Tag Archives: Online Therapy
Ethical Fallacies in Online Counseling – Assessing Our Own Cognitive Distortions
Have you ever heard colleagues justify a questionable professional decision by stating she or he, “felt it was ok?” Or maybe they were “just doing the same as the other professionals?” Or “it’s better to deliver some help rather than none at all?” Many practitioners deliver services online without adequate professional training. It also appears that many are making [...]
Full StoryCanadian Psychological Association Code of Ethics as Applied to Online Therapy
Have you been told that we don’t yet have guidelines for legal or ethical practice online? Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are yearning for solid research looking at ethics in telemental health or online therapy, I strongly encourage you to read the recently published article in a special issue of “Canadian [...]
Full StoryThe Problem with “Online Counseling” & “Online Therapy” (Part I)
Do we need a new category of mental health service to properly identify the new services being offered online? Telehealth and Telemedicine Precedents When offering telehealth service in the health care world, the patient is seen by someone “in the system” initially for an in-person consult. An administrative assistant will open the file, check the [...]
Full StoryAnonymity — Questionable Online Therapy Practice?
In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Carolyn Turvey suggested the need for collecting identifying information from patients. The author of that same article then quoted the opposing view of a spokeswoman for an online therapy company. The spokeswoman explained that 90% of therapists using their platform don’t collect identifying information, because “Patients with [...]
Full StoryPREDICTION: Will We Be Treating Mental Health Patients by Smartphone before 2020 (Part I)
A recent PEW study reported that over one third (35%) of American adults age 18 and over own a smartphone of some kind. One quarter (25%) of smartphone owners report that their phone is where they do most of their online browsing. When asked about how they feel about their devices, 72% of smartphone owners [...]
Full StorySKYPE & HIPAA (ePHI vs PHI)
There seems to be continued confusion about whether or not Skype is HIPAA compliant. Please allow me to post some of the additional requirements under HIPAA and let you consider if you are compliant when using Skype. First, there are the “rules” under HIPAA: transactions, security and privacy. Some of our colleagues see the security [...]
Full StoryHave You Seen This HIPAA Compliant Video Portal?
As previously discussed, companies devoted to mental health practice and offering “HIPAA Compliant” video platforms are now surfacing. One such service is Iconic Health’s HomePsych for organizations or private practices.
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