Emergency Management Planning for Telehealth Services

Description

Emergencies in telehealth can unfold quickly, and clinicians may need to respond while the client is in another location, outside the clinician’s local emergency service area, or in an environment the clinician cannot fully control. Behavioral health professionals need more than a general safety plan—they need a practical emergency management process that accounts for client location, technology disruptions, risk level, local resources, ethical responsibilities, and continuity of care.

This course helps mental and behavioral health professionals think through the realities of crisis response in virtual care. Rather than waiting until an emergency occurs, clinicians will learn how preparation, direct assessment, collaborative intervention, and thoughtful follow-up can support client safety while helping the clinician respond with greater clarity and clinical judgment.

Kelly Lannon, LPC, LCMHC, BC-TMH, CMCC, CGP, brings more than a decade of experience in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, veteran and military populations, trauma, grief, and risk mitigation. Alongside Telehealth Certification Institute founder Raymond Barrett, LMHC, who has extensive experience in telehealth training, mobile behavioral health assessments, emergency-related clinical work, and private practice telehealth, this course offers practical guidance for clinicians navigating emergencies in virtual settings.

The training addresses the unique challenges of telemental health emergencies, starting with the logistics of virtual care—such as confirming a client’s physical location, establishing backup contact methods, and identifying local emergency resources. You will learn how to develop robust, client-specific emergency management policies tailored to your practice setting, population, and risk level. Because emergencies do not happen in a vacuum, you will also explore how cultural identity, social determinants of health, community barriers, and state-specific jurisdictional requirements shape both the client's risk and your clinical response.

When a crisis does occur, you need clear protocols for assessing self-directed violence, medical issues, substance use, and risk to others. You will review how to evaluate intent, means, and protective factors through direct, compassionate questioning. The course emphasizes collaborative, least-invasive interventions—equipping you to implement safety planning, lethal means reduction, and warm handoffs to higher levels of care when necessary. Finally, you will learn best practices for utilizing emergency contacts, seeking consultation, and thoroughly documenting the incident to ensure continuity of care and ethical compliance.

Key Takeaways

• Plan before the crisis happens: Learn how to prepare emergency management policies and client-specific plans that include location, backup contact methods, emergency contacts, local resources, and technology disruption procedures.
• Assess risk directly and clinically: Strengthen your approach to evaluating suicidal ideation, self-harm, substance use, medical concerns, violence risk, protective factors, and access to means.
• Respond collaboratively and appropriately: Consider least-invasive interventions, safety planning, local crisis resources, warm handoffs, consultation, documentation, and follow-up after an emergency.

Why This Course?

• Built for telehealth realities: The training focuses on the practical complications of responding to crises when the client is not physically in the room with you.
• Grounded in clinical judgment: The course emphasizes preparation, direct assessment, collaboration, documentation, and ethical decision-making rather than one-size-fits-all responses.
• Immediately applicable: Participants leave with clearer steps for updating emergency procedures, gathering client-specific information, identifying local resources, and responding when risk escalates.

Learning Objectives

• Identify what crisis management looks like, and discuss the importance of building collaborative plans with clients.
• Analyze types of crises, risks, and cultural considerations for individuals.
• Evaluate appropriate individual and/or group responses to crisis situations.

Even in moments of uncertainty, clinicians can respond more effectively when they have a plan. This course gives behavioral health professionals a practical framework for preparing for telehealth emergencies, assessing risk, coordinating support, and helping clients access the care and resources they may need when safety concerns arise.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study program and consists of 1.5 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructors and Disclosures

Instructors

About Kelly Lannon, LPC, LCMHC, BC-TMH, CMCC, CGP

Kelly Lannon is a Licensed Professional Counselor in GA and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC. They obtained their MA in Community Mental Health Counseling from the University of Rochester. Kelly has spent more than 10 years working in crisis intervention and suicide prevention with the veteran and military populations. Over the past four years, they have been conducting silent monitoring of these services to ensure proper protocols and standards are being adhered to relating to mental and medical health, substance use, suicidal ideation, and risk of violence to others; ultimately ensuring risk mitigation and safety planning efforts are completed appropriately.

Additionally, Kelly’s work in private practice focuses on trauma and grief within the veteran and 2SLGBTQQIPAA communities. Their therapeutic approach stems from Existential and Humanistic therapies, while integrating approaches from Decolonization, Multicultural, and Interpersonal Counseling.

About Raymond Barrett, CEO, LMHC

Raymond Barrett is a licensed professional counselor and an expert telemental health consultant/founder of the Telehealth Certification Institute (TCI). A master trainer, Ray has released over 50 high-quality courses for thousands of clinicians and healthcare providers and trained 1,919+ organizations in telehealth.

When Ray’s first clients began asking for sessions over the phone, Ray quickly discovered a knowledge gap in telehealth training. Ray’s inspiration for TCI came from his desire for comprehensive and practical training in telemental health for both himself and fellow clinicians. Ray’s extensive review of telehealth research and literature, along with his virtual counseling, executive coaching, psychiatric assessment, and employee assistance program experience, contributed to his course design.

In a profession known for regulatory pressures, Ray emphasizes ethical telehealth delivery across the board. He continues to see a limited number of private practice clients and rigorously reviews telehealth developments to ensure his courses are up to date and meet industry-best standards.

Ray is committed to cultivating a compassionate, person-centered organization that supports clinicians, patients, and the greater healthcare community.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1.5 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists:

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 120 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This course is a non-interactive, online self-study.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement