Telehealth/Internet Services for Children, Adolescents, and Families

Abstract

As technology advances, innovative methods of service delivery become available. Telehealth, or the use of technology to provide health-related services, is emerging as a potential avenue for the provision of health and mental health services. As the word suggests, the term “telehealth” was originally coined to describe the provision of health services at a distance. Today, however, the term has come to describe not just the provision of services at a distance, but also the use of various forms of technology to assist in the provision of medical, health, and mental health services. The movement to develop telehealth programs likely was motivated by several factors. The first factor was the lack of local or easily available services for large segments of the population. Good examples of this phenomenon are military personnel, prisoners, and rural residents, citizens who would otherwise have difficulty receiving specialty services due to inaccessibility of providers. A second factor was the need to provide services in a more efficient, cost-effective way. One way that telehealth could help in this regard is that it can allow for a single provider to consult with patients in various locations without the need to travel, thereby saving both time and travel costs. Finally, a need to support isolated providers or consumers has led to a desire to use technology to enhance or supplement traditional services. For example, online support groups may provide a supplemental service to people who already receive psychotherapy, or can serve as a way to provide collegial support to isolated psychotherapists.