Coronavirus (COVID 19) - LAURA KRAMER LMHC CDP

"When fear arises, and it will
let it wash over your whole body
instead of staying curled up tight in your shoulders
if your heart tightens,
contract, and expand.
science says: compassion strengthens the immune system

-Excerpt from Dori Midnight 's beautiful poem "Wash Your Hands"

Client Information Regarding Coronavirus (COVID 19)
updated: 3/23/2020

As you know, King County, WA is currently experiencing an outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Federal and County public health officials have issued guidance to reduce risk of transmission, and I am monitoring their advice on a regular basis. COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath.

My primary goal is to assist all clients in staying healthy and safe while continuing to offer therapy services to the greatest extent possible. If new information comes to light that impacts your therapy, I will post that information here so please feel free to check back if you have questions or concerns.

Important Information Regarding Your Therapy

1. I am only providing remote telemental health sessions for the foreseeable future. For more information about this, please see #3 below.  I'm still suspending my 24 hour cancelation policy until further notice. I do ask that you endeavor to let me know as soon as possible if you will not be attending a scheduled appointment as others could be waiting for an opening.

2. If you are unable to do a remote session for any reason, or you need to schedule one at a different time than your in-person weekly session, please get in touch with me ASAP and we will create a workable plan.

3. To learn about my online HIPAA compliant Telehealth system, please review this document. It goes into great detail about how to prepare and what to expect. This portal works with most web browsers and if you are using it on a laptop or desktop, you will not need to download an app. If you are using your smart phone, you will need to download the Telehealth by SimplePractice app available in the app store for iOS or Android. We also have two back up video conferencing options in the event of any technical issues.

4.  At this point, most insurance companies are covering tele-health sessions, but I have come in contact with two insurance companies, both based outside of WA state, who have not agreed to cover remote sessions yet. I strongly encourage you to contact your insurance provider in advance to learn about your tele-mental health coverage.

5. Please note that I do not offer telephone-only sessions at this time.

6. Please continue to consult trustworthy sites for updated information about the virus:

-US Centers for Disease Control
-Fact Sheet (PDF)
-Washington State Dept. of Health
-King County & Seattle Public Health

7. If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19
to learn about financial assistance with health care, rent, utilities, and more.

8. If you are looking for resources for support, ways to increase your felt sense of resilience and resource, please check out these amazing podcasts and articles (more will be posted as I stumble across them).

-https://www.endoftheworldshow.org/
-https://irresistible.org/podcast (search for "practice" in the drop down menu)
-https://medium.com/@josefmata/quarantine-care-package-5a898ae0179a

And please read this beautiful poem by Dori Midnight that brings so much wisdom and love into this strange time.

So warmly,
Laura