TPC Journal-V6, Issue 4- FULL ISSUE

The Professional Counselor /Volume 6, Issue 4 392 boards may use language to be as inclusive as possible, yet the specific types of telemental services permitted may be unclear to mental health providers. When identifying policies in different states, mental health providers may be confused when state licensure boards use the same terminology to refer to different services. For example, practitioners may use telephone, e-mail, text, smartphone apps, or interactive videoconferencing to provide counseling services and be unaware that certain formats are permitted where others are not. Implementing changes in terminology will assist mental health providers in finding the policies pertaining to telemental health as well as reduce confusion and hesitancy to provide services via the Internet. Future Research Future research is recommended to identify competencies for telemental health services for adults, children and special populations. Guidelines and ethical standards have been developed using reviews of the literature and consensus among a limited number of professionals in their respective associations (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 2015; ACA, 2014; American Mental Health Counselors Association, 2015; APA, 2013; National Association of Social Workers, Association of Social Work Boards, 2005; NBCC, 2016). No formal study has yet to be conducted on the competencies of a telemental health provider or on the effects of counselor competency training on providing telemental health services. Professional communities and independent continuing education providers around the United States provide training services for counselors, and some graduate counseling programs offer students an elective course in technology and counseling. While these efforts provide counselors with training, research and advocacy are needed to identify competency areas related to ethical telemental health practice. Counselors may be extremely skilled in in-person counseling, yet unable to successfully transfer these skills to an online environment (Mallen et al., 2005). Established professional competencies in telemental health would inform educators and policymakers in future endeavors. It is important for telemental health training to draw from outcome studies, lending direction for best practices in telemental health regarding ethical and therapeutic guidelines. Ford, Avey, DeRuyter, Whipple, and Rivkin’s (2012) survey provided insights into the biggest successes and challenges of integrating telemental health services into practice. They noticed the success of being able to reach an underserved population. They echoed the need for outcome research to inform practices and ethics, as well as a need for outcome research to inform sound cultural and contextual practice for counselors. In addition to counselor educators and researchers, it is important that clinicians currently engaged in telemental health practices inform colleagues of benefits and challenges through professional publications (Sude, 2013). Once further research outcome data are acquired and proposed counselor training competencies are in place, state licensure boards will have comprehensive best practice guidelines for creating more detailed information for licensees, leading to improved counseling practices and better results for clients. Implications for Counselors Counselors should be aware that their licensure board policies and ethical codes may include different telemental health terms than those with which they are familiar. Identifying the telemental health terms is a counselor’s first step toward locating telemental health guidelines, understanding the specific policies and developing beginning competencies for an online, electronic practice. Counselors are encouraged to consult ethical guidelines for practice before engaging in telemental health activities. Important ethical considerations include duty to warn, scope of practice, confidentiality, record keeping and marketing (Mallen et al., 2005), among others. Other