What is Telepsychology and What Software to Use

Thanks to the digital age and technology, psychologists can now reach more people than ever before, especially those who are isolated.

Some people are reluctant when it comes to seeking out and consulting with a psychologist. Utilizing something like telepsychology can significantly reduce this fear and improve access to quality care.

The issue of improved access to care may be one of the best benefits overall when looking at this modality.

Telepsychology, teletherapy, and telemedicine are a growing trend because they provide many unique benefits to both the patient and the provider.

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What is Telepsychology?

Telepsychology refers to the usage of psychology services delivered via video conferencing.

Telepsychology is becoming more common and can be a very attractive option for patients as well as therapists.

For people who are reluctant to seek psychological care, telepsychology offers the perfect venue.

This is also an excellent option for those who live in a small community or for those who fear people may talk about them if they seek care.

Those living remotely can also benefit from using telepsychology services.

What are the Benefits?

One of the key benefits of a service like telepsychology, is increased access to care for the disabled. For those with physical, medical, or mobility disabilities, telepsychology provides many things, including:

• Better access to quality care.
• Flexible scheduling.
• Access to care in one’s native language.
• Increased access to a disability specialist, if needed.
• Better access to remote areas or areas that don’t have proper mental health resources.
• Increased access for those with PTSD or agoraphobia – or for anyone who has difficulty attending an in-person session.
• More time for the patient to collect himself or herself and to think about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors outside of therapy.

Telepsychology allows psychologists to see patients on the patients’ own terms, where they are much more comfortable.

Telepsychology and Asynchronous Technologies (Quenza Example)

Leveraging the benefits of videoconferencing to deliver psychology services, represents one way that modern psychologists can take advantage of digital technology to better serve their clients.

Another way is by combining telepsychology with other asynchronous modes of working to keep the client engaged and make therapy more accessible.

Asynchronous modes of working are characterized by a delayed response time between the therapist and client. In terms of communication, this might include email, website chat interfaces, text messaging, and video messages.

Beyond communication, asynchronous telepsychology tools can empower clients to engage with their interventions whenever convenient by logging into a client portal on a telepsychology platform such as Quenza (pictured).

For example, a telepsychologist working with trauma survivors may conduct therapy sessions with their clients in real-time via videoconferencing to explore the origins of their trauma.

This same psychologist might also draw on mindfulness-based approaches to help the client better harness their attention and discover how difficult emotions pertaining to the trauma manifest as bodily sensations. To help with this, the psychologist encourages her clients to engage in mindfulness meditation practice every day.

To support the client in between real-time sessions, the therapist can use a platform like Quenza to assign a programmed schedule of pre-recorded daily meditations, accompanied by relevant reading. These can then automatically be sent to the client’s smartphone via push notification to be completed at a time that suits them.

This is just one example of how you might use a platform like Quenza to support and scale your telepsychology practice with asynchronous components. If you’d like to learn more about Quenza as a tool for providing customized care for your clients, take a look at our Quenza Interventions article.

What Does the Research Say?

According to Reese et al. (2016), the comfort level of the client is one of the best predictors for a positive therapeutic relationship.

An online approach may not be suited for everyone. If you aren’t comfortable with your therapist, it probably doesn’t matter if you engage in a session in person or online.

There are specific guidelines in place, and telepsychology should be used with caution for those who are severely mentally ill or for those at risk of hurting themselves. (APA, 2014).

In a review of research utilizing a variety of people, telepsychology was typically found to be an effective modality. (Hynes et al., 2009; Reese, Slone, Soares, & Sprang, 2015; Tuerk, Yoder, Ruggiero, Gros, & Acierno, 2010).

This same outcome also applies for practitioners utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques for things like depression or anxiety (Glynn, Randolph, Garrick, & Lui, 2010; Hailey, Roine, & Ohinmaa, 2008).

Research also indicates that the quality of the therapeutic relationship, as well as empathy, is consistent across different platforms. (Reese, 2016).

Frueh et al. (2007) suggest that clients continue to feel connected with their therapist even when in online settings, and this appears to be particularly true if the therapist is comfortable working online.

