Frequently Asked Questions
For Individual Counselling
Dynamic Health hopes to make therapy and mental health care more accessible and approachable. Our mission is to link more people with trained and professionally registered counsellors and therapists to develop happier and healthier lifestyles, which is convenient and attainable.
Online therapy can support you to overcome everyday challenges in a stigma-free environment of your choice, and is similar, but also different to traditional face-to-face therapy.
Dynamic Health achieves this goal by providing a service where you can message, call or video-call to your therapist our very own world class, secure platform. Why is it so secure you ask? Because no data is stored on our servers or sold to third parties in any way, shape or form.
Video, Audio and Chat services can be access from your Computer, Phone an Tablet.
We have many professionally trained and registered therapists, each with their own interests and levels of expertise.
Some areas that our therapists specialise in are:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma
- Relationship difficulties
- Addictions
- Adjustment to serous and everyday life events
- LGBTQ related matters
You can use any device purchased in the last five years capable of running a modern web browser such a Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Google.
Over the past 15 years, since the dawn of the Internet used for social engagement, numerous research studies have been conducted to establish the efficacy of Online Mental Health Treatment, and have found favourable that Online Counselling can be as effective, and even more effective in certain aspects of psychotherapy.
Click HERE to see articles that support telemedicine and Online Therapy and how it could work for you.
At DHT, we welcome anyone from any corner of the world. All you need is access to a smart device or laptop and a reliable Internet connection for us to welcome you onto the platform. Our prices are listed in ZAR (South African Rands), and can fluctuate based on the exchange rate.
Services
At DHT, we aim to make contact with a professionally registered therapist more approachable and accessible. We have therefore built a system that accommodate texting, audio and video calling to allow different ways of communication to be able to take pace. As the client, you guide what means of communication you prefer.
We place an enormous value on the client-therapist relationship, so our Complex Algorithm Matching Process is one of the cornerstones of our platform. As the client, you complete a questionnaire upon signup, which allows us to match you to three therapists based on their levels of expertise, interests, and strengths. Unlike traditional face-to-face therapy where you pick a therapist from a directory, your answers provide more guidelines and a better chance of matching to an appropriate therapist or counsellor.
Due to a common condition called Decision Fatigue experienced by people today, we narrow your options down to three best possible therapists for ease of reference. We do however believe in freedom of choice, and therefore leave the final decision with you. Feel free to read the profiles of each therapist, and choose the one you resonate with best. You will then be linked to the same therapist, every time you sign in, so sustain the relationship established between the two of you.
You are welcome to, but bear in mind that a therapeutic journey is a very unique, vulnerable, sacred and responsible process. Commitment to therapy is generally more rewarding if a person makes the decision themselves to enter into therapy, and takes personal responsibility for the process. If your loved one has shown interest in such services, but cannot afford it, you are welcome to purchase a subscription on their behalf, but make sure that the loved on understands the value of such a subscription.
Once your therapist has contacted you, they would want to get to know you better and understand who you are and what your needs are. This generally takes place in an organic and light-hearted conversation between the two of you. Once a therapeutic connection or rapport (as we therapists like to call it) has been established, you and your therapist can set goals to achieve in therapy. Your therapist will respond with helpful guidance, insight-prompting questions, and discussions around helpful tools to support your experience and gain a new perspective on your life. Your therapist will often refer to your goals in your time together and make sure there is room to work on anything new you would like to address.
Since therapists have their careers, multiple clients, and personal lives to coordinate, each therapist responds differently. DHT does however require each therapist to respond to texts at least once, but preferable twice per day. The system will continue to send reminders to you and your therapist to respond promptly. Some clients like to set up a specific time every week with their therapist, which allows them to respond in real time to one another and have a conversation via text. Remember that audio and video sessions can also be scheduled with your therapist. Discuss this with your therapist and work out a schedule that works for you both.
