Preparing For Your Session (For Clients)

Table of Contents

Welcome to the Bilateral Base therapy platform.

If you’re using the platform for the first time, this guide will walk you through the steps for connecting with your therapist.

In most cases, you won’t need to do anything different than if you were using a general-purpose video conferencing service like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet etc.

However, we suggest you have a quick read of the information below to ensure that your call is set up properly and that it is possible for your therapist to use all the different therapy tools.

Before your session #

Recommended Device Setup #

  • Compatible Devices
    • The platform can be used on any device (Computer, Tablet or Phone).
    • A PC/Mac is recommended where available due to the larger screen size and (in general) better processing and memory capacity
  • A Webcam
    • You will need to have a webcam (or camera built into your device) available for the session
    • Try to position/point it so that your eyes are about two-thirds of the way up the image so your therapist can see you well
    • Avoid having a window or bright light behind you. Try to ensure there is a reasonable amount of light falling on your face
  • A reasonably good internet connection
    • Video calls are quite data intensive so your internet connection needs to be fairly fast and steady, if you have been using other video services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and FaceTime, then you should have no issue using Bilateral Base
    • If you do want to check whether your internet meets our minimum needs visit https://www.speedtest.net/ (you need to have 3Mbs Upload/Download)
    • See our article on how to get the best out of your internet connection
  • Other Tips
    • Close other video conferencing services – Close programs like Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc. When using Bilateral Base as sometimes this can create a conflict if both programs are trying to access your webcam or microphone at the same time
    • Close unused programs – This is another way to free up processor and memory for your sessions
    • Restart your device – If you’re someone who rarely if ever restarts their PC/Mac then it might be a good idea to do this once in a while. This can free up system processor and memory which can free up processor capacity and memory for video calls and therapy tools
    • Power Supply – Ensure your device has sufficient battery for the session duration or ideally is connected to a power supply which will stop your device from using power-saving features which can impact the performance of your device

Environment #

  • Try to find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed
  • Seated in a comfortable but reasonably upright chair

Run Pre-session Setup #

  • You DO NOT need to sign up for a Bilateral Base account
  • If it is your first time using the platform then we recommend clicking on the session link as soon as you receive it to check your device is ready and running a sufficiently up-to-date web browser version. We run a quick check as soon as you click on your session link so if you don’t see a warning message at this point then you know that your browser type/version is ok.
  • The first thing you will see after clicking the session link is an option to test your video and audio setup. You can go through these steps and check everything is working and then when prompted, close your web browser.
  • By doing this well ahead of your session (e.g. 24 hours before), if there are any issues, the team at Bilateral Base will be able to help get them resolved before your session is due to start – contact us

 

Starting a Session #

Session Link #

  • To join your session, simply click on the session link to open the session in your web browser.
  • Please Note – You DO NOT need to sign up for a Bilateral Base account

Pre-session setup #

  • Even if you have already completed the Pre-session setup it’s generally a good idea to quickly run through the tests again to make sure nothing has changed and your setup is still correct
  • However, once you’ve done it a few times and are confident that the setup hasn’t changed there is the option to skip this

Waiting Room #

  • Once you have completed or skipped the Pre-session Setup you will then either be taken straight into the session with your therapist or you may be held in the waiting room until your therapist has arrived
  • Tip – you can mute your camera and microphone while you are waiting for your therapist if you prefer

 

Main Session Controls #

Mute Camera #

  • If at any point during a session you want to ensure your camera is off then click the camera icon towards the bottom right of your screen

Mute Microphone #

  • If at any point during a session you want to ensure your microphone is off then click the microphone icon towards the bottom right of your screen

Leave Session #

  • To exit the session at any time click the ‘Leave Session’ option at the bottom right of your screen. Alternatively, you can close your browser window/tab which will also end the session

 

Additional Session Options #

Reposition Preview Panel #

  • The preview video panel that shows you the view from your camera can be repositioned by dragging to different parts of the screen
  • It can also be moved by going to More Options -> View Preview Options

Full-Screen Mode #

  • Some users prefer to go into full-screen mode to remove any other distractions from their screen and to maximise the space available for the video conference and therapy tools.
  • This option can be found towards the bottom right of your screen
  • This option is currently supported on PC and Mac
  • This option can also make the light bar movement smoother on lower powered computers, so if it ever appears jerky then trying using full-screen mode.

Share Screen #

  • If needed, you can share all or part of your screen with your client using the ‘Share Your Screen’ option towards the bottom right of your screen
  • This option is currently supported on PC and Mac

Chat #

  • This feature allows you to instant message with your therapist
  • Go to Session Options -> Chat

Switch Camera/Audio Output/ Audio Input #

  • If you need to change your video or audio setup during a session go to ‘Session Options’ towards the bottom right of your screen

 

Troubleshooting #