ABSTRACT
Using the electronic health records of 55 foster and adopted youth, this study compared in-person mental health service utilization to telemental health (TMH) service utilization during COVID-19. Clients attended a greater number of therapy sessions, had more accumulated session time, and had shorter sessions via TMH compared to in-person. Similar results were found for school-aged children, females, and caregivers who engaged in their children’s treatment. Notably, for non-significant differences in engagement, engagement numbers during TMH were always higher than in-person services.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families and by UCLA TIES for Families. I would also like to express my gratitude to Matthew Ruderman, Ph.D., the Research Director at UCLA TIES for Families, for his guidance and contribution throughout this project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).