Setting up and running a private practice on your own is hard. All those months and years of lived experience and training, and yet one of the first challenges you face is how to operate online. From advertising to appointments and notes, not to mention the video services; pretty much every aspect needs a computer, and so before you know it you are running a digital business.
The whole sector has been through a reformation that has really been on the cards for years, and it’s only just begun. There are many words shared about technology and how it helps or hinders outcomes in a therapeutic conversation. But to be clear, every interaction between a therapist and a client has a digital footprint.
Appointments, payments, online sessions, notes and many PDF’s – a phone, a computer and a broadband line are all now tools of the trade. Until now, some counsellors and therapists have been more restricted than ever by having to spend precious time sorting out what is ‘appropriate technology’.
There are three categories of digital tools that were quickly adapted as Therapists adjusted to online working.
- Appointment / booking systems
- Client records systems with electronic health record
- Video services
A collaborative approach to influencing these adaptations for industry members, by industry members is a philosophy that will reap improved rewards for all concerned and one shared by isosconnect and The National Counselling Society (NCS).
The National Counselling Society was one of the first organisations to gain registered status with the Professional Standards Authority in 2013 and is one of the largest registers of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. NCS offers Organisational membership, partnering for mutual support and growth and has recently accepted isosconnect as a member. Faye Blackwell, Head of Engagement and Development told us “Ensuring our members deliver a safe, ethical, high-quality counselling service is at the heart of everything that we do. Together, we are driving up standards whilst retaining the compassion and empathy that constitute great counsellors and psychotherapists who deliver life changing support
isosconnect is a platform designed specifically for individual practitioners to take away the risks and woes of managing a business with a collection of different software that in most cases is not specifically designed for a therapeutic conversation.
Isosconnect Founder Kim Page added: ‘This is a special milestone for isosconnect. Our dedicated team has worked over the last two years listening very closely to the needs of practitioners as they have navigated turbulent times. Skilled and experienced therapists will be more visible and accessible than ever using isosconnect, able to take full advantage of the efficiencies that modern technology has to offer in the safest way.
‘We must have a safe space online for the operation of a therapy business, to ensure that these trained and skilled individuals are able to safely serve the needs of people looking for mental health support.’
Kim Page is the CEO and founder of isosconnect.