Yes! In fact, we are one of the only Online Counselling Platforms that allow two or more people to access the same text, audio, and video counselling virtual rooms at once. You and your partner, friend, colleague, family, or group will log into the same, shared private space, and therefore speak to the same therapist every time. This means that you won’t have to find time to coordinate calendars to get two or more people to a therapist’s office at the same time. You can therefore send texts to the joint-text chat platform, or book audio or video sessions with your partner, family, or group to meet with your therapist. This allows you to get things off your chest without having to wait a week to remember what you wanted to talk about. We look forward to welcome you into this innovative space to support your relationships.
* Please see the below billing section for fees, and the special Couples Section for more specific FAQ’s.
DHT offers the most functionality for the lowest price in comparison to any local or international platform similar to ours, therefore we do not provide different types of subscriptions at this point, as we already provide the most comprehensive service.
Security and privacy
Privacy and Security is the top priority for our platform and we hope to remain on the forefront of internet security. DHT is one of the most secure platforms in the world since no video or audio transcripts are saved on our servers. Clients and therapists could record sessions onto their respective devices, which should be discussed with one another and consent be provided. All communication streams are Peer-to-Peer encrypted, with unique codes generated for ever Meet and Chat functionality.
Our payment system is an internationally regulated and recognised system used by people all over the world. Payfast is regulated by national authorities and therefore comply with international standards. All personal information is secured by the POPI and PAIA acts in South Africa, and may therefore not be shared or sold to any third party.
It is understandable that one might feel vulnerable having your experience recorded online, and we appreciate that you might feel the need to remove it. You are welcome to delete your chat from your account, but therapists are required to keep record of any correspondence with their clients for ethical purposes, and we must therefore allow them access to the transcriptions from time to time. Please remember that your therapist is governed by a hefty legal act that protects your information. You are welcome to access the Health Professions Act of South Africa and its accompanied ethical guidelines here.
Billing
Therapy for the individual
DHT is a subscription service to support the development of a therapeutic relationship. All the subscriptions are automatically deducted on a monthly (e-wallet) basis in advance. Fees are calculated in South African Rands (ZAR)
The subscription includes the Frequent Text-Messaging service (therapists reply daily, 5 days per week), as well as 1-hour audio or 1-hour video session per week every week for the month. Remember, as the client you choose the way in which therapy is conducted that suits you best. Average pricing for sessions with a therapist in South Africa are billed at R1300 per hour, but on the DHT platform you get the same level of service and more for
- R4000 for 28 days of service
Therapy for Couples, Family Therapy or Group Therapy
The subscription includes the Frequent Text-Messaging service (therapists reply daily, 5 days per week), as well as 1-hour audio or 1-hour video session per week every week for the month. Remember, as the client you choose the way in which therapy is conducted that suits you best.
- R6000 for 28 days of service per couple (includes two people)
Therapy for Teens
The subscription includes the Frequent Text-Messaging service (therapists reply daily, 5 days per week), as well as 1-hour audio or 1-hour video session per week every week for the month. Remember, as the client (teen) you choose the way in which therapy is conducted that suits you best. Average pricing with a therapist in South Africa is billed at R1300 per hour, but on te DHT platform you get the same level of service and more for:
- R4000 for 28 days of service (approximately $230 per month depending on the ZAR – Dollar Exchange Rate)
Just as in traditional face-to-face therapy, therapists get compensated for their time when conducting a therapy session with a client. Any free engagement with a client takes time away from the therapist’s ability to earn a living; we therefore do not offer a free trial with a therapist. You are however able to switch to a new therapist with ease should you wish, or you are welcome to access our support portal for further assistance.
Dynamic Health is committed to offer a platform that facilitates connection between clients and therapists. If you are not satisfied, you may request to be connected to a new therapist. (See process to change therapists above).
Dynamic Health therefore serves as a channel to provide professional services. The therapists working on our platform make their professional time and knowledge available to support you, the client, which they are compensated for. Therefore, the platform does not grant refunds, to sustain a respectful process between clients and therapist alike. Refunds or provision of credit will only be granted with a verified court order, medical or death certificate, as we also acknowledge that things happen out of your control, and hope to be of assistance should you ever be confronted with such a difficult experience.
