Response to the below discussion post with the below discussion topic. (No Sources are needed)
Discussion topic:1) From your perspective, what is the purpose behind tele-health training and offering such services to clients?
2) What ethical guidelines must counselors keep in mind when offering tele-mental health services to clients?
3) How will you manage emergencies via tele-health services?
Discussion post:
1. The purpose of tele-health training is to ensure that counselors have the proper competence and expertise to work virtually with clients. Counselors should be proficient in the technological skills needed to provide tele-health services, and should be aware of the special circumstances or issues that may arise as a result of tele-mental health services to clients (emergency protocols, technology/privacy risks, miscommunications, etc.).
There are many purposes to providing these services to clients, including reaching clients who may not have access to mental healthcare in their local area, continuing mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic or other illnesses, and offering a more convenient and potentially more cost-effective mental health treatment method for clients. Tele-mental health services would also benefit someone who has a very particular mental health issue and would benefit from seeing a counselor who specializes in their area of need, but may not live in their local area.
2. Counselor should keep in mind the ethical requirements for confidentiality when providing counseling virtually to clients. This includes several facets, including cyber-security concerns, record storage, and ensuring that no one else on either end of the tele-health session can overhear or see any of the session. For example, the counselor should ensure that they are providing services in a space where there is no risk of someone else walking into the room while they are in session. Counselors should also ensure that clients are in a private space and that no one on their end might overhear the session.
Counselors should also ensure that they are meeting ethical requirements for informed consent when working with clients virtually, and that their informed consent policies include information specific to the technology and digital format being used for counseling. In addition, counselors should ensure that they are practicing in an area in which they are competent, thus they should be properly trained in tele-health services. Counselors should also ensure that the tele-health services they offer are culturally appropriate for the clients who may have different expectations or understanding around the virtual format.
