When you're in the early stages of starting a therapy practice, one of the things that you'll need to think about is what types of therapy sessions you want to offer your clients. For example, you'll likely have clients visit you in the clinic, either individually, as couples, or even in small groups. It's advantageous to also consider whether you wish to make yourself available to clients online. Working online will not only allow you to provide therapy to people who are outside of your local area, but can also be appealing to clients whose daily schedule makes video sessions a better option. Here are some steps to take before you start to offer online therapy.

Get The Right Internet Plan

In order to offer high-quality online therapy sessions with your clients, the internet connection in your clinic needs to provide enough speed. A slow connection can make your online sessions choppy, which can disrupt communication and potentially even lead to frustration. When choosing your internet plan that will be suitable for video sessions, your download speed should be between 10 and 25 Mbps, with an upload speed of 3 Mbps or more. You'll also want to ensure that you have an unlimited amount of bandwidth, as frequent video sessions could cause you to exceed your monthly bandwidth on a plan that has a monthly limit.

Figure Out A Background

You want to look as professional as possible during your online therapy sessions, and one way to accomplish this goal is to choose an appropriate background. When you're setting up your clinic space, think about where you'll sit while conversing online. Having appropriate decorations in the background — perhaps a bookshelf with various therapy textbooks or some of your framed certificates on the wall — can provide a professional look that helps your clients to have confidence in you.

Have A Plan For Brightening The Space

You'll likely use your laptop computer for your online sessions. While the built-in webcam likely has the capability to provide a good-quality image, the lighting in your space will play a major role in how the video feed actually looks. In general, you want to ensure that the space is bright. You might keep your clinic gently lit for in-person sessions, but you'll want it brighter for your online work. One option is to buy a ring light that you can store in a nearby closet and set up quickly before each online session.