.
If you
use the computer at your place of business, make sure you are aware of
the security precautions your employer is using on the system. Many
companies record keystrokes and can therefore have access to every word
typed into the computer.
4.
If you make a hard copy of our sessions make sure you protect
those copies and keep them safeguarded.
5.
Install a Firewall
(critical for “always on” Internet connections like DSL or Cable Modems)
and maintain an updated
anti-virus program to give maximum protection from a hacker or virus.
As a psychologist I
am also tied into the legal aspects of confidentiality. I will assume
that all materials will be held in the strictest of confidence and will
not be shared with others the same as all other psychological
protections offered clients that attend therapeutic sessions in my
office.
The exceptions to
that confidentiality include:
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Suspicion of child abuse,
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Criminal acts,
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If
court ordered
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If
suspicion of intent to harm oneself or others.
As with my office
patients I use my discretion and assume the right to try and protect all
individuals and materials to be held in the strictest of confidentiality
when I feel it is in the patients’ best interest.
For additional
information on how your medical information is used, please read our
privacy policy.
Fees
Because there are no
overhead costs e-Therapy is less expensive than regular therapy
performed in a therapist’s office. My cost of e-Therapy is $2.50 per
minute and you can designate how much time I spend on your issues. If
you want a quick answer then it obviously will be cheaper. If you want a
more in depth answer than it will be more expensive. If you think about
what you write, are clear and have definite goals in mind for me to work
out than the process will be more economical. If I have to try and
figure out what you are asking and try to figure out goals for you than
the process may be more expensive. Again the time is the cost factor,
not the material sent in either direction.
Payment
Payment for e-Therapy is required
prior to
services being rendered.
There are two methods
to make payment for an e-Therapy session:
1 - Mail payment in
the form of money orders
only to
Dr. Julie Allender
306 Rickert Road
Sellersville, PA 18960-3414
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Be sure to include
your e-mail address with the money order so I can contact you when
payment is authorized and instruct you to begin your e-Therapy session.
Please be aware that money order payments will delay
my response by the amount of time it takes the money order to arrive via
US mail and get cashed. Payments made by credit card or bank transfer via PayPal will
be processed much faster.
2 - Use a credit card
or bank transfer payment with Paypal from my Web site.
Opening an account
with PayPal is free and can be done in advance of your e-Therapy session
by clicking here or you can open
your account when you begin your e-Therapy session when you click the
PayPal button on the payment page. PayPal is
convenient and secure.
I do not accept personal checks
or any other form of payment. Please do not send cash.
Calculating Costs
Before you send your
e-mail read it back to yourself using a time piece to give you an idea
how long it will take me to read the same material taking into
consideration that it will actually take me a little longer as I have to
figure out what it is that you are asking.
$2.50 per minute for 45 minutes (a therapeutic hour) would cost $112.50. My regular fee for the same time is $130 per therapeutic hour face-to-face. 25 minutes would = $62.50 e-therapy. In office $65. Again this is where you can designate how much you want me to spend as the session is prepaid.
If at some point you
prefer to make an office or telephone appointment regular office fees
will be charged. Contact me at:
Dr. Julie Ann Allender
306 Rickert Road
Sellersville, PA 18960-3414
Work: 215-799-2220
Fax: 215-799-2233
email:
jaallender@comcast.net
Scheduling
an e-Therapy session
To schedule an
e-Therapy session, follow the 4 steps outlined below:
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You must read, understand
and agree to all the terms and conditions listed on this Web site including
the sections titled "What
is required to qualify for an e-Therapy session", "Confidentiality",
and the privacy policy. Failure to do
so will disqualify you for e-Therapy.
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Determine the
amount of time you're issue will require or decide on the amount of
money you wish to spend on your session and calculate the amount due.
See "Fees" and "Calculating
Costs".
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Make
payment through the method of your choice.
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Fill out and submit the "e-Therapy Registration Form" (the form is
available only after payment is made). I will
contact you with my reply or if any questions or concerns arise.
When you're ready
to begin your e-Therapy session, click
here to proceed to the payment page.
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