Online Mental Health
With the development of the internet and other quickly developing technologies, healthcare providers are venturing online to provide services to those in need. eHealth and telehealth are used interchangeably but their differences should be discussed. eHealth refers specifically to the use of the internet to provide healthcare services such as counseling or psychotherapy (Maheu & Gordon, 2000). Telehealth is “the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, supervision, education and information, across distance” (Jerome & Zaylor, 2000). Other terms used are telementalhealth and telepsychology. Because of technological advancement, more people than ever before have been reached via the internet and other technological based mediums. However, with these technologies, there are many things that need to be considered that could affect the practice of healthcare services.
It is critical that the use of vague language be avoided. In order to best serve potential clients, clear and specific language is necessary. For example, using the terms “on-line psychotherapy” or “e-therapy” with a client may confuse these services with things like “e-mail”, “webphone”, or “audio and video streaming technologies.” More precise terms such as “e-mail appointment scheduling,”“web-based psychological assessment,” and “e-mail support groups” would not only make it easier for the client to find what he is looking for but also reduce confusion when seeking and receiving treatment. When viewing the rest of this website, the terms teleheath, ehealth, telementalhealth, and telepsychology, will all be used to describe online mental health (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
Sometimes, even professionals do not realize what type of services they are providing to clients. A survey conducted by Maheu & Gordon (2000) surveyed sixty Psychology professionals about various aspects of telementalhealth. Sixty-three percent of respondents considered their services “education” or “advice.” Only eighteen percent considered their services to be “counseling” or “therapy.” However, forty-one percent of respondents reported that their service was provided for a clinical issue. Despite the respondents expressed concerned of legal and ethical issues surrounding telementalhealth, three quarters of respondents provided services to clients living in another state than they were licensed and did not know about the state and federal laws regulating the electronic delivery of telementalhealth services. Also, since the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy of client records, professionals who wish to practice online must take into consideration the repercussions of violating such laws (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
The internet as well as other technology is constantly changing and improving. With new technology come new issues that the legal system has never had to deal with before. Because the internet and other technologies are developing so quickly, laws to protect consumers cannot be carefully considered and enacted quickly enough. Although some states have implemented laws to protect possible clients, some psychological professionals are not even aware of them. As of October, 2000, “twenty states and the federal government had considered or enacted laws to regulate telementalhealth services; most restricted both communication technologies and practitioners” (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
There are high hopes for the future of telementalhealth. A study of ninety-eight thousand mental health patients showed that between 2006 and 2010 hospitalization decreased twenty-five percent when telementalhealth services were provided by videoconferencing (Maheu, Pulier, McMenamin & Posen, 2012). With new technology comes a need to improve current training, guidelines, insurance coverage, and laws. More people than ever before have a cell phone and access to the internet. People now use the internet to acquire knowledge and information. Although there are many resources online for consumers such as psychological tests and interventions, there is a lack of quality and empirical research to prove the effectiveness of such things. There is a need for research to improve the field of telementalhealth (Maheu, Pulier, McMenamin & Posen, 2012).
Throughout the rest of this website, you can find information about the transition to telementalhealth, ethical concerns, effectiveness of online therapy, perspectives of providers and consumers of telementalhealth, and references of this information.
It is critical that the use of vague language be avoided. In order to best serve potential clients, clear and specific language is necessary. For example, using the terms “on-line psychotherapy” or “e-therapy” with a client may confuse these services with things like “e-mail”, “webphone”, or “audio and video streaming technologies.” More precise terms such as “e-mail appointment scheduling,”“web-based psychological assessment,” and “e-mail support groups” would not only make it easier for the client to find what he is looking for but also reduce confusion when seeking and receiving treatment. When viewing the rest of this website, the terms teleheath, ehealth, telementalhealth, and telepsychology, will all be used to describe online mental health (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
Sometimes, even professionals do not realize what type of services they are providing to clients. A survey conducted by Maheu & Gordon (2000) surveyed sixty Psychology professionals about various aspects of telementalhealth. Sixty-three percent of respondents considered their services “education” or “advice.” Only eighteen percent considered their services to be “counseling” or “therapy.” However, forty-one percent of respondents reported that their service was provided for a clinical issue. Despite the respondents expressed concerned of legal and ethical issues surrounding telementalhealth, three quarters of respondents provided services to clients living in another state than they were licensed and did not know about the state and federal laws regulating the electronic delivery of telementalhealth services. Also, since the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy of client records, professionals who wish to practice online must take into consideration the repercussions of violating such laws (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
The internet as well as other technology is constantly changing and improving. With new technology come new issues that the legal system has never had to deal with before. Because the internet and other technologies are developing so quickly, laws to protect consumers cannot be carefully considered and enacted quickly enough. Although some states have implemented laws to protect possible clients, some psychological professionals are not even aware of them. As of October, 2000, “twenty states and the federal government had considered or enacted laws to regulate telementalhealth services; most restricted both communication technologies and practitioners” (Maheu & Gordon, 2000).
There are high hopes for the future of telementalhealth. A study of ninety-eight thousand mental health patients showed that between 2006 and 2010 hospitalization decreased twenty-five percent when telementalhealth services were provided by videoconferencing (Maheu, Pulier, McMenamin & Posen, 2012). With new technology comes a need to improve current training, guidelines, insurance coverage, and laws. More people than ever before have a cell phone and access to the internet. People now use the internet to acquire knowledge and information. Although there are many resources online for consumers such as psychological tests and interventions, there is a lack of quality and empirical research to prove the effectiveness of such things. There is a need for research to improve the field of telementalhealth (Maheu, Pulier, McMenamin & Posen, 2012).
Throughout the rest of this website, you can find information about the transition to telementalhealth, ethical concerns, effectiveness of online therapy, perspectives of providers and consumers of telementalhealth, and references of this information.