Having worries about Coronavirus Covid-19 is a reasonable concern but when it begins to impact on our mental health, having support available helps us to consider strategies to deal with our anxieties in a more helpful way. As we are aware that emotional distress and anxiety is growing with the continued spread of the virus we will continue to work with our existing clients to support their mental health and well-being during this difficult time. We are also available to take new clients provided they adhere to the health guidelines outlined below. We would like to assure you that sanitisation measures are being taken seriously in the therapy practice to reduce the risk of contamination.
We have outlined below how our screening of clients and health safety measures are being adopted in the therapy practice for your well-being during the Covid-19 crisis.
Health screening advice prior to appointment attendance:
- We advise clients who currently have any symptoms, for example - cough, fever or shortness of breath to not attend for their counselling session until their symptoms have ceased and they remain symptom free for at least 7 days
- If clients have returned from travel anywhere outside of Ireland they need to have been in isolation for 14 days before attending for their next therapy appointment
- If anyone in the client’s household shows symptoms of the virus or is self-isolating we are asking the client not to attend for therapy until the person has been tested and in the case of a positive result that they not attend until their close contact has ceased their isolation period.
- Therapists will advise all clients in the event that a client who has attended for therapy notifies us that they have contracted Coronavirus Covid-19 since their previous appointment.
- Therapists will also contact clients in the event that they themselves have contracted the virus or have been in close contact with an infected person.
Attending the therapy practice:
- The doorway at the main entrance to the building is an automatic door so no physical contact is required to initially enter the building. Further doorway entrances in the building remain open so as to eliminate the need for visitors to the building to touch any of the door handles.
- On entering the main building visitors are required to use hand sanitiser provided. Additional sanitiser is available in the therapy room and clients are invited to use this on entering and leaving the room.
- Clients have an option to use either the elevator or the main stairwell on entering and leaving the building. If choosing to use the stairs clients are advised not to use the handrail so as to reduce contamination risk. If using the elevator be assured that the buttons and interior handrail are cleaned periodically throughout the day with anti-bacterial cleaner.
- The door to the therapy room remains open until the client enters the room. The therapist will then close the door and reopen it at the end of the therapy session. This ensures that the client does not need to make hand contact with the door handle either entering or leaving the room.
- Only one client is in attendance in the therapy practice at any time
- Family member(s) attending with the client are invited to wait in their vehicle rather than in the waiting area in the centre unless they are attending the therapy session with the client
- No hand-shaking or close contact allowed.
- During sessions client and therapist are seated approx. 2m apart. There is a taped marking on the floor to ensure that seating is not moved into the restricted area.
- Disposable cups, bottled water and disposable packs of tissues are available to each client.
- Furnishings, door handles and other surfaces in the therapy room are cleaned down with antibacterial cleaner between clients.
As previously stated, individuals who cancel appointments will not face any financial penalties and once the isolation phase passes all remaining contracted sessions will be completed. Please rest assured that your face-to-face counselling/therapy sessions will resume as usual once this period of containment and isolation has passed.
For individuals who do not wish to attend the therapy practice but feel they may be affected by the absence of therapy please contact your therapist to discuss options available to you [e.g. telephone or online counselling sessions].
For daily accurate and professional up to date information on Corona Virus Covid-19 please visit www2.hse.ie
We continue to express our best wishes to you during this challenging time and hope that we can work together to alleviate some of your distress.