Advantages and Disadvantages

According to Godine and Barnett (2013), mental health services can be delivered in many ways, including:

1. Videoconferencing
2. Email and telephone
3. Real-time chat
4. Cell phones
5. Websites

Videoconferencing is a “technological procedure that allows individuals to see and hear each other on a computer monitor or video screen in real-time” (Godine and Barnett, 2013).

Videoconferencing is much different than something like a real-time chat, telephone, or cell phone conversations because video conferencing allows users to view and speak to each other at the same time.

Advantages to Telepsychology include:

• Accessibility for those in remote and rural areas.
• Expanded hours of service beyond regular office hours.
• Direct and sometimes immediate service.
• Less inhibited clients allowing for more emotional involvement.

Some disadvantages, on the other hand, may include:

• Capacity for crisis intervention may be limited.
• Clients may develop a type of virtual identity to protect themselves.
• Some of the problems that may occur in face-to-face therapy may not be as easily dealt with virtually.
• Misunderstandings may be an issue due to a lack of non-verbal cues.
• Verification of the practitioner’s authenticity may be difficult for the client.

What You Need to Know as a Practitioner

As a practitioner there are some hurdles, but it is best to know about them in order to overcome these obstacles.

Privacy Concerns

Respecting and protecting the rights and privacy of patients is critical to a patient/therapist relationship.

One of the unique ethical guidelines in telepsychology states that the psychologist must provide information on local mental healthcare before treating a patient who is not local.

The psychologist must also advise the client of the risks and limitations of telepsychology. The patient’s privacy must always be maintained, and this is even more important in telemedicine.

The interactions between the patient and the psychologist must be protected, especially with online venues. With any psychological treatment, there are risks related to sensitive conversations, medical records, and personal information.

Psychologists must have the proper safeguards in place to ensure their practices are following HIPAA Privacy and Security guidelines.

What are HIPAA Guidelines?

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. (HHS Office of the Secretary, Office for Civil Rights, & Ocr., 2013)

The Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services requires it in order to protect the privacy and security of certain types of health information.

HIPAA has privacy rules and security rules to protect health information that is held or transferred in electronic form.

The overall goal is to protect the privacy of individuals while also allowing doctors and other providers to adopt new kinds of technology. All of this is meant to enhance the quality and efficiency of patient care.

For more information, you can visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What are GDPR Guidelines?

For those in the U.K. or anywhere in the European Union, other rules apply. The GDPR or General Data Protection Regulations are a set of compliance regulations and requirements that apply to any organization that deals with data provided by citizens of the European Union. (GDPR Vs. HIPAA – Noting The Differences., n.d.).

The guidelines are similar to HIPAA guidelines in the fact that they are designed to protect the patient.

Some key points to the GDPR are:

• Strict adherence to patient consent when getting personal details.
• Rules that guide how long a healthcare provider can hold onto patient information.
• Rules pertaining to high-security storage.

Security Compliance for Telepsychology Platforms

The best way to ensure you are practicing e-therapy in accordance with these guidelines is to use specially designed telepsychology software that is HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant, as shown below.

The earlier example of Quenza is one such platform that meets these data protection standards, ensuring that all interactions between therapists and their clients are secure thanks to personal PIN codes and 128-bit encryption.

However, be wary that not all telepsychology platforms take these measures.

In sum, if you are a psychologist interested in conducting teletherapy, take care to meet your legal and ethical obligations by ensuring that any technologies you use meet the security standards and regulations applicable to you and your client’s location.

Licensing Requirements

All of these guidelines are designed to ensure that patient data is not compromised in any way, shape, or form. These guidelines are important to be aware of if you are considering utilizing telepsychology software and services.

Thanks to Telepsychology, many psychologists now have a unique opportunity to see patients from all over the globe. As a result, they need to be aware that there may be different laws and licensing requirements depending on their location.

Until there is a national licensure system that allows doctors to treat anyone, anywhere, the psychologist needs to be aware of the rules.

The best rule of thumb to follow is to do your homework and be aware of whatever specific regulations apply to you and your practice before utilizing this type of platform.

