Telehealth, or the delivery of health-related services through the of technology, is continually developing and evolving, based on the changing needs of society. Most recently, COVID-19 has tasked healthcare systems with the rethinking and rapid development of technology-assisted delivery of care (Shachar, Engel, and Elwyn, 2020). Further, mental health concerns and disorders, which are prevalent worldwide, are a major health concern that can go unaddressed, due to cost, logistical or physical access to care, stigma around mental illness, and shortage of professionals (Abuwalla et. al, 2018). Teleheath can eliminate treatment gaps for clients by providing safe, ethical, effective, and accessible options and alternatives for care. For instance, providers have used telehealth for the effective treatment of anxiety, depression, and trauma-and stressor-related disorders in individual therapy formats (Brunnell et. al., 2021; Townley & Yalowich, 2015).
Advances in technology have changed the way that mental health practitioners and practitioner-supervisors can and do conduct therapy sessions and supervision (Lesser, 2021). Paramount to this shift is quality training on ethics and supervision. In order to effectively conduct ethical telehealth, training consideration must be given to scope of practice, standards of care, building effective teletherapeutic relationships, multicultural, legal, and ethical considerations, supervision, and continuing education. This program will provide an overview to the topics above, and how they can be ethically applied to telehealth practice and supervision.