Frontliner FAQ

What happens after I submit my form?

A volunteer will review your form and send a booking request to your selected therapist. We’ll send on a confirmation email. Your new therapist will contact you (email or phone) within a few days to schedule your appointment .

Do I need to pick a therapist that takes my insurance?

All therapists on our site have agreed to provide free therapy sessions so you don’t need to worry about insurance. You will discuss how many sessions they are donating at this time. However, you might want to select a therapist on your insurance panel, if one is available, in case you would like to see them longer.

Why do I have to pick a therapist in the state where I live?

Therapists have to be licensed in the state where you live in order to provide telehealth services to you. Although some states have decided to allow cross-state therapy, your best bet is still to find someone in your state.

What if I don’t see any therapists available in my state?

Please reach out to us at projectparachute.eleos@gmail.com and we will do our best to find one for you! Also, feel free to check back later as we receive new therapist submissions daily.

How many free sessions will I get?

It is up to the therapist to determine how many free sessions they offer. Please discuss this and any other questions (length of sessions, how often you see them) with your therapist at the time of booking.

Will therapy sessions be online?

Yes, all therapy sessions will be done over video or phone via telehealth. You and your therapist will discuss what works best for both of you.

What if my therapist and I can’t find time to meet?

We can always rematch you with someone else. Please submit a new request for a different therapist online or email us.

How do I know if I qualify?

We define a healthcare frontliner as someone who is...

• In a face-to-face healthcare setting where they may or may not have direct contact and/or care for someone with COVID-19. This includes healthcare workers and also administrative staff (e.g. check in), cleaners, cafeteria workers, etc.
• In a face-to-face public health setting (with homeless individuals, at COVID testing centers) to promote screening, testing, and care for those with COVID-19.
• Providing mental health services to the frontline as part of their job in a healthcare setting (not exclusively over telehealth).

I have not heard from the therapist I requested. What do I do?

Please allow for 3 business days for the therapist to reach out to you. If you still haven’t heard from them, email us at projectparachute.eleos@gmail.com.

I live in state A, but I am temporarily working in state B. Which state should I pick my therapist from?

PIck a therapist from state A where you normally reside. Then describe your situation in the box named “If you are temporarily working in a different state, please let us know here” on the submission form (after you’ve selected a therapist).

Therapist FAQ

Am I being hired by Project Parachute?

Project Parachute isn't a company like BetterHelp or Talkspace. We aren't hiring employees and therefore, we don't provide consent forms or malpractice insurance. We're a site that is similar to the Open Path Collective website where you advertise that you want to give back to COVID-19 frontliners in your state by offering pro bono therapy. When a COVID-19 frontliner matches with you for care, you take them on in your usual practice.

I am licensed, but don’t have a current practice. Can I Help?

Project Parachute is NOT able to provide liability insurance, consent forms, etc. Before you sign-up to help, make sure you have liability insurance, consent forms, etc. You can find more information here.

Will my liability insurance cover pro-bono work?

Please contact your insurance company to verify if pro-bono work will be covered before signing up to help.

What is the relationship between Project Parachute and clients? In other words, are the clients a patient of Project Parachute? Or do they become a client of the individual therapist?

Project Parachute only facilitates the introduction and match between the therapist who is willing to provide pro-bono sessions and the frontliner. The client are clients of the therapist and the therapist and the client must establish a consent to treat.

How do I know if my client qualifies for pro-bono therapy?

Please see here for our definition of a healthcare frontliner. We attempt to make sure the client qualifies for our services before matching them, but we are unable to verify all inquiries. Keep in mind that sometimes COVID-19 stresses and fears may not be talked about directly when you first meet. They may show up in other ways, such as having arguments with loved ones, difficulty eating regularly, or resurgence of old mental health issues.

How many pro-bono clients will I get?

It is up to you how many clients you can take. If you are unable to take more clients, please notify us ASAP by emailing projectparachute.eleos@gmail.com and we will hide your profile on our website. If your profile is visible on our website, you may receive another booking.

What if I am unable to take any more clients?

Please email us at projectparachute.eleos@gmail.com and we can hide your profile. If you have more availability in the future, you can always ask us to re-activate your profile.

How long will I do therapy with this client?

That’s entirely up to you. You may want to set this up as time-limited support or you may want to have something more open-ended. Just make sure that you are establishing those expectations for yourself and for your patient ahead of time.

Teletherapy?

It’s mission-critical that all visits are done via telehealth. That could mean meeting over your existing platform, via Eleos' integration with Zoom or any other secured platform (or it could mean just a plain old telephone call), whatever works best for you.

What is the timing/length of the sessions?

It may be time to get creative on the timing and length of sessions. Our standard 45-53 minute peacetime session might not be a good match for your pro-bono patient’s needs right now. That’s completely ok.

What happens if I can’t find a great time to talk with my assigned patient?

We can always rematch them with someone else. Please ask the patient to submit a request for a different therapist online or they can email us.

What therapy should I be doing?

We trust your clinical judgment and expertise with regard to evidence-based practice. We compiled a list of resources for Stress First Aid and Psychological First Aid here.

Can I provide therapy to a front line health worker outside my state?

No, you cannot practice across state lines. Your client needs to be physically present in the state where you are licensed during every meeting. We know that a number of states are waiving those rules right now. However, since we are working across all 50 states we have decided to limit matches to within each state as those waivers can vary so much by state.

What are the rules and regulations in delivering telehealth?

Each state and profession have their own rules and regulations. We recommend each provider familiarize themselves with the telehealth guidelines of their local licensing board/professional organization.

Telehealth guidelines by state

I have a provisional license. Can I volunteer?

Yes. Please discuss providing pro bono therapy with your supervisor and check with your liability insurance before signing up to help.

What if the person I matched with prefers talking on the phone?

If you are willing to provide support over the phone, it is up to you. Please remember that calls with clients are considered telehealth services. According to the American Psychological Association (2013), telepsychology includes the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies, which could be either synchronous (i.e., in real-time) or asynchronous (i.e. time-delayed, for instance, email and texting).

How do I change my profile on the website?

We currently do not have a way for therapists to log into a Project Parachute account, but we are working on adding this function. If you wish to make any changes to your account, please fill out the form here and we will take care of those changes for you.

I filled out the therapist sign-up form. What's next?

Your profile will be reviewed by one of our volunteers and will appear on the website under the state(s) you are licensed in within 24-48 business hours. Once your profile is visible, healthcare frontliners are able to view it and request a match with you.

How does the match process work?

Healthcare frontliners will be able to browse therapists in their state and select the therapist they would like to work with. When we receive a request, we will notify you by email with the frontliner’s information.

You will contact them and set up an appointment. For administrative purposes, you can treat the frontliner as a patient in your existing practice. It is completely up to you how many free sessions you offer, how often you see the client, and how long the sessions are. Please communicate your expectations with the client at the beginning of therapy.

Your profile will remain active on the website until you notify us that you no longer have availability. To deactivate your profile (you can always re-activate later), please send us an email: projectparachute.eleos@gmail.com