1.2 Growing Trend - Distance Mental Health
Learning Preference Options
Learning Preference Options
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Growing Trend - Distance Mental Health
- Estimated Total Viewing Time
- 5:38 Minutes
Learn more about the growing trend of distance mental health counseling.
Growing Trend - Distance Mental Health
- Estimated Total Reading Time
- 5 Minutes
Distance mental health is the provision of mental health services by skilled and knowledgeable professionals (e.g. counselors, therapists, psychiatrists) to participants in different locations, using telecommunication technologies.
Telecommunications is the preparation, transmission, communication, or related processing of information by electronic means. Telecommunication technologies include but are not limited to telephone, mobile devices, interactive videoconferencing, email, chat, text, and Internet (e.g. self help websites, blogs, social media). Information may be transmitted in writing, or include images, sound or other data. These communications may be synchronous with multiple parties communicating in real time (e.g. interactive videoconferencing, telephone) or time-delayed, asynchronous (e.g. email, online bulletin boards, storing and forwarding information). Technologies may augment traditional in-person services (e.g. psychoeducational materials online after an in-person session) or be used as stand-alone services (e.g. screening, assessment, counseling provided over videoconferencing). Different technologies may be used in varied combinations and for different reasons when providing Distance mental health services. For example, videoconferencing and telephone may be utilized for direct services while email and text are used for non-direct services (e.g. scheduling).
Distance mental health counseling is also known is e-therapy, e-counseling, online therapy, online counseling, telecounseling, telementalhealth counseling, teletherapy, cyber-counseling, and web-counseling. Distance mental health counseling does not replace traditional in-person counseling however it is rapidly becoming an important resource to a growing number of consumers.
The next page will discuss mental health counseling challenges and benefits.
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