PRACTICES AND POLICIES FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES DURING COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS
OFFICE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN EFFECT DUE TO COVID-19
The HeadFirst Counseling office is taking the following precautions to protect our clients and help slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19):
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*Office seating in the waiting room and in therapy rooms has been arranged physical distancing, with all toys and shared use materials being removed from the waiting area.
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*Staff will wear masks/face shields during sessions.
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*Staff will maintain safe distancing as much as clinically appropriate.
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*All clients and families that enter the office have attested to being symptom free and without fever of 100.4F or higher.
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*Staff is regularly screening all clients prior to session to reduce risk.
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*Soap dispenser is maintained in the playroom and children are encouraged to wash their hands often.
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*Hand sanitizer that contains at least 70% alcohol is available in the therapy room and in the waiting room.
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*Appointments will be scheduled at specific intervals to minimize the number of people in the waiting room with only one staff member present and seeing clients at a time.
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*We ask all clients to wait in the main lobby of the building down the hall or in another safe, designated area until no earlier than 5 minutes before your appointment times.
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*All frequently touched items and areas are thoroughly sanitized after each use and in between each client/family.
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*Items that are not easily able to be sanitized and cleaned have been temporarily removed from the therapy rooms and waiting area.
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*Therapy rooms are sanitized and cleaned using Lysol sprays and Clorox wipes after each session.
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*Physical contact is not permitted unless clinically necessary.
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*Tissues and trash bins are easily accessed. Trash is disposed of on a frequent basis.
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*Common areas are thoroughly disinfected at the start and end of each day
CLIENT REQUIREMENTS FOR ATTENDING IN-PERSON SESSIONS
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HeadFirst Counseling will be enforcing the following guidelines with any clients that enter our offices:
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*You will only keep your in-person appointment if you are symptom free.
*We will be taking temperatures upon arrival to each appointment. If it is elevated (100.4 Fahrenheit or more), or if you have other symptoms of the coronavirus, your session will be cancelled and you will be advised to visit your medical doctor.
*If you have a fever of 100.4 F or above, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 and have not yet taken a COVID-19 test or are awaiting a test result, you will still be required to cancel the in-person session. You have the option of electing to proceed with teletherapy if appropriate for the next two weeks (14 days) until you have quarantined and been approved to attend in-person sessions again.
*You will wait in the main lobby of the building, in your car, or outside [or in a designated area] until no earlier than 5 minutes before your appointment time.
*You will use the provided alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you enter the office.
*You will adhere to the safe distancing precautions we have set up in the waiting room and therapy room.
*You (parents, adults, siblings, guardians, and all children aged 10 and older) will wear a mask at all times in the waiting area and in all parts of the office and during session when maintaining 6 ft distance is not feasible or clinically appropriate. For children under the age of 10, you will attempt to have your child wear a mask as much as possible per the CDC recommendations for children over the age of 2yrs.
*You will keep a distance of 6 feet and there will be no physical contact (e.g. no shaking hands) with your therapist. You acknowledge that children sometimes unexpectedly physically embrace others or have physical contact with their therapist. The therapist will maintain physical distance as much as possible and when clinically appropriate, and you are acknowledging the inherent risk of your child being in close proximity with the therapist at the office.
*You will try not to touch your face or eyes with your hands. If you do, you will immediately wash or sanitize your hands.
*If you are bringing your child, you will make sure that your child follows all of these sanitation and distancing protocols as much as possible.
*You will take steps between appointments to minimize your exposure to COVID.
*If you have a job that exposes you to other people who are infected, you will immediately let your therapist know. Your therapist will then discuss with you whether continued in-person sessions are safe and appropriate.
*If your commute or other responsibilities or activities put you in close contact with others (beyond your family), you will let your therapist know. Your therapist will then discuss with you whether continued in-person sessions are safe and appropriate.
*If a resident of your home tests positive for the infection, you will immediately let your therapist know and you will then [begin] resume treatment via telehealth.