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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Edythe (Dee) Dunn, MA, LPC
Online Mental Health Services
Edythe (Dee) Dunn, MA, NCC, LPC, FAMI
. http://www.deedunn.com/

Online Mental Health Services

You may have seen or heard about the tele-health options that are being offered by some health professionals, and thought that they might be helpful to you or someone you know who has problems getting to and from medical appointments. But did you ever think about how it might be possible to use the same technological advances to visit your current mental health professional?

Tele-mental-health refers to mental health services delivered by telephone, video conferencing, live chats or other technologically supported modalities. It will become even more utilized in the future because it offers so many attractive benefits, especially in an area like ours where traffic makes a mockery of a tightly planned schedule, and more and more business services are conducted via the Internet. If you have issues with pain or mobility, such that traveling to appointments is difficult, consider tele-mental-health an option. But before you consider all your commuting woes are over, there are several things you need to know.

Where are you and where is your therapist? Each state will be defining their own rules about online medical and mental health practices. One of the main issues is where your practitioner is licensed in general it is important to have a therapist licensed in your own state so you know they meet the requirements of the state licensing requirements. You also have recourse if you have concerns about the quality of care you receive. Look for a distance certified counselor (DCC) to know you are working with someone who knows the ins and outs of using technology both legally and ethically to deliver services to you.

HIPAA regulations are very important when you receive medical or mental health services online protecting your confidentiality is the responsibility of the provider and it is important to work with someone who knows how to do this while using technology.

Another consideration may be payment for services. It is likely to be a while before insurance companies agree to cover online services for mental health, and when they do, there may be stipulations on where and how those services are delivered. For now, plan to pay for services “out of pocket,” but with the appropriate information from the provider, you may be able to recoup your expenses.

I hope it helps to know that all the frustrating, baffling, and sometimes downright silly technology may actually translate in to something that really is useful to you!

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