Types of Telepsychology

Different types of telepsychology could include:

1. Cyber therapy (virtual reality).
2. Telerehabilitation or video assistance.
3. Telemonitoring in chronic and insidious disease disorders.
4. Self-applied programs and web-based tests.

Cyber therapy or virtual reality therapy is being used more and more. It is also referred to as virtual reality exposure therapy. This type of therapy allows the patient to enter a virtual world where they can learn to better manage their condition.

Let’s say that Paul is experiencing PTSD from a traumatic event. His psychologist would like to try virtual reality exposure therapy to help Paul deal with his PTSD in a safe, controlled and monitored environment.

His psychologist could use technology such as a virtual headset, to gently guide Paul through a traumatic experience little by little.

Telerehabilitation – John has recently had surgery and he has been out of rehab for 2 weeks. While he is recovering nicely, his psychologist would like to be able to check-in with John on a daily basis. A practice like telerehabilitation is perfect for this because John can easily do a 5 or 10-minute daily check-in via video.

Telemonitoring – Chris is confined in a chamber due to his contagious disease. His psychologist is worried about his mood and state of mind and would like to be able to monitor Chris. Using telemonitoring Chris’s doctor can chat with him daily using telepsychology to ensure Chris maintains a positive attitude.

Self-applied programs – Sally is worried that her anxiety is getting out of hand, but she isn’t quite ready to see a psychologist or begin taking medication. She would like to be able to self-manage her anxiety before taking that next step. Sally could use some kind of web-based test to determine if her anxiety needs to be addressed in a different manner. She could also go online and find some self-applied programs like deep breathing or simple meditation practice that could be helpful as well.

Some of the most common platforms available for telerehabilitation or telemonitoring are listed below.

Top 10 Most Popular Telepsychology Platforms

Knowing what software to use can help you be fully prepared if you plan on trying out telepsychology with your clients or patients.

Even if you run your practice face-to-face, you may be curious about whether you can digitize aspects of your practice to scale your business and better serve your clients.

As discussed, you can weave many aspects of telepsychology into your practice without diving in all the way. For instance, you may experiment with conducting half of your clients’ therapy sessions via videoconferencing. Alternatively, you may choose to assign your clients psychoeducational materials digitally as part of a blended care approach to treatment.

Depending on your interests, we recommend you begin by explicitly evaluating what your business needs from an effective telepsychology platform, and any gaps or challenges in your current workflow.

For instance, depending on these needs, the ideal telepsychology software might support the process of diagnosis by automatically administering questionnaires. Alternatively, it might facilitate both group and individual therapy or facilitate interactions between psychologists, primary care providers, and other healthcare providers.

Once you’ve assessed your needs, look at our round-up of ten top-recommended telepsychology platforms and see if any meet these needs.

Remember that any reputable telepsychology platform you choose should be HIPAA and GDPR compliant. Unfortunately, generic videoconferencing platforms like Skype and Zoom do not meet these regulations.

1. Quenza

Among the various telepsychology tools on the market, Quenza is a powerful telepsychology solution that allows psychologists to digitize and automate many aspects of their practice.

We’ve already explored a couple of this platform’s functions in our discussion above, including its usefulness for digitally sharing psychoeducational activities with clients and enabling clients to complete these activities on their personal devices.

Other features worth noting are the platform’s intuitive drag-and-drop activity builder, which is the key tool enabling therapists to craft customized assessments, questionnaires, lessons, and other materials tailored to their clients’ needs.

These digital activities leverage the full capabilities of the user’s devices and can, therefore, incorporate a range of multimedia, including graphics, videos, and audio.

Besides designing custom activities, Quenza users can also draw from the platform’s growing library of pre-loaded activities, all of which are based on widely used psychology frameworks.

In combination, these tools enable psychologists to design high-quality, individualized care pathways that can range in complexity from one-off interventions to entire treatment plans spanning several months.

Further, the therapist can easily track how their clients progress through their activities using the platform’s dashboard and reporting features. The therapist can also send push notification reminders to clients’ devices, reminding them to complete any overdue activities, and they can easily refine or amend treatment pathways based on clients’ engagement and outcomes.

