Best Practices in Telemental Health: Therapy Reinvented
While the field of mental health was inching their way towards incorporating virtual technologies into standard practice, in 2020, with a speed previously thought unimaginable, the practice of mental health pivoted. In spite of all the uncertainty and angst, practices not only survived but many thrived. Additionally, research is providing evidence that virtual treatment can be implemented with a broader range of clients and applications than had previously been considered.
This intermediate level course is designed to provide an overview of different approaches, through interviews and summaries of research shedding light on how to enhance professionalism and optimize the online experience. A variety of theoretical orientations are provided, acknowledging many of the suggested approaches will not be applicable to all therapists. Yet, they are included as some of the suggestions provided apply across a variety of interventions with a wide range of clients.
This course is broken into three sections. The interviews are provided with a video option, and content is available in text & audio versions. The first section provides summaries of numerous reviews, distilling common features found to be effective across populations and clients/patients. Section two is comprised of three interviews with supervisors and ethics experts describing ways to enhance the therapeutic alliance and enhance the therapeutic experience. The final section contains a commentary proposing ways to increase digital connectivity for underserved populations.
Educational Objectives
This course will teach the participant to
- Identify who is an appropriate candidate for telemental health
- Describe the benefits of online treatment with people experiencing trauma, psychosis, and suicidal ideation
- Implement strategies for setting the stage and “frame” to enhance treatment
- Incorporate ways to enhance the therapeutic alliance when working online
- Identify strategies for accommodating persons with neurological disorders, aging, cognitive decline, and limited technological skills
Syllabus
- Is online therapy effective?
- Who is suitable for online treatment?
- Considerations for online therapy
- Creating a shared experience
- Enhancing the therapeutic alliance
- Eye contact
- Face-to-face therapy remotely
- Documentation
- Recording sessions
- Contingency planning
- Telemental health considerations for specific populations
- Cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic considerations
- Neurological and medical concerns
- Older adults
- Working with children
- Encouraging participation
- Ensuring confidentiality and privacy
- Caregiver and family involvement
- Suicidal Patients
- Additional strategies for incorporating telemental health into everyday practice
- Safety
- Creative use of technology
- Strategies for engaging in experiential therapies
- Setting parameters
- Limitations
- Enhancing therapeutic rapport
- Working with cultural differences
- Eye contact
- Clear communication
- Therapy as a service
- Working with what arises in the background
- Socialization to Therapy
- Setting expectations
- Setting the frame
- As a means to enhance communication
- Provide safety and trust
- The digital divide in telemental health
- Impact on subpopulations
- Proposals for bridging the divide