Management from DHT have met with key role-players at prominent Medical Aids in South Africa to facilitate this process to help clients receive some form of compensation for services received on the platform. At the time of launch of the platform, there has yet to be an agreement reached, but due to Covid-19, such medical aids have subsequently agreed to pay for Online Mental Health Services (depending on the plan of each respective client).
You will receive an invoice with the necessary ICD10 codes, as well as the individual practice and professional registration numbers of your therapist, which you are welcome to submit to your medical aid. Dynamic Health, and therapists working on the platform do not take any responsibility, nor do they get involved in any claims to your medical aid, as the responsibility remains with the member.
You can update your payment details by going to your Account section. Click on the “Manage my Subscription” section, and select the “Payment” section. You may then select the “Update” button and update your details from there. Please Save the details once you are done.
Therapist Information
Every single therapist that is allowed to work on our platform has been trained on tertiary level, has completed the respective stringent board exams and their independent registration has been personally vetted and verified with every Professional Board (HPCSA, SANC or SACSSP). To register with a professional board in South Africa, each therapist has had to complete a minimum of 5 years post graduate training on tertiary level, as well as complete a minimum of 2000 hours clinical experience.
In addition to the above, ever therapist completed an internal vetting process to ensure competency on the platform, they must have their own practice number to ensure that they are personally liable for the service they render on the platform, and must have active professional indemnity insurance.
All our therapists have a minimum of 4000 hours of clinical experience, and Dynamic Health therefore only affiliates with therapist that work independently and are no longer in their internship or working under supervision anymore.
Dynamic Health therapists have additional training within specific approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Humanistic therapies, Mindfulness, Psychodynamic approaches and much more.
Furthermore, every therapist must complete annual CPD (Continued Professional Development) points to stay on top of current research and trends in the therapeutic realm to maintain their professional registrations.
Please note, that all our therapists are registered within South Africa. Therefore, any complaints or objections must be lodged within the South African Legislation system.
We are very excited to welcome any South African registered mental health practitioner on our platform. We hope to expand our services to practitioners in other countries soon. Please click on the link below Therapist on our platform.
Change in Service
There are two types of cancellations on the platform.
- Cancellation of your subscription
You can cancel your subscription 14 days before your next deduction is due from your account. Your account will therefore not be deducted at the end of the following month, to allow further access to your account for the following month. Cancellations are done on your account under the “Manage Subscription” section.
- Cancellation of a scheduled audio or video session.
A 24-hour cancellation of a scheduled session with your therapist is required to allow your therapist enough time to plan their diary accordingly. Should you cancel less that 24 hours before your scheduled session, you will forfeit that week’s session and can only have an audio or video session again with them the following week. Cancellation of sessions are done on the scheduling page.
You can place a 30-day hold on your subscription. Log in to your account from your smart device or laptop and go to “Manage My Subscription” on your Accounts Page. Go to “Pause My Subscription”. You will receive an email shortly before your subscription will resume.
Should you wish to resume therapy again on any day within the 30-day period, you just follow the same steps and select “Resume my Subscription”.
If you have previously cancelled or placed your account on hold, then welcome back! Log in to Dynamic Health using your original email & password to access your existing account. Go to the “Manage Subscription” Section and select “Resume my Subscription”. Once this has been completed, you have the option to continue with your original therapist (if they are available), or to match to a new therapist. After that, you can get started right away.
We do not require any client to commit for an extended period, nor do we require clients to sign long term contracts. You as the client are in control of how long you use the platform. But we do however know that change happens within a solid relationship between therapist and client, and that such a relationship takes some time to develop into a trustworthy, honest, and beneficial connection. Therefore, our plans are designed to renew automatically to make it easier to use the platform, and they can be cancelled at any time through the “My Subscription” section in your Accounts menu.
Since we try to provide clients the agency to choose their experience on the platform, we do not roll any service over to the following week or month. Please ensure that your book as much time with your therapist as they allow, to support you to the best of their ability.
How does the DHT platform work?
