FAQs - SonderMind Video Telehealth®

SonderMind Video Telehealth® is a HIPAA-compliant way for you to conveniently meet with a mental health care provider from a private and safe place of your choosing. Through secure, online video sessions, you can meet virtually with your provider, without needing to travel to an office for your appointments. 

Most providers offer video sessions through SonderMind, and you can schedule directly with them online through your portal. If your provider doesn’t offer online scheduling, give them a call to request a video session. 

We recommend using a desktop or laptop computer to connect to your video sessions – either using a Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browser. Safari is also supported for Mac devices. If you're on a mobile device, video sessions are only supported through Chrome on Android devices, or through Safari on Apple devices. We suggest having access to a comfortable room – with privacy and a reliable internet connection – where you can have your sessions. 

Log in to your portal at least 5 minutes before your session. In your appointment reminders, you’ll see a button to launch the session once it’s time (about 5 minutes before your scheduled start time). Click the button to connect and start your session.

Yes! Here’s what to know about screen sharing and available functions. 

• Screen sharing is only supported on computers, not mobile devices, at this time. 
• Only one person will be able to share their screen at a time. 
• To begin screen sharing, click the screen share button from the window with your active video session, and accept any permissions requests you’re prompted with.

We’re here to help. Many connection and clarity issues can be solved by a few troubleshooting steps. We recommend first restarting the session and reconnecting to see if that resolves your issue. Read on for steps you can try yourself quickly to resolve an issue. 

Screen sharing is not working properly:

• Step 1: Restart and relaunch your browser. For the best experience, we recommend using Google Chrome.
   
• Step 2: Let’s check browser permissions. (If you’re using Chrome, skip to Step 3.)
  • Firefox: From the Firefox browser, navigate to your portal and make sure you are signed in. Locate the address bar with the page’s URL and the icons to the left. Find and click on the icon for editing permissions. Here you’ll see screen sharing, microphone, and camera browser permissions. Adjust accordingly so that all are enabled and allowed. If any are blocked, your video sessions will likely not work well.
  • Safari: Navigate to Settings within Safari on your device. Find the Websites tab, then locate Screen Sharing settings on the list to the left. Locate SonderMind in the list and make sure the permissions are enabled. If SonderMInd is not listed, try screen sharing again.
• Step 3: Now we’ll check your system permissions if you’re on an Apple device. (If you’re using a PC, skip to Step 4.)
  • Navigate to System Preferences within the Applications on your device. Find the Security and Privacy icon, then locate Screen Recording in the sidebar on the left. Click the box next to Google Chrome to allow screen sharing. You may need to click the lock icon in the bottom left to make changes. A pop-up should appear indicating that Chrome will need to restart before it can record the contents of your screen. Click Quit Now to restart.
• Step 4: Check your browser for any updates. If there are any available, proceed with the updates and restart your browser. Now restart your video session and try screen sharing. If you’re still unable or experiencing issues with screen sharing, submit a form.

The video and/or audio of my session is poor quality or not working properly:

We suggest using a computer, with a Chrome, Firefox, or Safari (Macs only) browser for the best video session experience. Closing all other tabs and programs during your session helps your computer run the call more smoothly. Make sure you have a steady and reliable internet connection. Relying on data or hotspots is not advised. 

Online therapy gives you the same one-on-one support as in-person care, with the benefit of added convenience. Meeting from home makes it easier to fit sessions into your schedule and can help you feel more comfortable in a familiar space.