What is required for telehealth sessions according to current regulations?

For telehealth sessions, obtaining informed consent is critical to ensure that clients are fully aware of the nature of the services being provided and any associated risks. Current regulations emphasize that while it is important to secure consent, merely documenting that consent in the client's file is sufficient to meet legal and ethical standards. This means that therapists are not required to have a separate face-to-face consent session, nor do they need to obtain a more formal written consent beyond the documentation in the client's records.

This understanding aligns with the goal of telehealth, which is to provide accessible and flexible therapy options while ensuring that clients are informed participants in their treatment process. As long as consent is appropriately documented, therapists can fulfill their compliance requirements without necessitating additional steps that may not be feasible or practical in a telehealth context.