The DHT platform has an interactive scheduling tool to allow you to schedule times that your therapist has pre-allocated in his or her diary. That way you have ease of reference when they are available to meet with you. The video and Audio Platforms are referred to as “Meet” on the platform and is available on Web, Android, and iOS (Another first on the market!)
Log in to your Account (for you as an individual, or the account you have with your partner for Couples therapy) via the DHT App or Web, and go to the “Schedule” section in the top bar on your account. Go onto the calendar, and select a time that has been pre-allocated by your therapist. All your upcoming sessions will be listed on the scheduling section, and reminders will be sent to you and your therapist. Remember the 24-cancellation policy to honour the time you have scheduled with your therapist.
Just like any relationship, the therapeutic relationship takes some time to develop. We therefore urge you to consider giving yourself and your therapist time to get to know each before re other questing to move to another one. In addition, this might be a wonderful tool to use in your therapy, to learn to establish relationships with people that require a bit more effort, which can be translated into a skill to build relationships in your life.
It does however happen that one can feel that you are not connecting with a specific therapist, and would then choose to move to another therapist just like one will for face-to-face therapy. We are here to help. You can request a new therapist through your accounts page under the “Manage My Subscription” section. Just follow the prompt and choose another therapist from the three options provided.
You are welcome to refer anyone to DHT through the following steps. Log in to your account from the app or browser, go to your Account, and select “Refer a friend”. A unique link will be generated that you need to send to your friend or family member. Remind them to follow the exact link to help us keep track of your referrals. You receive ***** discount for every referral.
It is possible that you may experience interruptions, blurred visuals, connection issues and synchronising problems from time to time. Here is a list of possible steps to follow to improve your experience:
- Ensure that you have a good, solid internet connection
- Preferably not connected to a VPN network
- Try setting your device on Aeroplane Mode, and reconnect to your internet connection or Wifi.
- Restart your router
- Make sure that your App is up to date, if not, delete it and download it again from our web browser dynamichealth.today
- Restart your Computer, Phone or Tablet
- Consider having a backup power suppl for your network or device should there be a power failure
We value any feedback to improve our platform and increase user satisfaction, so we urge you to send any suggestions, communications or concerns to Support@DynamicHealth.today
We strive to respond to every question to the best of our ability.
However, if you wish to make us aware of any specific complaint, you are welcome to complete the form here.
Teen & Couples Services on the DHT Platform
Yes, your teen who is older than the age of 13 years is welcome to use the platform. Since they are probably a digital native and may find online communication easy, they can be a perfect fit for the platform. We look forward to welcome them and link them to their best possible therapist. Please follow the following prompts to start the registration process here.
We are excited to welcome your teen onto the platform to support them through the tricky adjustment of being a teen in today’s world. We require you to sign consent for your teen via the Terms and Conditions. According to South African law, we require both living biological parents to provide consent. If the other spouse is not available, incarcerated or hasn’t had contact with you or their child in years for instance, we require proof that an effort has been made to at least inform them that their child (teen) is entering therapy with one of our therapists. This protects you as the parent against any future legal complications. A screenshot of such correspondence can be submitted upon registration. Please note that your teen also must provide Assent, to ensure that they are also committed to their own therapeutic journey, and provides them the agency to agree to the process.
As their parent or guardian, you are welcome to contact your teen’s therapist. Therapists working on our platform are however required to have consent from your teen to provide any private information with you. We recommend that you join in on one of their video conferencing sessions, to ensure open communication between teen, parent, and therapist. If you wish to consult with the therapist privately, you can log a request directly to the therapist from your account (the account details that you used upon sign in before you created a private account for your teen). Please take note that your teens therapist will alert you immediately if your teen is in danger, if your teen is in danger of harming someone else, or if your teen is in danger of harming themselves.
All members of the couple, family or group have their own accounts, that link to the primary account holder’s platform. The primary account holder therefore controls billing and cancellations, while all accounts linked to that group have access to the Chat and Meet portals.
Contact Us For any other questions please contact support@dynamichealth.today