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Digital Seminar

2-Day: Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider Training: A Therapist Guide for Ethical, Legal and Technology Concerns when Using Teletherapy


Faculty:
Melissa Westendorf, PhD, JD
Duration:
12 Hours 44 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
Copyright:
Sep 19, 2023
Product Code:
POS056740
Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Access:
Never expires.


Description

Become a Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider (CTMH) faster and easier than you ever thought possible!

Providing telehealth services is a must for today’s clinician, allowing you to effectively expand your practice and reach clients even when they can’t come to your office.

But you’re worried that the quality of your treatment could suffer and your license could be put at risk navigating complicated ethical, legal and technological issues you never thought you’d need to face.

This 12-hour Certification Course makes telehealth easy with the skills, knowledge, business advice, and technical guidance you need to get started right away!

Get the solutions you’ve been looking for so you can:

  • Confidently set up the technology and tools you need to start providing telehealth services
  • Successfully adapt in-room practices to the telehealth space!
  • Avoid violating HIPAA and HITECH requirements and protect clients’ privacy
  • Correctly handle billing and recordkeeping
  • Make sure you get paid for your telehealth services!
  • Protect yourself from telehealth mistakes that could cost you your license

Add value to your clinical toolbox and resume with specialized training in delivering therapy services in the virtual space!

Best of all, upon completion of this training, you’ll be eligible to become a Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider (CTMH) through Evergreen Certifications. Certification lets colleagues, employers, and clients know that you’ve invested the extra time and effort necessary to understand the complexities of using telemental health in mental health counselling. Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/ctmh for details.

Sign up today and get the skills and confidence you need to successfully help your clients with the power of telemental health!

CERTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE! 

  • No hidden fees – PESI pays for your application fee (a $149.99 value)*!
  • Simply complete this training and the post-event evaluation included in this training, and your application to be a Certified Clinical Telemental Health Provider (CTMH) through Evergreen Certifications is complete.*

Attendees will receive documentation of CTMH designation from Evergreen Certifications 4 to 6 weeks after completion.

*Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/ctmh for professional requirements.

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.



CPD

PESI Australia, in collaboration with PESI in the USA, offers quality online continuing professional development events from the leaders in the field at a standard recognized by professional associations including psychology, social work, occupational therapy, alcohol and drug professionals, counselling and psychotherapy. On completion of the training, a Professional Development Certificate is issued after the individual has answered and submitted a quiz and course evaluation. This program is worth 12.75 hours CPD for points calculation by your association.



Handouts

Faculty

Melissa Westendorf, PhD, JD's Profile

Melissa Westendorf, PhD, JD Related seminars and products

Technology Wellness Center


Melissa Westendorf, PhD, JD, is a clinical and forensic psychologist and founder of the Technology Wellness Center. As a clinician, she has provided therapy to adults and adolescents in the community and within the correctional setting. Dr. Westendorf’s forensic practice is dedicated to assessing adults and youth in either the criminal justice system or in civil matters. As a technology wellness expert, she is dedicated to assisting parents, children, adolescents, and adults on understanding the complexities of technology use and the impact on our brains, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Westendorf’s legal training coupled with her clinical background enables her to work with individuals who are experiencing the legal ramifications of technology use.

 

As a proactive psychologist and educator, Dr. Westendorf is a keynote speaker at academic institutions, parent organizations, businesses, and community groups, offering preventative tools and resources that educate others on how to manage technology use in a healthy manner. She is the co-author of Unplug! Raising Kids in a Technology Addicted World. She has served on the Committee for Legal Issues for the American Psychological Association and on the Psychology Examining Board for the state of Wisconsin. Dr. Westendorf has been appointed as an expert in high profile legal cases, featuring the psychological ramifications of technology use. Her expertise has been relied upon in a wide variety of articles, podcasts, radio segments, and television programming. She has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio), Wisconsin Public Radio, and ABC’s 20/20. She is a monthly contributor to The Morning Blend.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
inancial: Melissa Westendorf is the founder of Technology Wellness Center, LLC. and maintains a private practice. She receives compensation as an international trainer. Melissa Westendorf receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Melissa Westendorf is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, the American Psychological Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and the International Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychologists.


