Telehealth Certification Institute

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the coronavirus, COVID-19, will likely become a pandemic. They state that anyone in close contact with others with COVID-19, including healthcare workers, is more likely to be exposed to the virus. The CDC recommends using telehealth to prevent patients who can be cared for at home from going to healthcare facilities. They also recommend encouraging sick healthcare providers to stay at home, and they have made available infection control procedures for healthcare providers.

When a patient goes to a healthcare facility they are likely to encounter other people who are ill and seeking treatment.  The best solution to the coronavirus is to limit the opportunities for it to spread. Telehealth is a great option to treat those who do not NEED to come to a facility for treatment, but who can receive adequate care at home.  

Anyone can experience stress or sadness due to a variety of factors such as major life changes, work challenges, health or family issues, and a host of other challenges that can be short-term or long-term, intense or mild, frequent or seldom. People who have experienced trauma, anxiety, or depression are often unaware of the effects on their lives and on the lives of those around them; they can become accustomed to it. Some turn to alcohol or other substances in an attempt to  “remedy” the symptoms, causing dependency or substance abuse. Because of this, healthcare teams create tools to assess and screen for these behavioral health symptoms. 

We have compiled a list of Helplines according to various categories. We hope this can be useful to anyone looking for quick access to what could be life-saving information.

Online counseling (aka video counseling, virtual counseling, etc.) can be an excellent way to receive mental health care, and its use is growing for many reasons. If you choose to go this route, here are six steps to a quality video session with your mental health provider:

At Telehealth Certification Institute, we often hear the following questions:

• What is the difference between a certification, credential, certificate, accreditation, or license?
• Which of these is the best for me to show my qualification, and which is a better predictor of competence?  
• Does my state allow me to provide telemental health services?
• Are the Continuing Education (CE) hours you provide accepted in my state?

Alison Bowles, LMHC, shares her experience as an online counselor who treats couples and those struggling with anxiety and depression.

Dr. Marla Chalnick is a License Professional Counselor and Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC) in North Carolina. She provides counseling via the phone and video conferencing to those with chronic illnesses.