Practicing via Telemental Health IV: Preparing to Practice
2 CE Credit Hours. Continuing Education Session Replay w/ Review Exercises.
Developed by: Roy Huggins, LPC NCC
Presented By: Roy Huggins, LPC NCC; Liath Dalton
Course Description
The world of telemental health is a wide one — wider than many think! It’s not just limited to working over video with clients who came from your brick and mortar practice or found you online. In this final course, we will make sure you have familiarity with working with other organizations and people who have need for your services in order to help their clients, including making proper care plans and getting reimbursed. We will also talk about making sure you not only use appropriate technology for your telemental health practice, but also how technology choices and collaboration with clients can help you move past the “functional equivalence” of therapy by videoconferencing and leverage the unique clinical opportunities presented by the telemental health medium.
This introductory-level course for counselors, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and counseling and clinical psychologists will prepare learners to practice telemental health through choosing legally and ethically appropriate tools, knowing how to establish safe and clinically effective working procedures with entities that connect the practitioner with clients in need of service, understanding how reimbursement works for telemental health services, and using a website ethically and effectively to support current and potential online clients.
Educational Objectives
- Describe how the telemental health medium can be used to create clinical interventions that are not possible in conventional therapy practice
- Discover and establish safe and clinically effective working procedures with entities that connect the learner with clients in need of services
- Describe how reimbursement works for services delivered via telemental health
- Choose appropriate tools for telemental health practice and make effective use of them
Syllabus
- “Functional equivalence” vs. telemental health-specific interventions
- Understanding videoconferencing as a functional equivalent of conventional therapy
- Opportunities for interventions unique to the telemental health medium
- Working with “originating sites” for successful outcomes
- Planning care and crisis procedures with originating site staff
- Finding and working with local champions, EAPs, and other referral sources/contacts
- Finding and establishing relationships with local champions
- Finding companies and agencies that connect telemental health clinicians with clients
- Reimbursement for services
- Private insurers and Medicare/Medicaid
- Finding how to code claims for telemental health services
- Selecting appropriate technology
- Piecemeal vs. platform considerations
- Determining what services are needed for competent and successful practice
- Assessing trustworthiness and reliability of service providers
- Using a website in telemental health practice
- Using a website to support current telemental health clients
- Using a website to support potential telemental health clients
References
- American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.
- American Telemedicine Association. (2009). Practice Guidelines for Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health. Author.
- American Telemedicine Association. (2009). Evidence-Based Practice For Telemental Health. Author.
- American Telemedicine Association. (2013). Practice Guidelines for Video-Based Online Mental Health Services. Author.
- American Telemedicine Association. (2014). Core Operational Guidelines for Telehealth Services Involving Provider-Patient Interactions. Author.
- Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Telemedicine. Retrieved August 5, 2018, from https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemed/index.html
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. (2006). HIPAA Administrative Simplification . Washington, DC: Author.
- US Dept. of Health and Human Services. (2013). HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule . Washington, DC: Author.
This course is part of our Telemental Health Certification Program, and cannot be purchased individually.
- Solo practitioners: get info about our Telemental Health Certification Program here→
- Group practice leaders and owners: get info about our Telemental Health Certified Group Practice program here→
Presented/Developed By
Roy Huggins, LPC NCC, is a counselor in private practice who also directs Person-Centered Tech. Roy worked as a professional Web developer for 7 years before changing paths, and makes it his mission to grow clinicians’ understanding of the Internet and other electronic communications mediums for the future of our practices and our professions.
Roy is an adjunct instructor at the Portland State University Counseling program where he teaches Ethics, and is a member of the Zur Institute advisory board. He has acted as a subject matter expert on HIPAA, security and clinical use of technology for Counseling licensure boards and both state and national mental health professional organizations. He has co-authored or authored 2 book chapters, and he routinely consults with mental health colleagues on ethical and practical issues surrounding tech in clinical practice. He served for 5 years on the board of the Oregon Mental Health Counselors Association and then the Oregon Counseling Association as the Technology Committee Chair.
He really likes this stuff.
Course Co-Presenters
Liath Dalton is a Ph.D candidate in Religious Studies. She began her academic career at Reed College and continued her graduate work at the University of Cape Town.
Liath is the Deputy Director for Person Centered Tech and runs our HIPAApropriateness review program. Through her combination of experience evaluating products for their utility and security in regards to how they can meet risk management needs and providing guidance to members around what product options will best meet their specific practice needs, Liath has an intimate knowledge of both what the practice tech needs are for mental health professionals and what it takes for a product to meet those needs.
Program Notices
Accuracy, Utility, and Risks Statement: The contents of this program are based primarily on publications from the US Department of Health and Human Services, publications from attorneys, and on guidelines and/or ethics codes of these professional organizations: AAMFT, ACA, APA, ATA, NASW, and NBCC. Some interpretation and analysis presented is made by the presenter, in consultation with knowledgeable colleagues and expert consultants. Statements about applications to technology are according to presenter’s understanding of the technology at the time of the program. The presenter may not know how to apply all principles discussed to every technology type or product. This program discusses strategies for complying with covered ethics codes and HIPAA, and for legally and ethically providing telemental health services. It may not include information on all applicable state laws. Misapplication of the materials, or errors in the materials, could result in security problems, data breaches, or non-compliance with applicable laws or ethics codes.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
Commercial Support: None.
This course is subject to our cancellation/refund policy and complaint policy.
This course is part of our Telemental Health Certification Program, and cannot be purchased individually.
- Solo practitioners: get info about our Telemental Health Certification Program here→
- Group practice leaders and owners: get info about our Telemental Health Certified Group Practice program here→
2 CE Credit Hours. Continuing Education Session Replay w/ Review Exercises.
This course is part of our Telemental Health Certification Program, and cannot be purchased individually.
- Solo practitioners: get info about our Telemental Health Certification Program here→
- Group practice leaders and owners: get info about our Telemental Health Certified Group Practice program here→
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