Using Technology Based Therapeutic Tools in Behavioral Health Services

Course overview

This course is based upon material published in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Advisory and is available as an open-access article. Telemedicine is a widely recognized and accepted practice that has been in use for decades. Telemedicine allows for clients and healthcare professionals to meet remotely, which provides greater opportunities for meetings, discussions, and patient monitoring. One of the major drawbacks of telemedicine is that both the client and the provider need access to a device and a stable internet connection, which can be an issue in the poorer or more rural parts of the United States. Despite this, it remains a promising and useful tool for healthcare providers. This course on using technology-based therapeutic tools in behavioral health services is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of using technology-based therapeutic tools in behavioral health services. The course material includes a literature review of research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding using technology-based therapeutic tools in behavioral health services. Specifically, a professional will: Identify advantages of telehealth services. Identify issues and drawbacks of telehealth services. Distinguish between optimal and non-optimal strategies that can be used for communication between providers and clients. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). USING TECHNOLOGY-BASED THERAPEUTIC TOOLS IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. www.samhsa.gov