Recommendations for policy and practice of telepsychotherapy and e-mental health in Europe and beyond

Tom Van Daele, Maria Karekla, Angelos P. Kassianos, Angelo Compare, Lise Haddouk, João Salgado, David D. Ebert, Glauco Trebbi, Sylvie Bernaerts, Eva Van Assche, Nele A.J. De Witte

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

96 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a great need for the use of telepsychotherapy and other interventions using psychological theories and techniques to support both mental and physical health. E-mental health presents a wide range of opportunities in mental health care to overcome barriers for receiving conventional psychological care, especially when psychotherapists and clients find themselves in (self)quarantine resulting from a pandemic. For many psychotherapists and clients, the current situation provides a first experience with e-mental health and reliance on telepsychotherapy or other means of technology to provide or receive care, respectively. Psychotherapeutic circumstances may often be suboptimal, with psychotherapists and clients experiencing difficulties finding a private space or sufficient time for an undisturbed consultation. This article aims to highlight recommendations on how to create the best possible context in which e-mental health supplements and enhances current services for clients. These recommendations are grouped according to 3 categories of key stakeholders: psychotherapists, health services and regulatory agencies, and developers. This article focuses on (a) how to make optimal use of technology in psychotherapeutic practice; (b) how to integrate e-mental health into the health care system to allow for a safe, transparent, and effective environment for (self) care; and (c) how to develop e-mental health applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)160-173
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Psychotherapy Integration
Volume30
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Clinical practice
  • E-mental health
  • Guidelines
  • Policy
  • Telepsychotherapy

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