Telehealth Certification Institute

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Spiritually Integrated TeleTherapy

Therapists occasionally receive requests from prospective clients looking for faith-based or spiritually integrated counseling. Good therapists might know that they are sensitive to a client’s faith and that they can help them, yet they will often refer the client to a therapist who provides a specific faith-informed therapy. There are two good reasons to do this. First, it is important to provide the client with the best fit for what they are seeking. Second, spiritually integrated therapy truly is a specialization requiring a particular set of competencies and supervised experience.  

However, finding a fitting therapist for the client can often be a significant challenge. Conducting a search for a local one, whom the referring therapist has vetted, may yield little to no results. When well-trained, spiritually integrated providers offer teletherapy, this can overcome the search obstacle. Many faith-informed therapists have not begun to provide teletherapy; the thought of launching a telehealth program can feel overwhelming for any provider. Some faith-informed therapists and organizations have successfully faced this task by partnering with people who provide the proper training and support.

Telehealth Certification Institute’s Raymond Barrett was joined by Steve Duson, VP at Solihten Institute, to discuss these challenges and how to overcome them. Solihten Institute is a nationwide network of non-profit outpatient behavioral health centers. They provide the technology and support needed for spiritually integrated counseling programs to successfully launch and provide teletherapy and other remote services. Mr. Duson is responsible for the design, launch, and ongoing development of the Solihten Institute's telehealth initiative. During this interview, Mr. Duson shared why they began offering their telehealth program, the process of setting it up for practice, and how they prepare their member organizations to successfully provide teletherapy.

Solihten Institute became aware of statistics demonstrating that demand for teletherapy was on the rise. At the same time, recognizing that Solihten members were serving clients who needed remote services for a variety of reasons, they decided to launch their teletherapy initiative. Solihten Institute chooses to prepare its member providers by having their clinicians complete the TeleMental Health Training Certificate (THTC) program which trains them on all the essential competencies of teletherapy. Solihten Institute then provides consultation to its members on how to successfully launch and market their teletherapy services. They also provide them with video session technology and ongoing support. For individuals looking for spiritually integrated psychotherapy or providers interested in becoming a member of Solihten Institute, reach out to them to learn more. You can find their contact information on their website.