Telecommunications technology has transformed modern life, and now it’s transforming how social workers, counselors, therapists, and clinical psychologists are providing mental health services. Telemental health—delivering mental health care remotely, and sometimes over great distances—is making it possible to bring life-changing services to populations who previously may have lacked access to them. Clinical mental health counselors interact with clients through a wide range of technological tools, including apps, videoconferencing, text messaging, email, chat rooms, blogs, and websites.

Here are five of the benefits telemental health offers to patients and practitioners:

Expands Access

Telemental health puts mental health services within the reach of adults and children who live in rural or remote areas where counselors may be scarce. Many states have begun to lift geographic limitations, allowing mental health providers from other states to practice telemedicine within their borders.¹ Telemental health practitioners also can provide services in correctional settings when the patient and clinician cannot be together.

Saves Time

With clinical mental health counselors now serving clients over long distances through videoconferencing, travel time can involve just the seconds it takes to walk to one’s laptop. This innovative counseling model eliminates a client’s need for transportation, and any travel-related costs. Telemental health also can make it easier for patients to work appointments into their schedules without having to take time off from work. Clinicians may find opportunities to increase their patient load if practicing telemental health eliminates or cuts back on the need to commute to an office.

Shortens Delays

Patients can wait an average of 48 days to see a mental health professional after making an appointment.² Telemental health removes some of the barriers that lead to these long waits. A patient in Miami no longer has to choose a counselor from a short list of practitioners within a comfortable driving distance or place their name on a waiting list. They instead may choose to work remotely with a professional in Orlando, 235 miles away.

Eases Stigma

In 1999, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher identified the stigma around mental illness as the most persistent barrier to individuals seeking help and noted that this stigma is more pronounced in rural settings.³ For patients concerned about appearing publicly at a practitioner’s office, working with clinical mental health counselors from home via teleconferencing or phone can ease anxieties and promote acceptance of treatment. Professionals, advocacy groups, and others continue their work to dispel this misplaced sense of embarrassment or shame about seeking mental health services, heeding Satcher’s plea to “confront the attitudes, fear, and misunderstanding that remain as barriers before us.”

Gets Results

Research continues to affirm the efficacy of telemental health services, with studies showing that videoconferencing is as effective as face-to-face treatment.⁴ Offering increased provider options and a multitude of convenient technological vehicles, telemental health is a growing and effective alternative for those delivering and receiving mental health services.

In expanding access to care, telemental health is creating opportunities for adult learners interested in growing their counseling careers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is expected to increase by 17% during the 10-year span ending in 2034.⁵ If you’re considering a career in telemental health, a clinical psychology graduate program or an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program with a specialization in Telehealth Counseling, Private Practice, and Supervision like the one at Walden University can help you reach your goals. Walden also offers a telehealth counseling specialization in both its MS in School Counseling and PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision programs. Find the program that’s right for you and start making a difference in the field of telemental health.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MS in School Counseling, and PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision programs with telehealth specializations—as well as a variety of psychology programs—online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

¹Source: https://telehealthresourcecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/OutofState-Telehealth-Provider-Policies-FINAL.pdf
²Source: www.thenationalcouncil.org/resources/2024-ccbhc-impact-report
³Source: https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/nn/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101584932X120-doc
⁴Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10497315241236966
⁵Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm

Note on Licensure:
Walden University’s MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a requirement for licensure in many states. The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for licensing exams and to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state counseling boards. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements. For more information about licensure, students should visit the National Board for Certified Counselors at www.nbcc.org/stateboarddirectory or the American Association of State Counseling Boards at www.aascb.org, and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body. Learn more about professional licensure.

The MS in School Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which may also be a requirement to become licensed or certified as a school counselor in some states. In addition, some states require school counselors to have an existing teaching license or certification, and teaching experience, in order to be eligible for a school counseling certification/license. Learn more about professional licensure.

Further, many states require school counseling programs to be approved in at least one state, either their own or another state. The MS in School Counseling program is approved by the states of Minnesota and Ohio, and while this approval is accepted by the majority of states which require state approval, it may not be accepted by all states.

Note on Licensure:
The PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed counseling professional.

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.