Objectives

  1. Analyze the ethical principles and applications of ethical codes for telehealth services.
  2. Determine the HIPAA guidelines and how they apply to telehealth services.
  3. Assess inter-state issues associated with telehealth and how to stay in compliance.
  4. Determine best practices for creating a good setting for telemental health services.
  5. Evaluate how to implement policies and procedures that are necessary for maintaining an ethical telehealth practice.
  6. Assess electronic services and platforms for delivering ethical telemental health services.
  7. Determine how to screen for suitable clients for telemental health services.
  8. Assess how to effectively manage boundary issues that might arise during telemental health services.
  9. Determine which therapeutic practices are conducive to telemental health services.
  10. Assess the threats that technology poses to the confidentiality and privacy of clients.
  11. Determine how to maintain ethical standards and compliance while utilizing social media technology.
  12. Determine how to correctly manage electronic records in a telemental health setting.

Outline

Research about Telehealth Services
  • Here to stay
  • It works
  • Benefits
Application of Ethical Codes
  • Psychologists, social workers, professional counselors
  • Building competence
  • Technology appropriateness examples
HIPAA
  • HIPAA and HITECH
  • HIPAA and small providers
  • Violations and why they occur
State Law Applications
  • State interests for the pros and cons for permitting telehealth
  • Cohesive incoherence
    • Examples of statutory guidance
  • Risk management guidelines
  • Interjurisdictional practice
Efforts to Improve Telehealth Interjurisdictional Practice
  • PsyPact
  • Others
  • Checklist of questions to determine if you can practice across statelines
Case Examples for Using Various Forms of Telehealth Best practices for telehealth
  • Selecting the appropriate tools
  • Utilizing ATA guidelines
    • Clinical – patient and setting appropriateness
    • Technical - The setting, camera, microphones, and lighting
  • Administrative – connectivity, training
  • Practical solutions for your therapy
Processes & Procedures
  • The intake process
  • Informed consent – sample plan, key topics to cover
  • Emergency and crisis plans – what to include, medical issues, sample plan
Delivery Platforms Keeping Ethics/HIPAA in Mind
  • Asynchronous platforms
  • Common elements
  • Concerns with platform
    • Synchronous therapy
    • All-in-one services
  • Email and texting safely
  • Pros and cons
  • HIPAA requirements
  • Encryption
  • Password protection
  • VPN
  • Electronic communication policy
  • Hardware and software safety
Screening and Suitability of the Client
  • Benefits of telehealth Services
    • Evidenced-based research
    • Patient and setting contraindications
  • The intake, mental status exam, and ongoing Evaluation
  • Assessment with clients
Professional Boundary Considerations
  • For the client
  • For the clinician
    • Crossings versus violations
    • Recommendations for maintaining professional boundaries
  • Licensing board complaint examples
  • Red Flags for Therapist
  • Strategies to Avoid Red Flags
  • Recommendations for improving the therapist's telehealth experience
  • Additional Resources

Multicultural Considerations

  • Issues to consider
  • Geography, settings, populations
  • Seeking guidance
Theoretical Considerations for Telehealth
  • Evidence-based support
  • Which models transition well
Self-Care for the Clinician
  • Ethics application
  • Causes of burn out
  • Warning signs in therapists
  • Characteristics of effective self-care
  • Strategies and techniques
  • Resources
Dos and Don'ts of Social Media
  • Using social media to your advantage
  • The required social media policy
  • Social media and boundaries
The Era of Electronic Records
  • Development of the electronic record
  • Electronic document storage
  • Electronic document destruction
Reimbursement
  • Medicare/Medicaid
  • Private payer

Target Audience

  • Counsellors
  • Social Workers
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Physicians
  • Case Managers
  • Addiction Counsellors
  • Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Other Mental Health Professionals

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