Mental Health Provider's Guide to Telehealth

This book works as a guide to videoconferencing practice for psychological providers through a broad, simplified, and practical overview of pertinent factors. It is a consolidation of research literature and professional experiences of practicing, teaching, and studying videoconferencing. It begins by defining key concepts such as telehealth, telepsychology, and other related terminology and examining the role of telehealth in addressing ongoing mental health disparities. An overview of existing videoconferencing practices, guidebooks and general recommendations, as well as specifics of ethical and legal factors are discussed. The book then details numerous essential factors of videoconferencing practice that are directly applicable to psychological care, including considerations of computer system, video camera, display screen, microphone, videoconferencing platform, bandwidth and latency, and room setup, along with self-care practices. The appendices provide readers with links to resources, checklists, and other documents to guide their practice. Psychologists, counselors, and other mental health providers will find this user-friendly, research-informed guide indispensable when implementing online treatment and teletherapy.