Rural mental health service utilization in a Texas telepsychology clinic

Tarlow, Kevin R.; McCord, Carly E.; Du, Yuxian; Hammett, Julie; Wills, Thomas M.

doi:10.1002/jclp.22903

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…At a systemic level, the role of telemedicine in behavioral health is particularly salient in Texas, with its status of having the most rural-residing residents of all states, and the fact that the vast majority of MHPs in Texas work in just 5 out of the state’s 254 counties ( Tarlow et al, 2020 ). In a longitudinal study on Texas individuals with depression, self-reported severe disruptions to daily routines and disruptions in access to mental health treatment in having appointments canceled or postponed led to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms in the early pandemic period (May–August 2020) relative to pre-pandemic levels ( Czysz et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with adverse childhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of mental health service providers

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with long-term physical and mental health conditions, toxic stress levels, developing unstable interpersonal relationships, and substance use disorders due to unresolved childhood adversities.AimsThis study assessed the perspectives of mental health providers (MHPs) regarding their adult patients’ coping with ACEs during COVID-19 in Houston, Texas. Specifically, we explored how individuals with ACEs are coping with the increased stresses of the pandemic, how MHPs may provide therapeutic support for individuals with ACEs during this pandemic, pandemic-related challenges of accessing and utilizing mental health services for individuals with ACEs, and the awareness and treatment of ACEs among MHPs.MethodsTen in-depth semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with licensed MHPs from November 2021 to April 2022 in Houston, Texas. Interviews were coded and analyzed for emerging themes through an inductive open coding approach to discover insights regarding coping with ACEs during COVID-19.ResultsFour key themes experienced by individuals with ACEs emerged from the MHP interviews: (1) Maladaptive emotional dissonance and coping outlets during the pandemic, (2) Difficulties with social connectedness and significance of social support, (3) Heightened daily life stressors and coping with the ongoing disruption of the pandemic, and (4) Changing interactions with the mental health system. Themes from this study highlighted that resilience, seeking treatment, and strong social support can help develop healthy coping strategies among individuals with ACEs.ConclusionThis study may help inform best clinical practices to develop interventions and policies regarding ACEs such as a resilience-promotion approach that targets all the socio-ecological levels. In addition, findings highlight the synergy of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological management via tele-health modalities, in helping individuals with ACEs continue receiving the care they deserve and need during a persistent pandemic and an uncertain future.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with adverse childhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of mental health service providers

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this model, treatment is provided in-person either one-to-one or in a group by a highly trained mental health professional within a clinical setting. The reliance of this model on trained professionals has become a problem due to the lack of mental health service providers, especially in remote and rural areas [87][88][89][90][91][92][93]. However, in the recent times, telepsychology, which entails the provision of conventional mental health services using telecommunications technology, such as telephones, smartphones, and virtual conferences, has significantly increased and improved access to treatment services [88,[93][94][95][96][97].…”

Section: Current Assistive Technologies For Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reliance of this model on trained professionals has become a problem due to the lack of mental health service providers, especially in remote and rural areas [87][88][89][90][91][92][93]. However, in the recent times, telepsychology, which entails the provision of conventional mental health services using telecommunications technology, such as telephones, smartphones, and virtual conferences, has significantly increased and improved access to treatment services [88,[93][94][95][96][97]. Studies have shown that telepsychology is a reliable method of treatment and people both in rural and urban areas are receptive to it [94][95][96].…”

Section: Current Assistive Technologies For Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety

Rasouli

Gupta

Nilsen

et al. 2022

Int J of Soc Robotics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a condition characterized by debilitating fear and avoidance of different social situations. We provide an overview of social anxiety and evidence-based behavioural and cognitive treatment approaches for this condition. However, treatment avoidance and attrition are high in this clinical population, which calls for innovative approaches, including computer-based interventions, that could minimize barriers to treatment and enhance treatment effectiveness. After reviewing existing assistive technologies for mental health interventions, we provide an overview of how social robots have been used in many clinical interventions. We then propose to integrate social robots in conventional behavioural and cognitive therapies for both children and adults who struggle with social anxiety. We categorize the different therapeutic roles that social robots can potentially play in activities rooted in conventional therapies for social anxiety and oriented towards symptom reduction, social skills development, and improvement in overall quality of life. We discuss possible applications of robots in this context through four scenarios. These scenarios are meant as ‘food for thought’ for the research community which we hope will inspire future research. We discuss risks and concerns for using social robots in clinical practice. This article concludes by highlighting the potential advantages as well as limitations of integrating social robots in conventional interventions to improve accessibility and standard of care as well as outlining future steps in relation to this research direction. Clearly recognizing the need for future empirical work in this area, we propose that social robots may be an effective component in robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety, not replacing, but complementing the work of clinicians. We hope that this article will spark new research, and research collaborations in the highly interdisciplinary field of robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety.

show abstract

“…Lack of quality broadband access is a well-documented concern regarding the delivery of high-quality telehealth services (Benda et al, 2020). Other barriers include overcoming stigma, lower technology literacy, lower rates of insurance, and geographic and transportation barriers in the hub and spoke models (Crosby et al, 2012; Syed et al, 2013; Tarlow et al, 2020). Given the already small population sizes inherent in rural areas, compounded with the barriers to accessing care even when made available through telehealth, studying the effectiveness of teletherapy in rural areas can be challenging.…”

Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing depression outcomes in teletherapy for underserved residents in Central Texas: Telehealth’s move to treatment-as-usual.

Armstrong¹,

McCord²,

Stickley³

et al. 2022

Journal of Rural Mental Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Telehealth is a flexible and cost-effective solution for providing psychotherapy services. The present study examines teletherapy outcomes data using two methodological frameworks: a categorical outcome approach, clinically significant change (CSC), and a continuous outcome approach, latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM). Archival data from 424 rural-residing clients were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were fitted in two ways of comparison. The level of change was also explored and was modeled at five points as well as six points. A latent growth mixture model was fitted to assess depression severity over time. Clients achieved either CSC or overall improvement on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 after three-seven sessions. Session-to-session results indicated that change took longer (10-11 sessions). Reliable deterioration was infrequently experienced and, thus, difficult to model. The LGMM fit best with three classes, of which two started clinically and varied in their improvement rates. The third class started nonclinically and showed little improvement over time. This study advances the literature regarding outcomes for rural clients by utilizing the frame of treatment-as-usual psychotherapy effectiveness and providing more generalizability to this specific population.

show abstract

Rural mental health service utilization in a Texas telepsychology clinic

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Coping with adverse childhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of mental health service providers

Coping with adverse childhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of mental health service providers

Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety

Assessing depression outcomes in teletherapy for underserved residents in Central Texas: Telehealth’s move to treatment-as-usual.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About