Training the next generation of counseling psychologists in the practice of telepsychology

Abstract

Training programs that integrate the use of technology are needed to prepare students for the future of service delivery in psychology. Training opportunities in telepsychology can equip students to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative modalities for mental health care. However, few options are available for trainees seeking to acquire these experiences, and while guidelines for service provision using technology are emerging, guidelines for and documented examples of training programs in telepsychology are virtually non-existent. The Telehealth Counseling Clinic, located at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, has developed a training model to prepare the next generation of psychologists to work with new technology to provide counseling services to low-income and uninsured individuals living in designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas in rural Texas. Training competencies necessary to serve this population through telepsychology are discussed and preliminary evaluation data of the training program are presented.

Keywords:

• telepsychology
• telehealth
• rural
• competencies
• training

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding was made possible (in part) by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program [award number D04RH23593-01-02]; Medicaid section 1115(a) Demonstration, entitled “Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program” [project number 11-W-00278/6].