Covid Policy and Procedures
COVID-19 Safety Policies and Procedures
Effective 01/01/2023
New Covid Policies and Procedures
January 1, 2023
Dear clients,
I’m happy to be able to continue providing in-person services. As I do so, I’ll continue to adhere to all local, state, and federal guidelines related to COVID-19 to assure our continued safety and health. Here are some of the steps I am taking in this regard:
-Hand sanitizer is available in my office and in the waiting area.
-Masks are available upon request.
-Our waiting room is currently closed. When you arrive for your session you may simply call 830-367-1990 upon arrival, and wait in your car or outside. I’ll come to allow you in when I’m ready to start our session.
-I’ve arranged office furniture to add some physical space between us.
-I clean and sanitize my office after each client session.
I’m happy to share that I am fully vaccinated. If your age and health allow, and if you’re not yet vaccinated, I strongly encourage you to do so. Vaccines are available by calling the CDC at 1-800-232-0233 or going to your local pharmacy.
If, for any reason, you’re uncomfortable returning to the office for in-person care, please let me know, and I’ll work with you to provide for telehealth or other appropriate alternative arrangements.
At this time, I am no longer asking that clients wear masks in the office. You may if you prefer to do so and I have masks available should you need one. I will wear a mask if you prefer as well. To reduce traffic for safe social distancing, our waiting room is currently closed. We ask that parents, caregivers, and siblings do not enter the clinic. Parents are allowed to be present at the session if they wish. If a parent joins the session, we request the parent stay with their child and the therapist for the entire time they are in the building.
I will wait outside the front door to allow clients to enter the building at the start of the session and will bring the client back to the door at the end of the session. We will leave the parking spots in front of the clinic open for your convenience.
The CDC defines a fever as a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater. Therapeia Counseling Center policy is that if the client or therapist’s/employee’s temperature is slightly elevated at 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, he or she will not be allowed to participate in in-person sessions until the temperature returns to normal or the individual receives clearance from a medical professional. A telehealth session may be an alternative to the in-person session if both parties are able and are feeling well.
Employees or clients who have symptoms when they arrive at Therapeia Counseling Center or become sick during the day will be immediately be separated from other employees and clients and sent home.
Clients and employees are required to notify Therapeia Counseling Center immediately if they, or anyone that they have been in contact with, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have potentially exposed others.
If an employee or client of Therapeia Counseling Center were to receive a diagnosis of COVID-19, Therapeia Counseling Center will immediately notify any and all employees and clients who have potentially been exposed within the incubation period. For confidentiality purposes as required by ADA and HIPAA, identifying information will not be disclosed.
Any client, therapist, or employee with COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosis will not be allowed on clinic premises or to complete in-person sessions until cleared in writing by a medical provider.
Sanitation:
Disinfecting protocols will be completed using disinfectants registered on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website for use against the human coronavirus, as recommended by the CDC.
Any surface or equipment that has come into contact with bodily fluids (for example, saliva droplets after a cough or sneeze) will be cleaned and disinfected right away. Soap and paper towel dispensers will be available in the bathroom.
If you’re uncomfortable with this policy, please let me know so that we can make appropriate alternative arrangements for your care. As with any other medical information you provide, your vaccination status is treated as confidential and is subject to the privacy and confidentiality protections that apply to other protected health information.
In addition, please cancel your in-person appointment and stay home if, on the day of your appointment, any of the following apply:
You have experienced cough, fever, shortness of breath, chills, or other symptoms of COVID-19 or other communicable illness in the past 48 hours. Note: If any such symptoms are evident in the office, I may ask you to return home immediately.
You are isolating or quarantining because you tested positive for COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19.
You are unvaccinated and have been in close contact in the past 14 days with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has displayed symptoms of COVID-19.
You are unvaccinated and are currently waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test.
You are unvaccinated and have traveled (on a trip lasting at least overnight) in the past 10 days.
If you are sick I encourage you to let me know as soon as possible and we can modify your session to be completed via telehealth. Please keep in mind that we are a small business and therefore our cancellation policy will remain in effect to protect our business. Telehealth sessions are available for those who would like to do telehealth instead.
I may require any scheduled in-person session to be moved to telehealth. To the degree possible, I’ll provide reasonable advance notice in any such instances. As public health guidance is changing quickly, these policies and practices will continue to evolve. I will inform you as soon as possible of such changes. My highest priority is your ongoing safety, health, and comfort when visiting my office. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you and am grateful that we can currently do so in person or via telehealth.
Erin Ingram, MSW, LCSW
304 Hwy 39
Ingram, TX, 78025
(830) 367-1990