The Mental Health Professional and the New Technologies

"This is an excellent new book on this emerging technology. All clinicians will eventually need to learn the material presented in this very interesting book." -Doody's Electronic Journal "Whether you are planning to design a web site, reply to email from a patient, start an online practice, establish a mailing list for professionals with interests similar to your own, or wonder where the online world is headed, you will find [in the book] the information you need." -Ivan Goldberg, M.D. Coordinator and Founder, PsyCom.Net; Webmaster, Depression Central "A first of its kind comprehensive handbook on the new technologies indispensable to mental health practitioners faced with today's escalating demands on time and the need to remain professionally competent. This collaborative project exhaustively looks at the array of new technologies and educates the professional as to their values and pitfalls. Readable for the beginner in technology. Delightfully sophisticated for the advanced user. And always full of mindful ethical practices." -Norine G. Johnson, Ph.D. Former President, American Psychological Association "From a national public policy perspective it is increasingly evident that the explosion of knowledge occurring within the communications and technology fields will truly revolutionize our nation's health care delivery and training systems in ways that only a few years ago were simply unforeseeable. Change is always unsettling. The magnitude of change facing today's practitioners and educators is simply unprecedented. And, without question, it will have a direct impact upon the daily lives of all mental health providers, regardless of their professional discipline, treatment orientation, and service delivery site." -Patrick H. DeLeon, Ph.D. Former President, American Psychological Association

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Telecommunication Technicalities. E-Mail, Chat Rooms, and Other Text-Based Environments. Professional Web Site Considerations. Telephonic and Videoconferencing Technologies. Computer-Aided Assessment. Computer-Aided Psychotherapy. Electronic Practice Management and the Computer-Based Patient Record. Legal and Regulatory Issues. Standards and Guidelines. Online Clinical Practice Management (OCPM): Training and Support. Online Clinical Practice Management (OCPM): Referrals, Client Education, and Consent. Online Clinical Practice Management (OCPM): Delivering Clinical Care. The Near Future. The Distant Future. Epilogue: Immediate Steps--A Checklist. Appendices: Comparative Studies of Psychotechnologies. Sample Listserv Guidelines. Addendum to Patient Consent Agreement. Draft International Convention on Telemedicine and Telehealth.