Telehealth

Before attending a telehealth session with your Coach, here are some helpful tips to prepare:

• Make sure you are in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed or heard. This may be in a bedroom, home office, basement, a large closet, or even in your parked car.
• If you live with others, ask that they don’t disturb you during your session time and that they refrain from using the Wi-Fi so that your connection is not slowed down.
• Consider putting a white noise machine, small fan, or speaker with music playing outside of the door to the room you will be in so that  roommates or family members cannot overhear your conversation.
• Make sure the device you are using (a computer, tablet, or smartphone) has a working camera and microphone and is fully charged.
• Consider using headphones or earbuds plugged into your device to improve sound quality and maintain privacy.

Meeting with a Coach through virtual methods may feel difficult or uncomfortable at first. Keep these things in mind during your session:

• Speak clearly so that your Coach can understand what you are saying. Check-in periodically to make sure that what you are communicating is being understood and that you clearly understand what is being communicated to you.
• Try to make “eye contact” with your camera so that the connection between you and your Coach is stronger.
• If you are self-conscious about your appearance or distracted by seeing yourself on your device’s screen, put a small piece of paper over your image on the screen.
• Treat your telehealth session as if you are meeting with your Coach in person. Avoid engaging in any tasks you wouldn’t do if you and your Coach were meeting in their office, such as folding laundry, smoking, or cooking.  With the right steps and preparation, telehealth coaching sessions can be enjoyable and productive, even without an in-person meeting. If you are preparing for a telehealth coaching session, use these tips to maximize its benefits.