Why Counselors Should Train in Telehealth 

The flexibility of online counseling allows therapists to transition from in-person therapy to a virtual office, a trend that has become even more appealing since the COVID-19 public health crisis. But without adequate telemental health training, licensed counselors may find themselves at a disadvantage.

Regardless of the practice format, online and in-person counselors should apply the ethical wisdom to only practice within their scope of competence. With a high-quality training program, you will feel more comfortable as an online counselor and carry less risk as a telemental health provider. Before jumping into virtual sessions with clients, a training program can show you what skills–or instructional content areas–will help shape your telemental health practice. Discovering your knowledge gaps is often the first step to achieving telehealth competency.

Many clinicians are quite adept at using technology, yet the competencies that are required when providing telehealth services are not so evident. Raymond Barrett created this recorded course as an overview of all topics regarding telemental health.  It is not meant to address all of the areas of telehealth, but instead is offered so that you can assess your own level of competency and provide clinicians with the "broad strokes" of the competencies of telehealth. Topics addressed include: why telemental health is an important option for clients, the benefits (and drawbacks) of telemental health, how US licensure law impacts telemental health, telemental health-specific ethical standards, and preparing clients for a session.

We are pleased to offer this one-hour video for FREE to anyone by clicking the "Play" option on the video above.

In addition to the video training, if you would like to earn 1 CE credit, you can do that by enrolling in the one-hour self-study course for $20

Four mental health experts recommend ways to manage compassion fatigue and burnout for behavioral health professionals.

Watch the recording today!

For our December installment of the Behavioral Health Toolbox Series, we covered a topic that is near-and-dear to many of us as we transition into 2021: compassion fatigue and burnout among healthcare professionals. The Telehealth Certification Institute Toolbox Series delivers live virtual webinars on telehealth topics facilitated by experts in the behavioral health field. Our webinars are practical, immersible, and driven by your interests.

Four panelists contributed to the December discussion. Sarah Dooling, a registered play therapist and instructor in San Diego State University’s MSW program, took an inventive approach to coping with pre-COVID triggers and current stressors. Sara advised practitioners to create a Resilience Kit with tools that will keep you well. Sara’s suggestion highlighted one of the webinar’s primary goals—optimizing creativity while creating new self-care routines. As Sara described for viewers, using transitional objects, such as a piece of paper with the names of your personal support squad, can act as a visual indicator.

COVID-19 has necessitated that schools nationwide protect the safety of staff and students by offering crucial academic and behavioral health services through telehealth. In October 2020, the Telehealth Certification Institute hosted a webinar titled, “Telehealth in School Environment- Meeting Student Needs Amid Covid-19” which featured experts on telehealth and behavioral health in the school environment. This webinar sought to equip educational professionals to meet the needs of students in a constantly-evolving virtual environment. This webinar also included CE hours for mental health professionals and covered information such as issues of justice within virtual learning environments, how to relate with stakeholders virtually, and best practices for implementing virtual assessments. Participants had the opportunity to submit questions throughout the session and panelists answered questions live during the webinar. 

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has the perennial responsibility of setting social work standards and ethics. In recent years, technological options for client engagement have flourished, resulting in an explosive demand for new mandates, guidelines, and tech boundaries in the social work field. 

The NASW is the largest professional organization dedicated to ethical social work practice. Represented by 130,000 members from 50 US states, they have established safety principles for social workers and their clients. The NASW clinical social work standards are widely cited by students, professionals, and educators to inform their practice behaviors. Though they are the leading member organization, the NASW partners with other social work groups. An example of their partnership is with The Association of Social Work Boards’ (ASWB). The NASW used the ASWB’s 2015 Model Regulatory Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice as a partial framework for the 2017 Technology in Social Work Practice Guidelines. The 2017 document represents the most current provisions for the ethical use of technology. In addition to the NASW and ASWB, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA) have contributed to the current technology recommendations for the social work profession. The four collaborative organizations arrived at the 2017 standards after forming the Task Force for Technology Standards in Social Work Practice.

In September 2020, the Telehealth Certification Institute hosted a webinar titled, “Identifying and Resourcing Trafficking Victims” which featured leading voices in the field of anti-trafficking. This webinar sought to equip practitioners from multiple disciplines to identify trafficking victims both virtually and in-person as well as provide resources to access critical, trauma-informed care. This webinar also included CE hours for mental health professionals and covered information such as signs of trafficking, best practices for trauma care, how to be an effective mental health professional with trafficking survivors, and building therapeutic trust with trafficking survivors. Participants had the opportunity to submit their questions throughout the session and the panelists answered them live during the webinar. 

As a response to the recent uprise in racial trauma and police brutality, Telehealth Certification Institute hosted a free, live webinar titled, “Racial Justice & Community Restoration: A Trauma-Informed Response to a Nation in Crisis.” This webinar included free CE hours for mental health professionals and covered pertinent information such as developing cultural competence and meeting the needs of racial minority clients; participants were also able to interact with the speakers and participate in this important dialogue during a live Q&A. Over 1,000 attendees had the opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of trauma, racial reconciliation, and mental health.

Over 3000 Professionals Gather for Virtual Telemental Health Preparedness Summit

In May 2020, as a response to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Telehealth Certification Institute hosted the first Telemental Health Preparedness Summit, a large-scale virtual training, in cooperation with national behavioral health associations, telehealth infrastructure companies, and expert clinical trainers.

COVID-19 significantly accelerated the need for behavioral health providers to serve clients virtually, requiring that the vast majority of clinicians become immediately trained in the technical, legal, and ethical aspects of telehealth. As national experts in certifying professionals in Telemental Health, the summit offered training and CE hours, in addition to opportunities for Telemental Health Certification. The Telemental Health Preparedness Summit brought together behavioral health professionals across disciplines (including therapists, psychologists, social workers, professors, chaplains, students, etc.) to quickly and competently train on critical remote services.

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?

Presenting at the Licensed Professional Counseling Association of North Carolina (LPCANC) this year was a new experience for us. One of our alumni, Tanya Guinn, LPC, both a telemental health provider in North Carolina and a member of the LPCANC, took initiative with the idea of VIRTUALLY co-presenting on TeleMental Health at the LPCANC Conference with our CEO, Raymond Barrett.