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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 160-173 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Psychotherapy Integration |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Clinical practice
- E-mental health
- Guidelines
- Policy
- Telepsychotherapy