Essentials of Telebehavioral Health: A Practical Guide

Telebehavioral Health (TBH), defined as the use of information and  telecommunication technologies for remote behavioral health service  delivery, has witnessed exponential growth in recent years. The increase  in TBH adoption can be attributed to several factors such as:  increasing demand for behavioral health services, increasing  availability of high-speed internet, decreasing cost of technology,  expansion of reimbursement, and growing scientific evidence  demonstrating its effectiveness across various patient populations,  psychiatric conditions, and clinical settings. The COVID-19 pandemic  further catapulted TBH expansion and scaling, as social distancing and  lockdown measures left both clinicians and patients with limited  alternatives.
Essentials of Telebehavioral Health: A Practical Guide  comes at a time when TBH’s effectiveness is well-established, its  position in healthcare systems secure and uncontested, and the  conversation around it shifting from “if” to “how” it could be  implemented. The success of TBH programs is contingent on the careful  planning, meticulous implementation, and continuous monitoring and  evaluation of its essential components, with special emphasis on  clinical, technical, legal and ethical considerations. While there are  existing resources that offer road maps for TBH program implementation,  what this book provides is hands-on support and guidance to set up and  maintain a TBH practice, focusing on both its programmatic and clinical  aspects. Its simple structure, succinctness, and scientific rigor make  it suitable for both professional and educational settings.  In addition  to contributing to the writeup, the editors enlisted several authors  with a wealth of practical knowledge and firsthand clinical experience  on TBH implementation and delivery. The user experience is enhanced  through explanatory figures, synthesis tables, visual aids,  end-of-section checklists, and summaries in bullet-point format.