In sum, the platform functions as a useful tool for collating and sharing digital materials as part of an asynchronous approach to running a telepsychology practice.

If you’re interested in learning more, the platform currently offers a 30-day trial for just $1 to let you try Quenza and all its features for yourself.

2. Clocktree

Clocktree is a telemedicine platform that works on any computer device with Internet access and a camera. It is HIPAA compliant and an excellent way to attract more clients.

Clocktree is easy to use from both the clinician and client end.

The payment model is a useful model for group practices that only need to use video software for a few hours a month. At the time of writing, Clocktree was free to use for up to 10 hours/month. After that, there is a fee.

Clocktree lets you put unlimited users on your practice’s Clocktree account. Some of the features include:

• Scheduling and Reminders
• Secure Messaging
• Library and HIPAA Secure Storage
• Client History and Notes

3. Doxy.me

Doxy.me is a simple, free, and secure platform for telepsychology. It is HIPAA compliant, free to use, and there are no downloads required.

Some of the features include:

• Live Chat
• Patient Queue
• Waiting Room
• Patient Check-In
• Mobile app

Although Doxy.me is simple to use and free for solo and small practices, larger clinics can pay for a version with a lot more components.

4. VSee

VSee is an online telemedicine platform that serves over 1,000 companies, including Walgreens, DaVita, Trinity, and more.

The VSee platform was founded in 2008 by two Ph.D. students from Stanford University, who were looking for ways to make working remotely much more straightforward.

VSee is funded by the National Science Foundation, in-Q-Tel and Salesforce.com.

Products include:

• VSee Messenger
• VSee Clinic and Virtual Waiting Room
• VSee SDK – Digital Health app

The platform is an excellent video software option designed specifically for telemedicine.

The free Pro account offer is only for solo practices.

5. Mend

The Mend platform is another HIPAA secure telemedicine platform. It has robust reporting as well as patient management.

It offers SMS appointment reminders, digital intake and other forms, integrated patient self-scheduling, and a 99% connection rate. There are no downloads to connect to the platform, and the software is easy to install. The software is compatible with all top devices as well.

6. DrChrono

DrChrono can be used to provide patients with clinical help in the comfort of their own homes.

The platform provides online scheduling and is HIPAA compliant. It also offers video conferencing, which reduces wait time in the clinic and improves the patient experience.

The software provides online scheduling, automated appointment reminders, a HIPAA compliant patient portal, and integrated billing.

7. TheraNest

TheraNest is another provider of online therapy. The software has a mobile app, a client portal, progress notes, treatment plans, discharge notes, as well as custom forms.

8. thera-Link

This software package offers telehealth solutions that are focused on the mental and behavioral health space.

The online practice management solution includes HIPAA secure video, scheduling, payment built-in, secure messaging, and client session notes. The software also provides file sharing, and a directory listing for clients to find you.

9. SimplePractice

SimplePractice is another telehealth provider offering a fully integrated video solution. The software provides a calendar, notes, billing, and client communication all combined in one system that also allows you to schedule and conduct unlimited sessions with the click of a button.

The software offers a mobile app, entirely paperless intakes, custom notes and forms, secure messaging, free appointment reminders, integrated payments, and a beautiful client portal which is HIPAA compliant.

10. ContinuousCare

This application provides a white-label platform, which can be utilized as your own.

The software includes a mobile app, telemedicine, and remote care plans for those with chronic conditions.

Also included are practice management, a branded patient portal, and the ability to create a website with a unique domain name.

A Take-Home Message

Telemedicine and telepsychology are the waves of the future. Thanks to the digital age, more and more people can now receive desperately needed mental health services and psychological counseling.

Technology is reshaping how we look at mental health care. Telemedicine is ideal for those who either can’t get out or those who are reluctant to receive psychological services.

Telepsychology can be utilized within a variety of practices, including solo practices and group practices.

Telepsychology is removing the stigma that used to be associated with mental health treatment, which is a very good thing for patients as well as healthcare providers.

For further reading, please see our article on e-therapy as well as telepsychiatry and the software you could use.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free.