Our mission at Anxiety Specialists Counseling Center is to offer the best care possible in a safe, non-judgmental setting. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the word safe took on a new meaning. Suddenly, I was as concerned about your physical health as your mental health.
With COVID-19 taking a steep rise in our county and state-wide, we continue to monitor and evaluate the safest means by which we can provide services to best meet your needs.
With more information about the spread of COVID-19 becoming available, we see the risk involved in face to face contact. Public health professionals have found that COVID-19 is spread primarily through vapor droplets from an infected person. Therefore, the highest risk is small, enclosed spaces where people are creating a lot of vapor through talking, singing, etc.
Unfortunately, there is inherent risk of infection with face to face counseling at this time. We are in a small, indoor office space, talking continually for an hour. If I am an asymptomatic carrier or the client prior to you is a carrier, the viral load would likely be great enough for infection.
Once CDC guidelines are met, we will celebrate the opportunity to be back in the same space with you. We are already upgrading office ventilation and creating new policies and increased sanitation procedures to minimize your risk. These will be in place when the CDC guidelines for reopening are met (starting phase one upon 14 days of decreasing COVID-19 cases).
At this time, we believe that conducting counseling sessions through telehealth is the safest option for everyone involved. We also recognize that that is not feasible for everyone. If you are unable to meet via telehealth, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your situation further by phone/email.
Please know this decision was made after much thought and research, with your safety and well-being as our highest priority.
Thank you.