We are committed to excellent mental health care for your family. This article will walk you through best practices and guidelines for getting the most of your treatment with Fort Health.

Therapy requires privacy and confidentiality

Fort Health believes in parents’ involvement in their child’s mental health treatment and treatment outcomes. In your first session, we’ll meet you and your child together. Afterwards, regular session time is strictly your child’s private and confidential space. (Read more about how parents are kept involved and updated with Fort). Help your child set up an appropriate space for therapy:

1. Alone, with the door closed.
2. Without others able to hear them nearby.
3. Seated somewhere comfortable and dressed appropriately. (No sessions from bed or the bathroom please).

Help your child be distraction free

Take 15 minutes before your session to prepare your child and their space so you’re ready to go at appointment time.

1. Grab a snack, use the bathroom, and get a cup of water.
2. Gather all the materials you need. We recommend creating a "therapy box" with everything your child regularly uses in session -- like a notebook, crayons or tissues -- to keep handy in your session space.
3. Turn off and put away all other screens and distractions, including TVs and phones.
4. If needed, let other family members know not to interrupt your child during this time.

Prepare your technology the night before

It’s best for your child to join sessions using a large screen they don't need to hold. Always prepare and test the technology you’ll need the night before to avoid issues at session time:

1. Have a computer, laptop or mounted tablet ready. Phones are not optimal for virtual therapy.
2. Plug in and charge your device the night before.
3. Check for and install any software updates your device requires, paying attention to notifications alerting you to device downtime.
4. Make sure Zoom is up to date and ready to join your session. The night before, open your Zoom app and start a meeting to test if it’s ready.

Join your session on time

Being late for session causes major disruptions to therapy. It eats away at session time dedicated to your child and forces your therapist to start contacting you which distracts them from their readiness. Being late consistently can damage the relationship your child and therapist are building where there is commitment and consistency